Myanmar

Former Army Ranger medic to teach trauma course in Burma

Bryce Dryden is a former medic from 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, who is heading out to the jungles of Burma to teach trauma medicine. He is working with Earth Mission Asia, a non-profit that has worked in the area for years, striving to build healthcare infrastructure among the Karen people in eastern Burma/Myanmar. […]

The wars that we have forgotten

There are too many wars and conflicts around the world to keep up with. It’s difficult to stay updated on some of the conflicts that do occasionally make their way to the headlines, even just for a little bit. Firefights in Afghanistan will sometimes make the headlines, but to many consumers they look like the […]

Ten years ago: The Myanmar military constitution

The constitution of the United States was a revolutionary document (both literally and figuratively), and aspects of it are well known throughout the world. Different lines are debated and argued over within the United States, and it is the subject of much study and controversy. Constitutions from other countries vary from place to place — […]

Rohingya refugees prepare for oncoming monsoon season

Rohingya refugees just over the Myanmar/Burma border are preparing for the oncoming monsoon season, which generally hits in the summer and can last into the fall. The rains that precede the monsoons have already been hitting the refugee camps, which house just under 700,000 people. According to The International Rescue Committee, the population of the […]

8,500 political prisoners freed in Burma

Starting Tuesday, thousands of prisoners have been given amnesty from their sentencing in Myanmar/Burma. Many were released from prison, but others were not confined to a jail cell. They had been under strict “conditional release” which sort of acted like a strict probation — the “Article 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on Suspensions, […]

Myanmar government allows UN Security Council investigation

During the recent conflict involving the Myanmar/Burmese government and the Rohingya that has been described as ‘textbook ethnic cleansing,’ the Burmese have continuously denied the UN access to conduct an investigation regarding the claims of genocide. Reports from a myriad of aid organizations have all pointed toward massive amounts of human rights violations, including the […]

Child soldiers in 2018

Soldiers are asked to carry out some of the most unimaginably difficult and horrifying tasks a human could be asked to do. They risk their own life and limb, they are sometimes forced to watch as their friends are slaughtered, they take lives and damage families, and they often come home wounded physically or mentally. […]

‘Tribe’: The book everyone in modern society should read

“Tribe” by Sebastian Junger has been recommended to me time and time again, but it wasn’t until last week that I finally picked it up and read it. It was recommended by veterans who said it articulated thoughts they hadn’t been able to put words to, and even explained feelings and emotions that they hadn’t […]

30 years ago: The 8888 uprising

1988 — Imagine the streets flooded with thousands upon thousands of protesters for months on end. Imagine police stations getting ransacked, protesters continuously demanding the resignation of the country’s leader, university students starting further rioting throughout the country — imagine soldiers, under direction from the authorities, opening fire on unarmed civilians. Imagine them killing thousands. […]

Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of award from US Holocaust Memorial Museum

De facto leader of Burma/Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has had the “Elie Wiesel Award” officially revoked on Wednesday. She was awarded this in 2012, “for her courageous leadership and great personal sacrifice in resisting tyranny and advancing the freedom and dignity of the Burmese people.” She was known throughout the country for holding out under […]

Berlin Conference on Myanmar Genocide: Burma/Myanmar denied entry

As is common with delegations from the country in question, Myanmar/Burma was denied access to the conference regarding the genocide in Burma late last month. The conference in Berlin gathers together leaders and scholars from all over the world, particularly Europe, to discuss and encourage leadership from various countries to take action against the Burmese […]

90% of Rohingya driven from their homes in Rakhine State, Burma

The mass exodus of Rohingya out of Rakhine State, Burma/Myanmar has been staggering. Recent months have seen unrelenting violence and bloodshed, usually aimed at civilians. Burmese news outlets have reported that ninety percent of the Rohingya population in Rakhine State have fled their homes and currently reside in Bangladesh, just next door. According to the […]