The early delivery of vaccines is one of the many boons of the country’s geopolitics, but to really take advantage, Myanmar must bury the legacy of its isolationist past.
BY Frontier
The early delivery of vaccines is one of the many boons of the country’s geopolitics, but to really take advantage, Myanmar must bury the legacy of its isolationist past.
The Kayin State Border Guard Force has come under intense pressure from the Tatmadaw over its extensive, controversial business interests and there’s concern the ultimatum could trigger fresh hostilities in one of the country’s most war-torn areas.
As a new parliament convenes, the mood among MPs is far removed from the euphoria of five years ago, but the ruling party says it’s untroubled by electoral fraud allegations from the pro-military opposition.
An informal ceasefire has enabled some IDPs to return to war-scarred villages in Rakhine State, but landmines and unexploded ordnance pose a major risk to their safety.
A fight for territory between Shan and Ta’ang armed groups in northern Shan State is displacing thousands, in a conflict in which the Tatmadaw has been accused of taking sides.
The minimum penalty for trafficking marijuana is 10 years’ imprisonment but that hasn’t deterred an increasing number of dealers from selling openly on social media.
The involvement of the Kayin State Border Guard Force in the dodgy Shwe Kokko project has triggered a showdown with the Tatmadaw and fears of a return to war.
Some expected drug trafficking routes to be disrupted by stepped-up enforcement and COVID-19 travel restrictions, but seizure data shows the industry has proved resilient.
Financial hardship and school closures due to the pandemic have pushed many more children into the workforce, and experts fear they may not return to class when schools eventually reopen.
Preparations are underway to elect ward and village tract administrators, who play a vital local role for a pittance and have been at the frontline of the COVID-19 response.
A myriad of challenges has created a dearth of on-the-ground conflict reporting in a nation at constant war for decades, but the law itself may be the biggest obstacle.
Frontier’s Naw Betty Han reflects on a rare victory for media and civil society, and the part played by her own harrowing ordeal at the hands of a powerful armed group in Kayin State.
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