What created the problem in Burma (the name of which was changed to Myanmar by military dictators like General Than Shwe as the Western media just bought in)?
The British Empire was ruthless in dividing and conquering, destroying everything in its wake, leaving behind racism and Orwellian dystopian order that are operating even today as the Theravada nation enters 2026.
George Orwell, author of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, and Burmese Days, and the essay Shooting an Elephant, was born here under the British Raj (when it was part of India before the British partitioned it all over the place, after sacking the richest country in the world through the East India Company). He saw what was going on here and in England and wrote that into his novels.
The overthrow of Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi's father U Aung Ko was fictionalized and shown in the 1995 American movie Beyond Rangoon (with Patricia Arquette)
Have Israel and the CIA's crimes in Gaza made war the norm?
Thailand Cambodia War Timeline Explained?
(AiTelly) July 25, 2025: UNITED STATES. The roots of the Thailand–Cambodia border crisis stretch deep into the colonial past, when the Franco-Siamese treaties of the early 1900s left boundaries ill-defined and susceptible to later dispute.
Tensions simmered for decades, especially around ancient Buddhist temples that dot the border. Among these, Prasat Ta Muen Thom and the areas near Preah Vihear became focal points for competing national claims, bearing not just strategic significance but also the weight of cultural pride.
(DW) Could US and China become involved in neighborly dispute?
What's the real motive beyond the manufactured pretext? Gas or oil reserves, greed of a corrupt Thai government, greed for tourist destinations? This is not a religious dispute but an economic one, according to one Thai American Wisdom Quarterly spoke with. It is reminiscent of Israel's greed for Gaza's underground resources, preferring to let people believe it is all about ideology, national security, and a biblical dispute rather than what it really is, genocide for economic advantage.
As the year 2025 began, a sense of unease hovered along the frontier. On May 28, the fragile calm shattered. Gunfire erupted at the Emerald Triangle, where Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged shots.
The clash caused the lives of one Cambodian soldier, and the Blame Game began immediately, with each nation accusing the other of provocation. By June 7, the rhetoric gave way to visible preparations for confrontation.
Thailand bolstered its border positions, simultaneously leveling accusations of provocations against Cambodian forces and civilians. Throughout June and July, the border region grew ever more volatile. Spasms of minor clashes flared up, border crossings shut down, and the movement of civilians became increasingly restricted.
Military alerts were raised on both sides. The crucial turning point arrived on July 24, 2025. Before dawn, Thai troops reported the presence of Cambodian drones buzzing near Prasat Ta Muen Thom.
A patrol of six armed Cambodian soldiers soon appeared at the perimeter of a Thai base, setting nerves on edge.
Around 6:30 am, shots rang out once again. The chaos of combat bred confusion and recrimination: Cambodia accused Thailand of launching an unprovoked assault, while Thailand claimed Cambodian soldiers had fired first near the temple.
The conflict escalated with frightening speed. By 9:40 Thailand reported a salvo of B M-21 rockets arcing from Cambodian positions toward Prasat Don Tuan, their impact threatening nearby civilian neighborhoods.
Barely ten minutes later, the violence spilled to the vicinity of Ta Kwai Temple, where further clashes erupted. At 10:58 am, the smoldering border ignited fully F-16 fighter jets from the Royal Thai Air Force thundered overhead, bombing Cambodian military positions at Chong An Ma.
Thai officials declared that key Cambodian command posts had been destroyed. As the day wore on, the fighting sprawled along several kilometers of the contested boundary. Artillery thundered, rockets exploded, and both armies unleashed heavy weaponry, transforming the frontier into a battleground.
As a small channel, we encourage sharing of our videos. However, please be advised that any unofficial translations or editing of our work in any medium will be considered a breach of our intellectual property rights. We apologize for the legal language, which arises from our experiences dealing with a lot of duplicated content. This has been a result of big channels duplicating our videos, ripping our original hard work, which we have created from scratch, from modeling to rigging to animation and rendering. As a result, we've had to involve lawyers.
(TOI Trending Desk) May 27, 2025:
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse(called Than Oun), King of ThailandMaha Vajiralongkorn's son [living as a lawyer in the USA], becomes a Theravada Buddhist monk, signaling a return to the politics of the royal family.
This event has sparked discussions about his possible return to the royal family. Once estranged, his monastic ordination on Vesak Day 2025 has garnered a great deal of attention. For it raises questions about succession.
Temporary ordination in Thailand is a rite of passage, not a lifelong commitment
Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse is one of the disowned sons of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), has been ordained as a Theravada Buddhist monk in Bangkok, Thailand, marking a significant and symbolic return to public life.
His ordination took place on Vesak Day — a major Buddhist holiday celebrating the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the historical Buddha.
The event was widely shared on Than Oun’s official Instagram, drawing public attention and sparking speculation about his potential reintegration into royal circles.
Though once stripped of royal status, Vacharaesorn’s visible spiritual gesture has led many to question whether this could signal a path back to royal favor.
Pheu Thai Party's leader and Prime Minister candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra reacts during a press conference on the announcement of prime ministerial candidate ahead of a pivotal parliamentary vote on a new prime minister, in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 15, 2024 (Reuters/Chalinee Thirasupa)
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Maybe ladies are not bad? - They are for us.
(Reuters) BANGKOK, Thailand - Political neophyte Paetongtarn Shinawatra won the backing of parliament to become Thailand's youngest prime minister on Friday, only a day after she was thrust into the spotlight amid an unrelenting power struggle between the warring elites.
The 37-year-old daughter of divisive political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra passed the required threshold of 51% of votes and now faces a baptism of fire, just two days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as premier by a judiciary central to Thailand's two decades of intermittent turmoil.
Pheu Thai Party's leader and Prime Minister candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra reacts during a press conference on the announcement of prime ministerial candidate ahead of a pivotal parliamentary vote on a new prime minister, in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 15, 2024 (REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa).
At stake for Paetongtarn could be the legacy and political future of the billionaire Shinawatra family, whose once unstoppable populist juggernaut suffered its first election defeat in over two decades last year and had to do a deal with its bitter enemies in the military to form a government.
Pheu Thai Party's leader and Prime Minister candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thailand's caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and coalition party representatives react after a press conference on the announcement of prime ministerial candidate ahead of a pivotal parliamentary vote on a new prime minister, in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 15, 2024 (REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa)
Paetongtarn will immediately face challenges on multiple fronts, with the economy floundering and the popularity of her Pheu Thai Party dwindling, having yet to deliver on its flagship cash handout programme worth 500 billion baht ($14.25 billion).
Paetongtarn has never served in government and will become Thailand's second female prime minister and the third Shinawatra to take the top job after aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, and 75-year-old father Thaksin, the country's most influential and polarizing politician.
Related video: Thailand: Thai PM Srettha Thavisin's removal from office raises fears of political uncertainty (StringersHub)
The fall of Srettha after less than a year in office will be a stark reminder of the kind of hostility Paetongtarn could face, with Thailand trapped in a tumultuous cycle of coups and court rulings that have disbanded political parties and toppled multiple governments and prime ministers. More: Thailand's Paetongtarn Shinawatra wins parliamentary backing to become new PM
Panu Wongcha-um and Chayut Setboonsarng, Reuters via MSN, 8/15/24; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
An Unholy Alliance: Monks and the Military in Myanmar
(Al Jazeera English, March 18, 2019) With almost 90 percent of Myanmar/Burma's population being devoted Theravada Buddhists, the religion [like neighboring Thailand] has been at the heart of the nation's very identity for centuries.
But while the pillars of Buddhist teachings are love (metta), compassion, and peace, there is a very different variation to the philosophy being taught at the Ma Ba Tha ("Patriotic Association of Myanmar") monastery in Yangon/Rangoon's Insein township.
The monks there are connected to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, the systematic persecution and genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine state.
Al Jazeera's unprecedented access to the Ma Ba Tha monastery and its leaders offers a glimpse into how their ultra-nationalist agenda is becoming the blueprint for the political structure of the country.
Is the joining of forces between monks and the dictatorial generals threatening Myanmar's young and fragile parliamentary democracy that incorporates Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi?
(The Daily Show) Trevor Noah looks at anti-Muslim violence by monks and citizens in Myanmar.
I lost everything for Burma.
The Patriotic Association of Myanmar, abbreviated Ma Ba Tha(မဘသ) in Burmese, is variously translated into English as the "Association for the Protection of Race and Religion," the "Organization for the Protection of Race and Religion," and the "Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion." It is an ultra nationalist Buddhist organization based in Myanmar (Burma). Some members are connected to the 969 Movement. In May 2017, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, which regulates the Buddhist monastics in the country, ordered the group disbanded. The group renamed itself as the Buddha Dhamma Charity Foundation, which government officials have also outlawed, according to government officials. More
Thai men push a fishing boat off the ocean to a safer location in
Songkhla, Thailand in preparation for storm weather conditions on
Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. Thai weather authorities are warning that a
tropical storm will bring heavy rains and high seas to southern Thailand
and its famed beach resorts.
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My dog and I are not safe for long (AP).
LAEM TALUMPUK, Thailand - Rain, winds, and surging seawater buffeted coastal villages and
world-famous tourist resorts Friday, as Tropical Storm Pabuk made
landfall on southern Thailand's east coast.
The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 42 mph (70 kph), hit the shore of Nakhon Si Thammarat province Friday afternoon
and was roaring westward at 12 mph (20 kph), said Phuwieng
Prakhammintara, director-general of the Thai Meteorological Department.
"We can expect heavy rain and downpours, flooding,
and flash floods in the area throughout the night," he warned at a news
conference. Earlier Friday, authorities in Nakhon Si Thammarat province,
about 480 miles (800 kms) south of Bangkok, drove trucks through
flooded streets with downed power lines, urging people to leave.
"Anyone still inside, please make noise and
officials will help you out. You cannot stay here. You cannot stay here.
It's too dangerous," they said from truck-mounted loudspeakers.
While
torrential rain and strong winds are expected to affect more than a
dozen other provinces, Nakon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani, home to the
tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan, are expected to
be the hardest hit. More
Rohingya Muslim refugees walk through water after crossing from Burma by boat through the Naf River in Teknaf, Muslim Bangladesh, on 9-7-17 (Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters).
This story is a part of Seeking Security Human stories from a world in conflict (PRI)
Burma’s gruesome purge of Rohingya Muslims appears unstoppable
Theravada Buddhist Burma was once great.
It is Asia’s most vicious ethnic cleansing campaign, a purge that has driven Rohingya Muslims screaming from their Buddhist Burma (Myanmar) homeland into the marshlands of Islamic Bangladesh.
Now it is accelerating. Burma’s army, seemingly determined to rid the nation of this ethnic minority, has created a Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh that has topped half a million -- larger than the population of the Bahamas or Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
After a lull for much of 2017, the purge has re-commenced. As many as 270,000 Rohingya have poured out of Burma (now called Myanmar by the dictatorship that rules behind the scenes) in the last two weeks alone, according to the United Nations refugee agency.What triggered this mass exodus?
When Burma became a dictatorship and draconian police state, its ancient monastic institutions continued. Two novices venerate large statue (notjustnut/flickr.com).
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In recent years, a dysfunctional Rohingya rebel group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has formed. They have staged sporadic attacks on police outposts.
Here is a statement the group issued this week, labeling Burma's government a "terrorist organization."
The group has a Twitter account but far too few guns to take on Burma’s massive military, which wields rocket-propelled grenades and attack choppers. All evidence suggests new rebel recruits are handed clubs or blades in lieu of rifles.
The rebels' most recent strike, in the last week of August, killed a dozen men from Burma’s security forces. The army has responded with overwhelming force: razing whole villages, ostensibly to flush out militants.
The group are called “terrorists” by the government, but they have largely focused their violence on hard targets, namely, police and troops.
They've abandoned their original name, Harakah al-Yaqin, in favor of the current non-Arabic title -- apparently to ward off accusations that it would attract global jihadists such as Pakistani Taliban or ISIS, both of which have expressed sympathy for their cause.
Local man in Teknaf, Bangladesh, carries elderly Rohingya refugee woman unable to walk after crossing the border from Burma, on Sept. 1, 2017 (Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters).
What awaits the refugees when they reach Bangladesh?
Burma does not care about its Buddhists.
Extremely bleak [refugee] camps, battered by heavy monsoon rains, await Rohingya escaping brutality in Burma. New arrivals are directed to mucky fields where they must build their own shelter out of mud, branches, and plastic trash.
Bangladesh is already one of the world’s most crowded nations. Just imagine half of America’s population crammed into Illinois. It is not equipped to care for a massive influx of sick, traumatized people.
Its government has tried to dissuade incoming Rohingya refugees by keeping its camps in a deprived state. One of the larger camps, Kutupalong, is a maze of clay huts, inhabited by naked children and malnourished adults. United Nations officials say this shelter site and others are at a “breaking point.”
So Bangladesh’s officials are now reviving a proposal to ship out all the Rohingya to a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal. This would be an extreme solution. The island is barren, roadless, and submerged during high tide.
Why isn’t Aung San Suu Kyi speaking out?
Well, she is -- but she’s not saying what her fans abroad [which includes her many Wisdom Quarterly fans] have hoped she’d say.
Aung San Suu Kyi -- the state councilor of Burma whose party won elections in 2015 after years of Western backing -- is not merely indifferent to the Rohingya plight. She oversees a propaganda machine that works to silence their pleas for help.
Her offices have told UN diplomats that Rohingya are burning down their own homes to make the government look bad. During a wave of well-documented army rapes against the ethnic group, they’ve accused Rohingya women of crying “fake rape.” Her team has even claimed that foreign aid workers are secretly supporting the “terrorists.”
Earlier this year, I asked close colleague of Aung San Suu Kyi whether he thought she privately sympathized w #Rohingya. "No," he said. https://t.co/uVtPCJIbyi — Poppy McPherson (@poppymcp) September 4, 2017
Suu Kyi: I'm kept in the dark!
Leading Western outlets -- like The New York Times and The Washington Post -- seem dismayed by the once-beloved democracy idol’s silence. But she isn’t silent. She’s repeatedly denied that ethnic cleansing is taking place while her staff works to discredit Rohingya grievances.
There's no reason to think Suu Kyi would suddenly reverse course and defend the Rohingya’s right to a homeland in Burma. Besides, she lacks the power to halt the military.
Forget or ignore US statements that Burma has “overcome decades of military rule to achieve a democratic state.” Burma is actually a hybrid military-civilian state in which the military has total control over the police and troops and veto power over the elected parliament.So whom should foreign governments focus on instead?
They should focus on Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing rather than Parliamentarian Suu Kyi. He is the commander in chief of the military -- an abusive institution that has Burma burning at both ends.
This is the person who could put a stop to what UN officials have called a “process of genocide.” It is this person -- not Aung San Suu Kyi -- who could meaningfully root out the soldiers guilty of raping Rohingya teens and women as a military tactic.
But nothing suggests he will reverse course, either. Instead, platoons under his control appear to be planting land mines along the border to prevent refugees from ever returning home [but some are being killed and injured by those mines simply trying to leave]. More
PRI takes a global approach to the news of the day, helping readers understand how what happens around the world matters in Washington, DC and in our neighborhoods. Today more than ever, we need conversations, perspectives, and diverse voices.
Travel destination Southeast Asia, a fascinating, atmospheric, and exotic Theravada Buddhist world full of unspoiled nature and cultural treasures.
It is a region where past and present live side by side and unite in a wonderful way. Burma, "The Land Of Golden Pagoda," is now called Myanmar by its military rulers who control the country from the relocated police state capital of Nay Pyi Taw (though the heart of the country is still Rangoon, Mandalay, and unbelievable Pagan (Bagan). It used to be a closed country. So many of its fine religious sanctuaries were left neglected, but they are now gradually being given the respect they deserve. Inlay Lake is home to the Inthas, one of the many tribes that came to Burma from various neighboring countries. Throughout the area are the floating plantations of the Inthas on which tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans are cultivated.
A journey on the Shan State Express provides passengers with a fascinating insight into the life of the Shan people, whose lives are dominated by agriculture. The northwest of Burma is known for its many splendid sacred buildings such as Mingun’s Hsinbyume Pagoda, which was built at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was constructed according to the architectural rules of Hindu Buddhist cosmology and symbolizes the World Mountain of Meru...
One of Taiwan’s most important centers of arts and crafts is located on the west of the island, Lukang, an ancient and idyllic town full of age-old traditions whose large number of beautiful Buddhist temples is most impressive. In Cambodia about 40 kms north of the current capital, Phnom Penh, is the former capital city of Udong. Today, only the remains of the city’s former splendid buildings indicate that it was the last center of amazing Angkor’s power with hundreds of dwellings and Buddhist jungle temples.
The ruins of Ayutthaya indicate the impressive dimensions of the former capital of ancient Thailand and one of the mightiest royal cities in Southeast Asia.
Obama and leaders of Southeast Asian nations are gathering for two days of talks on economic and security issues to forge deeper ties amid China's assertive presence in the region.
Obama welcomes Southeast Asian leaders to SoCal
Sunnylands Historic House, Southern California, where ASEAN leaders are meeting Obama.
We're here to play ball. We want money. Our leaders/countries are for sale (AP).
Celebration in Southeast Asia (flickr.com)
RANCHO MIRAGE, California - Pres. Barry Soetoro Barack Hussein Obama, husband of Michael Obama -- a Democratic president so weak and feckless he may not select a Supreme Court nominee so as not to offend Republicans with a liberal selection that tilts the court in favor of sanity after decades of damage to the nation by mysteriously dead gun-loving hunter Antonin Scalia -- opened a meeting of leaders from a 10-nation bloc of Southeast Asian nations on Monday, calling the landmark gathering on U.S. soil a reflection of his personal commitment to an enduring partnership with the diverse group of countries.
(Feb. 15, 2016)
Deception, war, drone-killings, and hypocrisy may have added to rapid aging in office.
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Obama and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will spend two days discussing economic and regional security issues.
In brief remarks as the leaders sat around a horseshoe-shaped table, Obama said he became familiar with Southeast Asia as a boy living in Indonesia with his mother. Since becoming president, Obama has made numerous trips to Asia-Pacific countries as part of his policy "pivot" toward the region, with the goal of reassuring allies unnerved by China's assertive presence there while also reaping economic gains for the U.S.
"You and the people of ASEAN have always shown me extraordinary hospitality, and I hope we can reciprocate with the warmth today and tomorrow, which is why I did not hold this summit in Washington," Obama said.
"It is cold there. It's snowing, so welcome to beautiful, warm Sunnylands," he said. Sunnylands is the storied southern California desert estate where the leaders will conduct their talks at a conference center with picturesque views of the snow-capped San Jacinto Mountains.
Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhist novices, Thailand, with candles (flickr.com)
Underscoring the relaxed atmosphere, all leaders wore open-collar shirts with their suits. It's the first time the leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), and Cambodia have held a stand-alone meeting in the U.S. China is not an ASEAN member, but its territorial claims over disputed waters have raised international concerns and heightened tensions with some member countries.
Obama said trade between the U.S. and ASEAN had increased 55 percent since he took office. The region is now the U.S.'s fourth-largest goods trade partner. U.S. companies are also the largest source of foreign investment in its member nations, he said.
Obama said he wants to build on that progress "so that growth and development is sustainable and inclusive and benefits all people." Monday's talks will focus on the economy. After a working dinner, the conversation on Tuesday, the summit's final day, shifts to regional security issues, including the South China Sea and counterterrorism.
China says it has a historical right to virtually all of the South China Sea and has built seven artificial islands, including with airstrips, to assert its sovereignty. Taiwan and ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also claim land features in these potentially resource-rich waters, which are an important conduit for world trade.
Though not a claimant, the U.S. has spoken out against China's conduct and has angered Beijing by sailing Navy ships near some of the artificial islands. The U.S. has argued for the maritime rights issue to be resolved peacefully and is looking for ASEAN to take a unified stance by calling for the disputes to be resolved based on international law. ASEAN has avoided criticizing China by name in joint statements issued at past summits.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement among the U.S., ASEAN members Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam, and seven other nations, will likely be discussed. The pact is Obama's signature trade achievement, one he has sought to sell to skeptical lawmakers as a chance for the U.S. to shape the region's trade rules, not China. Congress, however, must ratify the deal and that outcome remains in doubt.
Terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group is of increasing concern in the region. Eight people were killed during assaults last month in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, the first major attack there in six years. Police said the attackers were linked to IS.
Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, have all reported citizens traveling to fight in Iraq and Syria, and several small militant groups in the Philippines have pledged allegiance to IS (ISIS).
Violent Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with businessman B. Obama (AP)
Obama also plans to raise issues of good governance and adherence to the rule of law. Human rights advocates have faulted the U.S. for inviting unelected leaders, like Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a May 2014 coup.
Cambodia's Hun Sen, who has used violence and intimidation against political opponents, made his first official U.S. visit during his 31-year tenure as prime minister. More
Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington in Washington and Jim Gomez in Manilla, Philippines, contributed to this report. Darlene Superville (twitter.com/dsupervilleap).
The ten-member ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) met on
Sunday at a historic summit hosted for the first time by Burma.
The predominantly Buddhist country --
now called "Myanmar" by the ruling military dictatorship led by Gen. Than Shwe in their new fortified capital as Naypyidaw, which was moved from Rangoon -- is hosting the summit at its remote and secretive showpiece capital.
Concerns over a stand-off in the South China Sea between China and
Vietnam are likely to put the focus of discussion on longstanding
maritime disputes in the region. Tensions arose this week after
China moved a deep-water oil rig into territory near the Paracel Islands that are also claimed by Vietnam.
Chinese and Vietnamese ships have since
been involved in several collisions, with the two communist countries trading accusations of responsibility for aggravating the situation. The spat has led to bitter anti-China demonstrations in several Vietnamese cities. More
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