"The terrible irony for men like Mohammed is that Rohingyas in Myanmar are still denied citizenship, and subjected to a range of discriminatory restrictions - like a ban on travel outside their communities."
From 2010 to 2017, there was a thing called #AseanCitizen that we Aseans started as a grassroots movement. We were all bloggers from across, well, #ASEAN or South-East Asia.
Some of us joined together to produce one of the best multi-authored regional blogs. We talked about our cultures, write about what makes the region awesome. As well as, try to address the oftentimes silly and sometimes heated debates.
It's all gone now. Forgotten. The blogs dead or offline. We all grew up, got busy with our personal lives, and moved on separately. And the important reason? We lost interest in it as we started to see ASEAN was, is, and will never be for the grassroots.
That was the end of what was once a vibrant grassroot ASEAN Citizens effort. We did it all voluntarily. Without a single recognition from the top-down organisation that is ASEAN.
But today? ASEAN is still a top-down organisation. They kept trying to get the grassroots involved, but they are always failing. Why? Because it is a top-down organisation, as simple as that. They will never understand until they shift their mindset and approach to bottom-up.
(P.S I want to restart this grassroots movement, but I just no longer have the spark. Give me a very good reason why I should give it another chance. Or, at least, guide the new generation.)
The UN Human Rights Council adopted resolutions Thursday to call on UN member states to refrain from supplying jet fuel to the Myanmar military. The council also extended the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and Myanmar and the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran....
A coalition of opposition forces in Myanmar has taken control of the busiest border crossing into Thailand. The military regime which seized power in Myanmar three years ago has suffered another big defeat, this time on the eastern border with Thailand. Troops had suffered weeks of attacks by ethnic Karen insurgents, allied with...
In Myanmar greifen die Rebellen Ziele in der Hauptstadt an - und demonstrieren damit, wie verwundbar die Armee mittlerweile ist. Die Machthaber treiben den Aufständischen immer mehr Unterstützer zu. Von J. Johnston.
Indonesian authorities recovered two bodies from the shores of West Aceh on Saturday and said local fishermen reported several other drowning victims washed up after a vessel carrying Rohingya migrants capsized off the coast earlier this week. More than 70 Rohingya were "presumed dead or missing", which if confirmed would be the...
Do you remember the military coup in #Myanmar way back in '21?
The people who where forced to flee their homes sure remembers. Because many of them are still displaced!
Doctors Without Borders are trying to help them with basic sanitation and other necessities. To do that they need to know where they are, and how to get to them. They need #maps
And you can help! For free! While on the toilet!
Just install the app #MapSwipe (A+iOS) and start swiping. It's easy and fun
Mandalay’s James Beard award is well-deserved. I think they are the best Burmese restaurant in San Francisco. Also the least gentrified and most like the food I had in, well, Mandalay.
The fighters seized large quantity of weapons: PW-78 recoilless gun, 122mm rocket launcher, M2 machine gun, rare modern "MA-S" sniper rifles and many more.
Bandarban district administration has safely evacuated 240 families from the bordering Ghumdum area in Naikhongchhari of Bandarban district. The evacuation was made on Wednesday following an instruction of Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mozahid Uddin. They will stay in a safe place until the situation becomes normal, said...
"In KK Park, on the Myanmar-Thai border, those who refuse to scam face torture, starvation and even murder."
As an R&D unit, we usually don't post regular political news stories, but we'll make another exception here for two reasons: Our Julia Bayer was part of the investigative team. And the story shows what a dedicated group of journalists is able to uncover with the right digital tools – and the right mindset, of course.
The world must bring down Myanmar’s digital iron curtain
"Today, February 1, marks three years since Myanmar’s junta seized power in a violent and deadly coup."
"Shutdowns and surveillance in Myanmar are used to facilitate brutal human rights violations. Governments and businesses enabling these constant communications blackouts and the surveillance state are co-conspirators of authoritarian actors and must be held accountable. -- GOLDA S. BENJAMIN"
"Each dish helps me reclaim my identity, making a safe place where memories of home live on. The taste speaks louder than forced silence, a reminder that our culture survives even in a new place," she said, adding that these dishes being served on foreign tables are also "stories of survival and resilience."
How a guerrilla war in Myanmar has created the perfect environment for cyberscam centers to thrive. Criminals easily traffic victims and force them to extort money from people abroad, using a practice called "pig butchering." Americans lost $2.6 billion to this type of scam in 2022, according to the FBI.
UN Human Rights Council calls for aviation fuel embargo against Myanmar (www.jurist.org)
The UN Human Rights Council adopted resolutions Thursday to call on UN member states to refrain from supplying jet fuel to the Myanmar military. The council also extended the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and Myanmar and the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran....
Myanmar military loses border town in another big defeat (www.bbc.com)
A coalition of opposition forces in Myanmar has taken control of the busiest border crossing into Thailand. The military regime which seized power in Myanmar three years ago has suffered another big defeat, this time on the eastern border with Thailand. Troops had suffered weeks of attacks by ethnic Karen insurgents, allied with...
Indonesia recovers two bodies after Rohingya boat capsizes off Aceh (www.reuters.com)
Indonesian authorities recovered two bodies from the shores of West Aceh on Saturday and said local fishermen reported several other drowning victims washed up after a vessel carrying Rohingya migrants capsized off the coast earlier this week. More than 70 Rohingya were "presumed dead or missing", which if confirmed would be the...
Tension at Myanmar-Bangladesh border: 240 families evacuated from Ghumdum, Bangladesh (www.dhakatribune.com)
Bandarban district administration has safely evacuated 240 families from the bordering Ghumdum area in Naikhongchhari of Bandarban district. The evacuation was made on Wednesday following an instruction of Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shah Mozahid Uddin. They will stay in a safe place until the situation becomes normal, said...