As local residents question Belt and Road impacts, China and Myanmar remain silent
China is pushing two of its Belt and Road development projects in Myanmar without addressing local communities’ social and environmental concerns.
Myanmar
Myanmar’s internet blackout violates rights but could be the first of many
The Myanmar government has shut down internet access in Rakhine State for over a week. Critics say the military may be using the blackout as cover to commit atrocities and warn of new authoritarian tactics and abuse of power.
Leaked ASEAN report shows Rohingya must determine their own repatriation process
A leaked ASEAN report ignores risks to Rohingya and violence in Rakhine, showing that plans for repatriation will need to be driven by refugees themselves.
Profits over human life: Myanmar’s deadly jade mines
Year after year, landslides in Myanmar’s jade mines kill hundreds of workers. Authorities place profits ahead of human lives.
Reuters journalists in Myanmar freed but press freedom and rule of law still in jeopardy
Two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar for over 500 days were pardoned. But their story and the ongoing repression of journalists in Myanmar show that Aung San Suu Kyi’s government is unable to secure the freedom of the press in Myanmar’s judicial system.
A shift in Myanmar’s nationalist rhetoric offers a glimpse of what’s to come in 2020
Myanmar’s nationalists are employing increasingly political rhetoric. It is no accident.
A Chinese Special Economic Zone is deepening conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State
The Chinese-backed Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone is shaping Myanmar’s conflict with the Arakan Army. Rakhine communities will benefit little from the project while bearing many of the costs, and it ignores their calls for control over the area’s natural resources.
Unified QR Codes and the promise of a cashless Myanmar
Nets Group is helping Myanmar develop its own QR code system, based on the famous SGQR framework in Singapore. How will this impact the payment landscape in Myanmar?
Myanmar’s government claims Islamic State poses threat in Rakhine
The Myanmar government claims that the Islamic State poses a growing threat to Rakhine state. But with little evidence, this only serves to build the narrative of Islamic terrorism that the military uses to justify its atrocities in Rakhine.
The Chinese mega-dam in Myanmar that is hampering the peace process
The government of Myanmar is working to restart the controversial Myitsone dam project in Kachin State. It doesn’t bode well for the ongoing peace process.