Organizer: FCCT--The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand

Description:

Two years after Myanmar’s military ousted the National League for Democracy 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?

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