Insight Myanmar Podcast @insightmyanmar

Episode #418: Super Rabbit Person Living with the trauma of lost online friends, disappearing voices, and constant surveillance while still daring to organize for freedom and dignity

19.10.2025 15:10 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #417: The Military Monastic Complex Myanmar’s monks are split—some back the generals, others the revolution—while Buddhism itself becomes a weapon

19.10.2025 10:25 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General of International IDEA since 2019, speaks on the enduring struggle for democracy in Myanmar, a fight he frames as universally relevant. “At a fundamental level, any country’s struggle for democracy is every country’s struggle for democracy,” he says. He contrasts the brutal 2021 military coup with the more gradual democratic erosion seen globally, highlighting Myanmar’s stark regression. International IDEA, established in 1995, works to strengthen democratic governance worldwide. Casas-Zamora, a lawyer and political scientist with extensive inter-governmental experience, brings expertise to this mission as a lawyer by training, with his research informed by his analysis of Myanmar’s complex political environment. The organization’s engagement in Myanmar shifted from supporting nascent democratic reforms to aiding the pro-democracy movement post-coup. This included providing technical assistance, facilitating dialogues, and advocating for sustained international attention. Casas-Zamora criticizes the international community’s response, citing increased impunity for authoritarian regimes and insufficient support for democratic actors. He urges recognition of legitimate democratic bodies, condemnation of undemocratic elections, and sustained focus on the crisis, warning against legitimizing the junta’s “phony election” bids. He highlights the global trend of democratic decline, documented in IDEA’s reports, and expresses concern over the lack of decisive international action. “Keep an eye on this. Don’t forget about the tragedy of Myanmar,” he urges. The struggle for democracy is rarely a linear progression and often involves navigating periods of significant adversity. Considering this, and despite the formidable challenges and the often-disheartening realities on the ground, Casas-Zamora is encouraged by the resilience of the Myanmar people, particularly its youth. “The youth are simply not willing to roll over and accept the military takeover.” Their commitment to democratic values, even in the face of repression, is a source of inspiration for him and, he believes, sets an example for an increasingly undemocratic world. On the Frontlines of Democracy

19.10.2025 04:55 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Call for Expressions of Interest Digital Storytelling Workshop Chiang Mai, Thailand 27–29 November 2025 Organised by Insight Myanmar Podcast (IMP) in partnership with the Australian National University – Myanmar Research Centre (ANU-MRC) and supported by IDRC’s K4DM2 initiative Insight Myanmar Podcast invites applications for a three-day in person workshop on Digital Storytelling, designed for Myanmar-focused researchers, fellows, and practitioners who want to share their stories and research through powerful audio narratives. Participants will learn: How to communicate research through storytelling How to ask strong questions and build rapport How to turn real stories into engaging podcast content This participatory training combines communication, interviewing, and narrative-building exercises to help you develop skills you can apply to both academic and creative projects. Who Can Apply We welcome: Myanmar-focused academics, storytellers, and practitioners working on civic, social, or community issues Those interested in exploring digital storytelling and podcasting to communicate their work. Applicants who can attend in person from 27–29 November in Chiang Mai, Thailand No prior podcasting experience is required — just curiosity, openness, and a passion for storytelling. How to Apply Send your Expression of Interest (EOI) including: 1. A CV (no more than two pages) with your full name and affiliation 2. A short description of your current research or project (150–200 words) 3. Why you wish to join the workshop (150–200 words) Email your application to outreach@betterburma.org with the subject line: EOI – Digital Storytelling Workshop Deadline: Sunday 2 November 2025

New event!
📆27-29th Nov

@insightmyanmar.bsky.social & ANU-MRC hold 3-day "Digital Storytelling Workshop" designed for Myanmar-focused researchers, fellows, and practitioners who want to share their stories and research through powerful audio narratives

Application:
www.facebook.com/insightsmyan...

18.10.2025 12:40 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #380: On Vipassanā and Authenticity — Insight Myanmar A practitioner-scholar speaks about early texts and modern institutional storytelling contradictions.

“I think it really is, is just got to do with sort of scholarly laziness. It's sad to say this, but the scholars who sort of should have done the work and sort of should have accessed the sources, just somehow didn't feel like they needed to.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

18.10.2025 12:41 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #416: The Doors of Repression Not Everything That Smiles is Free

18.10.2025 04:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #413: Smells Like Teen Spirit — Insight Myanmar No Country for Quiet Girls: The Revolution Will Not Be Apologized For

Then it's well worth listening to this interview with our friend Nitchakarn “Memee” Rakwongrit by @insightmyanmar.bsky.social
She's an absolute inspiration & a key part of both #MilkTeaAlliance Thailand & Friends of Myanmar.
11/

17.10.2025 19:16 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0

Episode #337: The Start of A Path — Insight Myanmar Breaking the Wheel: A Quest for Liberation

“Sometimes we need a slap from reality that helps us to wake up to the fact that we are going to die, and that sickness and all these other things are just part of our existence."

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

17.10.2025 23:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #412: At The Breaking Point — Insight Myanmar Myanmar’s Chessboard, Drones, and the Wa Piece That Won’t Move Back

Myanmar’s revolution has entered a new phase. Anthony Davis maps the rise of the Wa, the spread of drone warfare, and China’s shadow over a conflict still far from resolution. A sharp, unflinching analysis.

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

17.10.2025 14:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #336: Between The Junta and A Hard Place — Insight Myanmar How to Lose a Country in 10 Summits

“There is that opportunity to do something more, because the focus after Gaza and Ukraine is on China… Do we need to sacrifice another 30,000 people for a war that cannot be won by either side?”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

17.10.2025 08:08 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #379: Rooted Beyond Erasure — Insight Myanmar A Family's Journey Through Internment, Identity, and Impact

“We’re talking about microaggressions. And not so microaggressions in terms of, you know, growing up as diaspora in the UK in the 90s and the 2000s you know, it’s still very normalized behavior.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

16.10.2025 15:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #335: Hear Me Now — Insight Myanmar From spiritual awe to political fire, a reckoning with privilege, purpose, and presence.

“Every issue that we're finding in Myanmar today... they aren’t Myanmar issues. They are issues that permeate and are found throughout many other places in the world. They’re perhaps more extreme in Myanmar but they are human issues."

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

15.10.2025 03:15 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #413: Smells Like Teen Spirit — Insight Myanmar No Country for Quiet Girls: The Revolution Will Not Be Apologized For

"I thought I did the safe thing but it come back to the dangerous thing" :- Nitchakarn “Memee” Rakwongrit on her advocacy for Myanmar migrants in Thailand and how the two struggles are interlinked.
well worth listening to her interview with @insightmyanmar.bsky.social

14.10.2025 16:16 — 👍 13 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 1

Episode #415: Roots of the Dhamma Bridges and Boundaries: The Dance of Spiritual Choices

15.10.2025 00:52 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #411: Stairway to Jhāna — Insight Myanmar Crossing Cultures, Finding Clarity: A Year in Burmese Monasteries

From the rigorous halls of Sayadaw U Pandita’s monastery to the tranquil depths of Pa Auk, meditation teacher Tempel Smith’s journey through Myanmar reshaped his view of mindfulness, faith, and reality.

insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2025/10/7/episode-411-stairway-to-jhna

14.10.2025 00:09 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #410: Everything Will Be Okay — Insight Myanmar Unpacking a Nation’s Nervous Breakdown

Social worker Jue Jue turned personal trauma into purpose. Through Jue Jue’s Safe Space, she’s redefining mental health in Myanmar—fighting stigma, confronting privilege, and fostering inclusion. Explore her vision on Insight Myanmar Podcast.

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

13.10.2025 12:58 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #334: Exit Wounds — Insight Myanmar A brutal dispatch from a nation where the ground split open—and the bombs kept falling.

"It's so insidious that yesterday the military announced that everyone must start calling this the 'Mandalay earthquake.' It’s a subtle way of trying to control the narrative and shift the focus away from the worst-hit areas like Sagaing."

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

13.10.2025 08:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #378: Of Bills and Sanctions — Insight Myanmar Money for Nothing, Sanctions for Free: Schoolhouse Rock Meets Foggy Bottom

“We have a lot of power as citizens, as consumers, and we’ve used that effectively, and we can continue to use that every day by contacting our members of Congress and by putting pressure on companies directly that support the junta.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

13.10.2025 05:06 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #414: Hamburger Hill From Teacher Training to Jungle Medicine

12.10.2025 13:59 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #333: Against The Wind — Insight Myanmar From Bangkok to the Border and Into the Quake

”I think the deviations didn’t occur overnight. It wasn’t some sudden spark of imagination or a single dramatic event. I like to describe it as small steps taken in a different direction which gradually accumulated into the large gap that formed over many years."

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

12.10.2025 11:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #332: Livin' On A Prayer — Insight Myanmar Walking through trauma and acting with resolve, a documentarian reflects on what’s broken—and what still breathes.

“For me, it’s so boring to live as a victim my whole life. Why should I stay like this forever? We should find something, we should do something, to change.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

12.10.2025 08:54 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #409: Mined and Forgotten — Insight Myanmar Haphazard use of landmines fails as a military tactic, while raising dangers for civilians.

Former ICRC Weapons Contamination Specialist Rory McCann reflects on Myanmar’s landmine crisis, trust-building with armed groups, and efforts to protect civilians through humanitarian mine action.

🎧 Mined and Forgotten → insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

12.10.2025 06:48 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #377: All Along the Mekong — Insight Myanmar Beyond the Bamboo Curtain

“Solidarity right now becomes a big word and becomes a buzzword, but I think down to the essence of solidarity, it's really about being there. Obviously, the tricky part about solidarity is solidarity starts with information.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

12.10.2025 04:41 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #408: A Narco State of Mind — Insight Myanmar Cartel Dreams, Cold War Schemes: Never Get High On Your Own Supply

A forgotten frontier turned narcostate. In A Narco-State of Mind, journalist Patrick Winn reveals how faith, war, and the drug trade built Wa State—an unrecognized nation shaping Myanmar’s future from the shadows.

Listen now: insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

11.10.2025 19:13 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #408: A Narco State of Mind — Insight Myanmar Cartel Dreams, Cold War Schemes: Never Get High On Your Own Supply

A forgotten frontier turned narcostate. In A Narco-State of Mind, journalist Patrick Winn reveals how faith, war, and the drug trade built Wa State—an unrecognized nation shaping Myanmar’s future from the shadows.

Listen now: insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

11.10.2025 06:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #413: Smells Like Teen Spirit No Country for Quiet Girls: The Revolution Will Not Be Apologized For

11.10.2025 03:47 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #376: The Adjustment Bureau — Insight Myanmar Clear and Present Sanctions – How the U.S. Decides Who’s Out and Who’s In

“My job here is not to go into court and say, regardless of what they did, they should be let go. My job is to go in and if they have engaged in the conduct… our job is to remediate.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

11.10.2025 02:16 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #375: The Art of No Deal — Insight Myanmar The Fog of Policy: Sanctions, Strongmen, and Silent Spheres of Influence

“I don’t think they believe in sanctions. Generally, I don’t. They’ve made it clear they don’t care so much about whether elections are fair or not. They just care about whether what happens in the country is in the interest of the United States directly.”

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

10.10.2025 15:14 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Oliver Tanner's journey begins in London, where as a teenager, he became restless and dissatisfied with the status quo. At 19, he traveled through Asia, which first exposed him to the idea of meditation. He first practiced yoga, but a chance encounter led to a Vipassana meditation course in the tradition of S. N. Goenka, which profoundly shifted his perspective. His commitment deepened through sitting and serving at Vipassana centers, notably in the UK, where he immersed himself in long courses and involvement in the meditation community. A turning point came when he decided to explore the Buddha's teachings directly. He traveled to Myanmar, and became inspired by the country’s living Buddhist culture, the people’s generosity, and their integration of Dharma into daily life. So he enrolled at the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University in Yangon, and dedicated himself to studying Pali, Abhidhamma, and the suttas to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Buddha's words, and integrate them into his life. His time in Myanmar highlighted the importance of independent practice and the continuous cultivation of wholesome qualities beyond formal sitting meditation. This holistic approach, supported by his studies, expanded his understanding of the Dharma, emphasizing integration into every moment of life. Oliver has since moved to Sri Lanka with his family, pursuing advanced studies in Buddhist philosophy, culminating in a PhD that delved deeply the intricate teachings of the Pattana. His journey, shaped by tradition, practice, and inquiry, reflects a profound evolution from youthful curiosity to a deeply integrated spiritual life. Fields of Gold

09.10.2025 14:05 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Episode #331: Bridge to Nowhere — Insight Myanmar Some survived the earthquake, but they couldn’t survive the waiting, the checkpoints, the delay, the denial.

“When I asked my friend to get the heavy machines and go there, he replied, ‘If I do so, straight away, the junta will come and grab me and put me in prison because it's not allowed."

insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...

09.10.2025 11:43 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

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