Myanmar’s most vulnerable minority group has been caught in the crossfire of a brutal conflict and say they are pressured to collaborate by both sides, pushing many to risk death or arrest to escape abroad.
The country has seen a grisly surge in beheadings since the coup – with both pro-military and anti-military figures targeted – a pattern observers say reflects the military’s brutality and the subsequent rage of the people it oppresses.
The senior general’s policies are focused on regime survival and will do little to revive Myanmar’s battered economy when his illegitimate rule is the main obstacle to stability and growth.
International aid agencies say they need to play by the junta’s rules to serve vulnerable communities, but critics say they’re legitimising the regime for limited gain and ignoring informal channels.
A booming tourism industry was one of Myanmar’s great success stories after 2011, but big talk from the junta is unlikely to aid the recovery of a sector ravaged by COVID-19 and the military coup.