18th April 2021 The conflict in Myanmar is reaching a stage where the Military won’t lose, but equally they can’t win. The Tatmadaw have about 350,000/400,000 troops and the EAOs about 100,000. The Tatmadaw are better armed and have an air force, most of
April 16th, 2021. My last letter from the North was about the death of a town. I have just received the results of the quarterly regional economic survey for the southwestern region. It underlines how deep the recession is and the future doesn’t look good for St. Austell and
17th April 2021 The economy is taking a hit in the weirdest ways and the military in particular are suffering from the downturn. By closing down the internet and mobile networks the Junta have hit at the heart of the modernising transactional banking part of the economy. This, combined with
16th April 2021 In keeping with my policy of fair news reporting from Myanmar, I have another piece from the Global New Light of Myanmar. Yesterday’s headlines included the shattering news that the price of Tamarind leaves was holding up well. Tamarind leaves ready for market. The seasonal fresh
15th April 2021 The clampdown on the media, internet and mobile phone services is beginning to have an effect. I have not had contact with my regular contacts in Myanmar for 5 days now, but on the other hand, the banking system is close to collapse. The media sources are
14th April 2021 The military attempted to retake one of its outposts today and succeeded in sustaining heavy losses. Lesson number 1. It is always difficult to try to attack guerrillas who hold the high ground when you have to proceed uphill through the jungle to get at them. The
13th April 2021 The intensity of action and counter action is hotting up. The protesters are changing tactics and slowing down the mass demonstrations in Yangon and Mandalay to avoid unnecessary loss of life. The Civil Disobedience movement is beginning to bite and that is where the anti-coup action is
12th April 2021 The bloodshed continues and in Bagon alone 83 civilians were killed by the junta using rifle grenades and machine guns. Bodies were loaded onto a dump truck and bodies were also deposited at a Buddhist pagoda. In an action not seen since the 1988 uprising, an Imam
8th April 2021 The Irrawaddy spoke to Scot Marciel, who served as US ambassador to Myanmar from 2016-20, about the unfolding crisis in the country and how the international community and regional powers can help stop the regime’s violence against the Myanmar people. Let’s discuss the Quad members,
8th April 2021 The Irrawaddy spoke to Scot Marciel, who served as US ambassador to Myanmar from 2016-20, about the unfolding crisis in the country and how the international community and regional powers can help stop the regime’s violence against the Myanmar people. Intellectuals are leaving, civil servants are
8th April 2021 The Irrawaddy spoke to Scot Marciel, who served as US ambassador to Myanmar from 2016-20, about the unfolding crisis in the country and how the international community and regional powers can help stop the regime’s violence against the Myanmar people. THE IRRAWADDY: It seems Myanmar is
7th April 2021 A series of explosions were recorded across Yangon today, and the blames is being laid at the feet of the protesters. The other thought is that it could have been the Military who will now use it as a pretext for even tougher clampdowns and violence. The
6th April 2021 We’ll start off today with a cartoon that sums up peoples’ feelings in Myanmar. The death toll in Myanmar continues to mount, but not quite in the way you would expect. Four soldiers died on Sunday afternoon when a grenade was hurled into a truck as
5th April 2021 Following on from the report about Russia’s incursions into Myanmar’s domestic affairs, there is a local view from the Irrawaddy which is worth a read. The presence of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin, dressed in his full colonel-general uniform, at the Armed Forces
5th April 2021 Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Alexander Fomin paid a visit to Nay Pyi Taw on Army day and met with the coup leaders, saying Moscow was “committed to a strategy aimed at bolstering relations between the two countries.” Russia has been Myanmar’s second-largest source of arms
3rd April 2021 Regular readers of these pieces will know that I always try to give a balanced view and occasionally give space to items from The Global New Light of Myanmar, the state-approved English language newspaper, a rival to The Myanmar Times, which has not been published since February
