Photo: Mai Sak Pa quarantine center in Laiza (Kachin Net) Needless to say, that the degree and extend of severity that have encroached into our very day life by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and how life would be like for all people living under the COVID-19 stress. Everyone at this point of time, I hope, […]
Category: Opinion/Analysis
Opinion
In Fond Memory of Ah Ring: My Brother and Best Friend
I don’t know how it happened. But as long as I can remember, I have always addressed my three older brothers using the pet names my mother had for them: Ah Ba (big brother), Bawk La, Ah Ring. Many people thought I was the elder sister of Bawk La and Ah Ring, as I never […]
The Plight of Displaced Kachin War Victims 8 Years On
Photo: Hpra Zau Ring, The Kachin Times If a picture is worth a thousand words, the photo above poignantly captures the pain and suffering of decades of war and displacement endured by the Kachins. The iconic photo by Hpra Zau Ring of The Kachin Times was taken as villagers from the Njang Yang conflict zone started arriving at […]
Transformation of an Entrenched Political System: The Need for International Responsibility in Myanmar
Photo by Hkun Li In January 2009, Haruki Murakami received the Jerusalem Prize, a biennial literary award given to writers whose work deals with themes of human freedom, society, politics and government. In his acceptance speech Murakami spoke of the “System” which oppresses us. He said: “Each of us possesses a tangible living soul. The […]
Save the Irrawaddy by Offering Compensation
(English version of remarks delivered by panelist Lahpai Seng Raw on the public discussion event at Novotel-Yangon, on April 20, 2019) I am from Myitkyina, a Kachin, born and bred in the town just 27 miles downstream from where the Mali and NMai Rivers merge to form the great Irrawaddy, life blood of our nation. […]
China’s Belt Road Initiative: A Cautionary Tale for the Kachin
A Memorandum of Understanding to establish the China Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) was signed by the governments of Myanmar and China in September 2018. The CMEC forms part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a 21st century reimagining of the ancient Silk Road, the network of land and sea trade routes that once linked […]