Myanmar’s Rare Earth: Profit, Poison and Power
MONG PAUK // Myanmar’s rare earth industry is booming—fueled by Chinese capital and protected by armed groups, while locals are shut out and ecosystems collapse. Toxic in-situ leaching scars the landscape, floods spread chemical waste, and workers face hazardous conditions for high pay.
Struggling to Survive: Urban Poverty and Social Breakdown in Post-Coup Yangon
YANGON // Four years after Myanmar’s military violently seized power, daily life in the City has broken down. Prices are soaring, jobs are scarce, and formerly stable families are now hovering at the edges of desperation. Poverty has deepened not just in numbers, but in intensity – and so has fear.
Earthquake Aftermath in Myanmar: Surviving Women Stand By Amidst Uncertain Future
SAGAING // A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, leaving nearly 3,800 dead and over 5,000 injured. More than 5 million people are affected across 58 townships, with major cities and villages facing widespread destruction. In the aftermath, women are emerging as resilient survivors, rebuilding their lives amidst devastation in the villages around Sagaing.
Cartoonists hit at ‘The ASEAN Way’
BANGKOK // An exhibition by SEA-Junction uses artworks to critique ASEAN’s principles of non-interference and consensus. Participants to this regional competition highlight ASEAN’s shortcomings in addressing human rights crises, especially in Myanmar.
The Full Moon of Darkness: Massacre in Sipa Village
SIPA, BUDALIN // On the day of the Festival of Light, two military columns entered the village, setting fire to homes and brutalizing the community. In a punitive and non-targeted strike against whoever they could find, the national military tortured and murdered six citizens in a now trademark display of brutal punishment meted out to those who might support democratic self-determination.
Unsettled Waters: Irrawaddy Dolphins Caught in the Crossfire
MATTAYA, MANDALAY REGION // Amid conflict and chaos, the enduring bond between Irrawaddy dolphins and their human partners faces a perilous decline. Conservation efforts by local organizations are undermined by the lack of safe access and adequate resources.
In Myanmar, Solar Power Isn’t Just About Being Green—It’s a Matter of Survival
For the past three years, Myanmar has been plunged frequently into darkness as the ruling junta’s corruption wreaks havoc on the country’s infrastructure. In this crisis, shifting to solar energy is less about environmental consciousness and more about a desperate need for survival.
Not just Labor // Thailand’s Fisheries Migrant Communities Show their Life
BANGKOK // Migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar who are currently employed in the fishing and seafood packaging industry in Phuket, Chanthaburi, and Phang Nga, showcased their photo stories. These pictures shot with their mobile phones were shown in an exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) in May 2024. They capture their daily lives, showing challenging, entertaining, or mundane moments.
As birth control and family care fall short in Myanmar’s civil war, women’s groups step in
KARENNI STATE // Reproductive health and family planning are more difficult than ever as the intensifying civil war enters its third year. With fear and the threat of persecution ever-present, groups of local women are coordinating healthcare and promoting women’s rights as best they can.
From Yangon to Dubai, A Journey Into The Cyber Romance Scam World (III)
MAY 9th, 2024 // David* worked in a scam center in Dubai, targeting European men . His team posed as women on social media, luring targets into investing in fake platforms with promises of love and affection. His experience, a lifeline after fleeing Myanmar’s turmoil post-coup, sheds light on the dark underbelly of migrant exploitation and online scams prevalent in Southeast Asian borders but also in Dubai’s shadowy job market.