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Two years after Myanmar’s military ousted the National League forDemocracy government, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has failed to
consolidate power amid intensifying conflict in many parts of the country.
Savage campaigns by security forces to stamp out resistance have seen
more than 1.2 million people displaced since the Feb. 1 coup, bringing the
total of internally displaced to at least 1.5 million, according to United
Nations estimates. Thousands of civilians have been killed and nearly
18,000 arrested amid reports of widespread torture, looting and rape.
The deepening humanitarian crisis has left hundreds of thousands without
adequate food, shelter and medical supplies, let alone access to schools,
hospitals and government services. Fueling a growing sense of economic
hardship has been the steady exodus of western investors
What comes next? The junta, known as the State Administration Council, is
preparing for national elections in 2023, which few believe would be free or
fair. Many warn that an attempt to stage “sham elections” will trigger further
bloodshed. Reflecting widespread opposition to the junta, protests continue
to shore up the Civil Disobedience Movement and a proliferation of
“people’s defence forces” in urban and rural areas. Key pro-democracy
forces have come together under the National Unity Consultative Council
and the related parallel National Unity Government, while many have
turned to major ethnic groups for support. The international community, in
particular the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, seems both
ineffectual and divided on a cohesive Myanmar response. Where do pro-
democracy forces go from here, and what are the options for domestic,
regional and international actors?
Speakers on this evening include:
Manny Maung, Burma researcher, Human Rights Watch
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of International Relations and Senior
Fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political
Science, Chulalongkorn University
Show Ei Ei Tun, Analyst, Myanmar politics, economy and governance
Anthony Davis, Regional security analyst and consultant for Janes
defence publishing group
Moderator, Gwen Robinson, past president, FCCT
Members free, non-members 300 baht
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand - FCCT, 518/5 Ploenchit Road, Maneeya Center, Penthouse, Bangkok, Thailand