Navigating the Legal Pathways Down Under
Insight Myanmar30 Tammi 2024

Navigating the Legal Pathways Down Under

Episode #215: Ko Ko Aung's life journey is a testament to resilience and purpose amidst Myanmar's political unrest.

He was raised in a middle-class family in southern Myanmar, yet unlike his two brothers, Ko Ko Aung chose to focus on academics rather than the family business, making ngapi. He went to study law in Australia, aiming to aid his homeland's transition to democracy.


Upon graduation, Ko Ko Aung specialized in immigration law, unknowingly preparing for the post-2021 coup crisis that saw countless Burmese seek asylum. He found himself confronting an Australian system that often rejected Burmese visa applicants without proper review, contrasting starkly with the more positive treatment of refugees from Hong Kong, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. He labored pro bono, developing guides to navigate Australian immigration bureaucracy, yet faced a daunting rejection rate for Burmese applicants.


Despite the grim scenario, Ko Ko Aung remained hopeful, spotlighting options like the Protection Visa and the Skilled Refugee Visa Program. These alternatives gave a glimmer of hope for Burmese refugees, with the latter allowing community sponsorship. He also expresses the need for the Burmese community in Australia to do more outreach to educate people, including immigration officials, about what is happening in Myanmar


“During these difficult times, because we come from a Buddhist country, the teaching of the Dhamma, we cannot be we cannot forget about that. Meditation and our Buddhist teachings have been helping me a lot going through this,” he says in closing. “During these tough times, being mindful will help a lot in terms of getting through these tough times.”

Jaksot(507)

Schooling the System

Schooling the System

Episode #366: Sallo Polak, founder of the Philanthropy Connections Foundation (PCF), has spent decades building a grassroots approach to humanitarian aid in Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Motivated ...

20 Heinä 202557min

Awakenings and Uprisings

Awakenings and Uprisings

Episode #365: “The Buddha lives and teaches for the welfare of the world, for the happiness of the world,” says Bhikkhu Bodhi. “He does live for the welfare and happiness of human beings. And so now, ...

18 Heinä 20251h 49min

The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect

Episode #364: Ben’s simple words resonate strongly: “If I could do something small for one person, why would I not?” This episode brings together Ben and a Burmese student who goes by the moniker Litt...

15 Heinä 20251h 1min

Bonus Episode: A Talk at New Bloom

Bonus Episode: A Talk at New Bloom

New Bloom is an online magazine and community space covering activism and youth politics in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific, founded in Taiwan in 2014 in the wake of the Sunflower Movement. They welcomed ...

13 Heinä 20251h 17min

Crypto in the Time of Tyranny

Crypto in the Time of Tyranny

Episode #363: In post-coup Myanmar, where conventional aid channels with humanitarian intentions risk getting diverted and empowering the military junta, Blockchain technology presents a nuanced alter...

11 Heinä 20251h 21min

The Invisible Enemy

The Invisible Enemy

Episode #362: Myanmar has recorded the world’s worst casualties from landmines and explosive ordnance for the first time, with over 1,000 casualties in 2024 alone, 29% of whom are children. The inaugu...

8 Heinä 20251h 39min

No Self, No Junta

No Self, No Junta

Episode #361: “I am Burmese. I feel like it is my duty and responsibility to speak about it.” With these words, Myet opens a conversation that explores Myanmar’s past and present, weaving together per...

6 Heinä 20251h 9min

Crime and Disbursement

Crime and Disbursement

Episode #360: “To have my daughter summarily decide that I was complicit in genocide, I really had to think through again my logic for taking the position that we should stay. It sent me on a lot of s...

4 Heinä 20252h

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

aikalisa
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
politiikan-puskaradio
viisupodi
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
rss-podme-livebox
rss-asiastudio
otetaan-yhdet
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
the-ulkopolitist
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
radio-antro
rss-kiina-ilmiot
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-vain-talouselamaa
rikosmyytit
rss-kovin-paikka