Category: Features

News Features on Burma & Burmese issues

The 2025/2026 Election and a Nation at a Crossroads

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 26 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 27, 2025 The 2025/2026 Election and a Nation at a Crossroads There is little dispute that the upcoming 2025/2026 election planned by the military junta will not provide a solution to Myanmar’s…

Can ASEAN’s Peace Initiative Succeed?

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 25 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 26, 2025 Can ASEAN’s Peace Initiative Succeed? In the months following Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, ASEAN convened a summit and invited the junta leader, resulting in the widely referenced “Five-Point Consensus” agreement.…

Can Malaysia be competent in redeeming ASEAN credibility beyond the Myanmar issue?

By – K.Z. Lu Moemaka, 25 May, 2025 Malaysia, as the 2025 ASEAN chair, faces significant challenges in leading the bloc amid the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, according to the media reports. The 46th ASEAN Summit, scheduled for May 26–27…

Theo Zaw – The Fire on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 4)

Theo Zaw – The Fire on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 4)MoeMaKa, May 23, 2025 Myanmar’s Pursuit of Nuclear Technology: Russia and North Korea in the Spotlight Myanmar’s ambitions to acquire nuclear technology in the 2000s were focused on two key countries…

Living in a Collapsed State: How Ordinary People Endure

  Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 24 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 25, 2025 Living in a Collapsed State: How Ordinary People Endure In conversations with our parents, we often heard the phrase “back when the country collapsed.” They were referring to two…

Is the Myanmar Crisis Drifting Under the International Radar?

  Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 23 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 24, 2025 Is the Myanmar Crisis Drifting Under the International Radar? Myanmar’s political crisis has recently resurfaced in international headlines. Following the Myanmar military leader’s visit to Russia, shifts in Myanmar’s…

AA Declares State of Emergency in Rakhine; Youths Restricted from Leaving the Region

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 22 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 23, 2025 AA Declares State of Emergency in Rakhine; Youths Restricted from Leaving the Region Due to the ongoing conflict in parts of Rakhine State and adjacent regions of Bago, Magway, and…

The Tamu Incident and Myanmar’s Relations with Neighboring Countries

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 21 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 22, 2025 The Tamu Incident and Myanmar’s Relations with Neighboring Countries Myanmar shares borders with five countries. Among them are two major global powers—China, the world’s most populous country and second-largest economy,…

The Fire Coal Placed on ASEAN’s Lap (3) by Theo Zaw

The Fire Coal Placed on ASEAN’s Lap (3) by Theo ZawMoeMaKa, May 21, 2025 Revelations in The New York Times The New York Times further revealed that Pakistan’s former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf had once requested Myanmar’s military leaders to…

10 PDF Fighters Allegedly Executed by Assam Rifles in Tamu Border Zone

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 20 Viewpoint MoeMaKa, May 21, 2025 10 PDF Fighters Allegedly Executed by Assam Rifles in Tamu Border Zone According to reports citing local residents and PDF sources in Tamu District, 10 members of the People’s…

A Fireball on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 2) – by Theo Zaw

A Fireball on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 2) – by Theo ZawMoeMaKa, May 19, 2025 Based on findings from top U.S. investigative agencies, it appears increasingly evident that Myanmar’s defense minister’s statement at the 2012 Shangri-La Dialogue—claiming the country had ceased…

The Lives of People Still Reeling from the Earthquake’s Aftermath

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 19 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 20, 2025 The Lives of People Still Reeling from the Earthquake’s Aftermath It has now been more than 50 days since a major earthquake struck Myanmar, with the most severe damage concentrated…

 A Torch to Drop on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 1) by Theo Zaw

A Torch to Drop on ASEAN’s Lap (Part 1) by Theo ZawMoeMaKa, May 18, 2025 Saying “ASEAN issues aren’t worth shedding blood over” may not raise eyebrows anymore—ASEAN no longer stirs much emotion. But on the flip side, it’s still…

Residency and Work Permits in Armed Group-Controlled Territories

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 18 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 19, 2025 Residency and Work Permits in Armed Group-Controlled Territories After Myanmar gained independence from British colonial rule, the government initiated administrative registration systems for residents. Following the 1962 military coup, the…

Workers Among the Most Affected Since the Military Coup

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 17 ViewpointMoeMaKa, May 18, 2025 Workers Among the Most Affected Since the Military Coup Factory Protests in Yangon In Hlaing Tharyar Township of Yangon, hundreds of workers at the Chang Yi shoe factory have been…