Insight Myanmar30 Maalis 2025

Aftershocks

Episode #323: “Quite frankly, and I might catch flak for this, but I'll say it: there is a special place in hell for those who seek to exploit or weaponize this aid, or block this aid for political purposes from getting to those affected communities.”

Jack Myint delivers a powerful and urgent appeal following the catastrophic, March 28th, 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar that devastated Mandalay and nearby regions, leaving hospitals, monasteries, universities, and homes in ruins. He describes how the initial rescue efforts came from ordinary citizens using basic tools to save lives. But he notes that, while heroic, such actions are not enough in the face of such widespread devastation. He also mourns the destruction of Mandalay’s historic and religious landmarks, calling the national trauma incalculable.

In the context of Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis since the 2021 coup, Jack pleads for international aid that bypasses politics and directly supports affected communities. He outlines three paths for U.S. involvement: direct emergency assistance via USAID, cooperation with regional allies like India and Singapore, and support through international bodies such as the UN and ASEAN. He insists that these options are not mutually exclusive and must be pursued with urgency.

He closes by urging support for Better Burma’s grassroots fundraising and immediate international action, emphasizing that lives hang in the balance. “The people simply don't have time to wait through political deliberations,” he says, calling for direct support to those already saving lives on the ground.

Please consider a donation today to our earthquake relief fund!

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(626)

Freedom’s Just Another Word

Episode #611: “I always want to be free.” Lienchi Tran, a Vietnamese American meditation teacher, first learned what unfreedom meant in postwar Vietnam. After South Vietnam fell in 1975, her father wa...

22 Syys 2h 7min

Critical Condition

Episode #610: “I can't leave anymore, because if I were to leave now, I would like never be able to live the same way, because of the comrades who have fallen and the comrades that are still with me… ...

21 Syys 1h 34min

Birth of an Icon

Episode #609: Jostein Kobbeltvedt, director of the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights in Bergen, Norway, reflects on how the 1990 Rafto Prize awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi helped bring Myanmar’s democrac...

18 Syys 1h 46min

The Giving Tree

Episode #608: Dave Hopkins came to vipassana meditation not as a scholar, traveler, or spiritual seeker, but as a working-class tree worker carrying grief, anger, addiction, and exhaustion. Raised in ...

17 Syys 1h 53min

From Section A to 505 A

Episode #607: “I could not stay under a military rule that’s been killing thousands of people,” Maple says. “I cannot just sit and watch.” When Myanmar’s military seized power in February 2021, Maple ...

15 Syys 1h 58min

No Neutral Neighbor

Episode #606: Anusorn Tamajai’s attempted intervention during Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Thailand began with an undelivered letter. Prevented from placing his proposals directly before Myanmar’s milit...

14 Syys 36min

Borrowed Intimacy

Episode #605: Note: this podcast episode, as well as the following text describing it, includes frank language about sexuality, male sex work, and self-harm. Reader and listener discretion is advised....

11 Syys 1h 8min

Straight Outta Yangon

Episode #604: “I chose hip hop.” Born in Yangon in 1979 to parents who were nationally known singers, Anegga grew up in a household where art was both celebrated and watched. His father had helped int...

10 Syys 2h 34min