What's Happening in Myanmar

Frontier Myanmar
  • 5.0 (2)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
What's Happening in Myanmar

Join journalists and experts discussing the biggest Myanmar news stories in this weekly show from the Frontier Myanmar podcast family. Reliable. Concise. Informative.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Sittwe Set On & the Military Upgrades Drones

    With Ko Kyaw Naing, an employee since 2012 of a civil society organization in Rakhine State, and also another unnamed guest, a Rohingya youth living in Sittwe. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, the military stocks drones in Karen State, more chemical weapons accusations, some scam workers go free, and we speak about the impending attack on the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe.  Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 1m33s :: Weekly news digest 5m07s :: With Ko Kyaw Naing, the Arakan Army’s attack on Sittwe 11m01s :: AA administration 18m11s :: With a Rohingya youth, on the ground in Sittwe 34m41s :: Close Our guests— Ko Kyaw Naing, an employee since 2012 of a civil society organization in Rakhine State. Our second guest is an unnamed Rohingya youth, currently living in Sittwe, who declined to use a pseudonym. There are no links or publications from our listeners this week, but we do refer to the Frontier feature from last year, No smoke without fire? Chemical weapons accusations continue. And Frontier’s other free content this week: Rethinking ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus Killing creativity: The junta’s cultural crusade Severed lifelines: Tanintharyi communities starved of food and medicine

    35 min

  2. FEB 21

    SAC Sanctions & Restricting Revenue

    With Sean Turnell, Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, the military ships nearly 1,000 Rohingya from Yangon to wartorn Sittwe, Chinese are repatriated from border scam compounds, and we speak about the military’s access to foreign exchange and other finance matters in the wake of the new report,  The Military, Money, and Myanmar: Breaking the Nexus.    Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 1m15s :: Weekly news digest 7m35s :: With Sean Turnell, the military’s finances 10m40s :: Foreign exchange 13m30s :: Sanctions on Myanmar’s banks 21m16s :: Financing the resistance 28m06s :: Multilateral institutions noting the NUG 37m06s :: Close Our guest— Sean Turnell, Honorary Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute, and author of the 1999 book Fiery Dragons: Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma, and more recently, An Unlikely Prisoner: How an Eternal Optimist Found Hope in Myanmar’s Most Notorious Jail. Sean advised the National League for Democracy government on economic matters from 2016-2020, was detained and locked up by the military for 650 days following the 2021 coup, and now serves as Special Advisor to the alternative National Unity Government’s Interim Central Bank. The Military, Money, and Myanmar: Breaking the Nexus And here’s links to the Frontier Myanmar interviews with Dr Sui Khar and Thai opposition MP Rangsiman Rome.

    39 min

  3. FEB 14

    Scam Pressure & Strikes on Sittwe

    With Sue-Lin Wong, Southeast Asia correspondent for The Economist. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, ASEAN continues talking consensus, Sittwe fighting begins in earnest, and we speak about the scam industry in the region, as hundreds of trafficked victims go free from Myawaddy.   Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 0m58s :: Weekly news digest 8m33s :: With Sue-Lin Wong, the scam industry 15m06s :: Why do people fall for scams? 17m22s :: Coercion and worker trafficking 23m11s :: Chinese experience of scams 25m26s :: Absent connection to CCP 31m45s :: Future of scams  34m52s :: Close Our guest— Sue-Lin Wong, Southeast Asia correspondent for The Economist. Introduction to Scam Inc. Online scams may already be as big a scourge as illegal drugs And read Frontier’s editorial this week on the dangers posed by Elon Musk.

    36 min

  4. FEB 7

    Panic for Fuel & Fighting for Falam

    With Lorcan Lovett, independent journalist and Substack writer, with bylines in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, the Sunday Times and more. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, conscripts are barred from monasteries, fuel dries up at key border towns, and we discuss the final fight in the Chin National Defense Force push for Falam, in Chin State.   Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 0m54s :: Weekly news digest 8m14s :: With Lorcan Lovett, fighting in Falam 15m18s :: Reinforcements 18m35s :: Freedom of movement 24m08s :: Civilian and rebel life 28m40s :: Chin resistance schism 37m54s :: Close  Our guest— Lorcan Lovett, an independent journalist and Substack writer. Lorcan’s Substack, “On Myanmar” His first Chin State dispatch: “They plucked out his eye with a motorbike key … I wanted to kill them” And— The Institute of Chin Affairs report referred to in this podcast can be found here. For more context on the Chin resistance split, check out this Frontier feature from last year.

    39 min

  5. FEB 1

    America First, Myanmar Last?

    With Erin Murphy, author of the book Burmese Haze and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and Minnie, a Myanmar INGO practitioner actively engaged in various initiatives related to gender equality, social inclusion, democracy and human rights. Through USAID funding, her work has focused on projects that aim to create a more transparent government, civic inclusion, and include the voices of marginalized communities. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, Chinese representatives visit Lashio, Bhamo airport is lost to the Kachin Independence Army, and we talk all about the USAID funding freeze. Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 1m36s :: Weekly news digest 5m32s :: With Erin & Minnie, USAID funding freeze 9m28s :: Forewarning and U.S. strategy 15m50s :: Importance of USAID to Myanmar 21m09s :: Effect on AID workers 24m59s :: Near term future 30m47s :: Close Our guests— Erin Murphy, author of the book Burmese Haze and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Minnie, a Myanmar INGO practitioner actively engaged in various initiatives related to gender equality, social inclusion, democracy and human rights.

    32 min

  6. JAN 24

    Kokang Ceasefire & Cybersecurity

    With Vox, a Digital Security Trainer from the Myanmar Internet Project (MIP) and Spring Revolution Security (SRS). This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, the MNDAA signs a ceasefire, nearly everyone talks scam centres, the Arakan Army pushes further towards the beach resort town of Chaungtha, and we discuss the new Cybersecurity Law enacted on January 1.  Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 1m26s :: Weekly news digest 10m32s :: With Vox, the development of the Cybersecurity Law 14m57s :: Origins of law with NLD & experts 17m37s :: The law’s problems 21m23s :: Influence on the economy and business 31m53s :: Close Our guests— Vox, a Digital Security Trainer from the Myanmar Internet Project and Spring Revolution Security.

    33 min

  7. JAN 18

    Battling for Bhamo

    With Hka San Lwi, Editor-in-Chief of Kachin Waves.  This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, a deadly landslide hits Hpakant, the National Unity Government moots setting up shop in Sagaing, the State Administration Council bans LGBT publications, and we discuss the ongoing battle for Bhamo and the importance of that city in northern Myanmar. Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 1m33s :: Weekly news digest 8m38s :: The Battle for Bhamo 19m53s :: Close Our guest— Hka San Lwi, Editor-in-Chief of Kachin Waves: https://kachinwaves.com/ https://www.facebook.com/kachinwavesnews/

    21 min

  8. JAN 10

    Amnesty, Aung Zaya, & Karen Revolution Debrief

    With Andrew Nachemson, former Managing Editor of Frontier Myanmar, and freelance journalist. This week on What’s Happening in Myanmar, the military regime pardons thousands of prisoners, Arakan Army fighting expands into Ayeyarwady Region, a Chinese celebrity is trafficked and rescued in Myawaddy, and we discuss the revolution in Karen State, including the fate of the Aung Zaya column, Border Guard Force politics, and the Karen National Union’s administration. Email the show at whimyanmar@proton.me Timecodes— 0m46s :: Weekly news digest 4m40s :: Andrew’s trip details & logistics 9m14s :: Aung Zaya column  14m14s :: KNLA’s perception of Border Guard Force 19m25s :: KNU administration 23m53s :: Wider revolutionary context and KNLA’s modest gains 35m39s :: Close Our guest— Andrew Nachemson, former Managing Editor of Frontier Myanmar and freelance journalist: Myanmar anti-coup forces target Mandalay in struggle to oust military Where the Resistance Rules in Myanmar Myanmar’s Armed Groups And Democracy Activists Are Joining Forces Finding Marwi in Loikaw ‘We’ll never give up’: The fight for Loikaw

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

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Join journalists and experts discussing the biggest Myanmar news stories in this weekly show from the Frontier Myanmar podcast family. Reliable. Concise. Informative.

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