Myanmar: The Way Forward

It is three years since Myanmar’s democratically elected government was overthrown in a coup and the country’s legitimate leaders, President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, were jailed.

The military (Tatmadaw) has since struggled to assert control over the country in the face of fierce fighting with a diverse array of armed pro-democracy and ethnic resistance groups.

While evidence from the front lines points to a steady erosion of the military’s strength, human rights groups say the civilian population continues to experience systematic abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings that “amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

As Myanmar confronts a growing humanitarian tragedy, the international community, including Myanmar’s ASEAN neighbours, have shown little ability or willingness to rein in the behaviour of the junta or its leader Min Aung Hlaing.

Join two people who have first-hand experience of conditions in Myanmar to review the situation in the country today; what other countries, including Australia, should be doing; and how this increasingly bloody conflict might play out.