Thinzar Shunlei Yi
Insight Myanmar5 Mar 2024

Thinzar Shunlei Yi

Episode #223: Raised in a Myanmar military compound, Thinzar Shunlei Yi grew up sheltered from her nation's realities. University life exposed her to diverse ethnic narratives, challenging her military-centric worldview. Embracing democracy through literature and the internet, she grappled with guilt over the military's oppression. Her activism took shape through protests and performance art, even embodying a displaced Shan person to promote empathy among the Bamar majority.

The 2021 coup unified various groups against the military, and Thinzar saw this as an opportunity to advocate for a federal democracy. Her Buddhist faith guided her ethical activism, striving to separate true teachings from the military's nationalist propaganda. Her public portrayal of a military victim gained international support. Despite personal sacrifices, Thinzar's journey from a soldier's daughter to a prominet activist symbolizes a profound shift towards a hopeful future for Myanmar.

“You see all your close friends being tortured, sometimes killed, and also different stories coming out from the ground every day, we have to deal with these news,” Thinzar Shunlei Yi says in closing. “In the morning, you will be really sad and depressed, you don't know what to do, you're not in a position to control things; and in the evening, you will be motivated again, because you see the whole picture of what the revolution is about, and still people are striving, and this is for the good for the country.”

Episoder(543)

Conflict Takes Root

Conflict Takes Root

Episode #505: In February, Timor-Leste opened judicial proceedings against Myanmar’s military regime, marking the first time one ASEAN member has initiated legal action against another. Supporting the...

20 Mar 2h 2min

Holding the Line

Holding the Line

Episode #504: Michael Sladnick, an American activist who has lived and worked near the Thai–Myanmar border since the 2021 military coup, joins the podcast a second time to argue that the most conseque...

19 Mar 2h 36min

In the Name of the Sāsana

In the Name of the Sāsana

Episode #503: Alicia Turner shows that Burmese Buddhists were not passive subjects of British colonialism, but active agents who reimagined Buddhist responsibility, authority, and identity through the...

17 Mar 2h 39min

Dreaming Forward

Dreaming Forward

Episode #502: This episode, part of the Decolonizing Southeast Asian Studies Conference series, features two powerful voices—Shakil Ahmed and Tümüzo Katiry—who approach decolonization from distinct bu...

16 Mar 1h 12min

The Train Wreck Ahead

The Train Wreck Ahead

Episode #501: “There were events going on in the world that I really cared about,” says investigative journalist Emanuel Stoakes as he reflects on the path that eventually drew him into reporting on M...

13 Mar 1h 55min

A Second Renunciation

A Second Renunciation

Episode #500: “If my story offers anything, I really hope that it offers permission to question sincerely, to grow beyond structures that once served us and to hold both gratitude and discernment at t...

12 Mar 1h 59min

The Fire Next Time

The Fire Next Time

Episode #499: Paul Vrieze, a Dutch journalist and PhD researcher specializing in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution, has observed the country’s political trajectory for over 15 years. Drawn to Myanmar’s open...

10 Mar 1h 14min

An Undisciplined Democracy

An Undisciplined Democracy

Episode #498: Caleb, a research coordinator with the Myanmar-based research group Myanography, argues that participation in the military’s 2025–2026 election functioned less as a democratic exercise t...

9 Mar 1h 29min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
stopp-verden
popradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
fotballpodden-2
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
e24-podden
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
frokostshowet-pa-p5