This is part two of the DVB Newsroom interview with David Mathieson, an independent analyst on human rights and conflict in Myanmar. In it, he discusses the situation in Myanmar four years after the 2021 military coup.

We recorded this interview before China brokered a ceasefire agreement between the regime in Naypyidaw and the Three Brotherhood Alliance’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Jan. 18.

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DVB Newscast for Feb. 7, 2025. Over the past 12 months, Myanmar's resistance forces have made territorial gains nationwide. The military regime in Naypyidaw, which seized power after the 2021 coup, now has less than 25 percent of the country under its control, according to a recent BBC investigation.

The National Unity Government (NUG) claims the resistance controls 144 out of Myanmar’s 330 townships. It added that 48 townships are under full resistance control. While 79 remain contested between the military and the resistance. The regime is administering 107 townships, according to the NUG.

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David Mathieson, an independent analyst on human rights and conflict in Myanmar, joined the DVB Newsroom to discuss the situation in Myanmar four years after the 2021 military coup. This interview was recorded before China brokered a ceasefire agreement between the regime in Naypyidaw and the Three Brotherhood Alliance's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Jan. 18.

The National Unity Government (NUG) President's Office spokesperson Kyaw Zaw responded to Mathieson's comments made in this interview: "We [didn't] say that we control two thirds of the country. We say that resistance forces control two thirds of the countries. We [didn't] say that we fully control and govern 144 townships. We're saying that the resistance forces control, and we didn't say that we fully control 95 townships, towns and cities. We clearly say that [the People's Defense Force captured] and control eight towns and cities out of 95."

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Ma Thida is a Burmese medical doctor, writer, human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience. She founded and served until 2016 as president of PEN Myanmar, whose mission includes monitoring issues related to freedom of expression, organizing discussions about literature with the public, developing a culture of literature in Myanmar, promoting creative writing, and making literature a part of the country’s educational curriculum. Ma Thida is the author of the book A-Maze: Myanmar's Struggle for Democracy, 2011-2023. Read an excerpt here.

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Moon Nay Li, the joint general secretary at the Women’s League of Burma (WLB) and the former general secretary at the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), joined us in the DVB Newsroom to share her more than 18 years of work committed to advancing human rights and women's participation in Myanmar.

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American pro-democracy activist Michael Sladnick joins us in the DVB Newsroom to share his journey about how he first learned about Myanmar after the 2021 military coup, then learned to speak Burmese and moved to the Thailand-Myanmar border to provide assistance to the anti-coup resistance.

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Jason Tower is the country director for the Burma program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). He joins us in the DVB Newsroom to discuss the rise of cyber scams in Myanmar and what USIP has done to document it and raise awareness about the global threats it creates.

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This episode of Insight Myanmar Podcast is appearing in the DVB English News feed this week since it features an interview with DVB Chief Editor Aye Chan Naing. It has been edited for brevity.

Episode #284: Aye Chan Naing is a pioneering journalist and activist dedicated to independent media in Myanmar. He co-founded the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) in the years following the military’s violent crackdown during the 1988 student-led uprising.

He was drawn to activism after witnessing the brutality of the regime. After fleeing to the Thai-Burma border, he joined the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front but soon found his passion in journalism, inspired by figures like Swedish journalist, Bertil Lintner.

In 1992, he launched DVB as a shortwave broadcaster based in Norway with support from the government there. He aimed to provide a voice for the pro-democracy movement and challenge the military’s grip on information.

DVB became a vital link for the Burmese people, offering an independent perspective at a time when the government tightly controlled the media. The organization expanded from radio to multimedia, amplifying voices that were otherwise silenced. In 2012, DVB returned to Myanmar following political reforms, but Aye Chan Naing faced obstacles under Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration, which limited media access and failed to foster an open environment.

The situation worsened after the 2021 military coup, forcing DVB back into exile. Despite severe challenges, DVB continues to operate using underground reporters inside Myanmar. “When you have a microphone, you can say whatever you want, right? But if we’re doing exactly the same as the Burmese military, we are no different,” he says. “The more we studied, the more we learned about journalism. And it has to be about the people.”

As Myanmar awaits an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, which was filed by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on Nov. 27, regional human rights organization Fortify Rights has been meeting with countries - those which have signed the Rome Statute to establish the ICC - to hold Myanmar accountable for crimes, including those committed since the 2021 military coup.

John Quinley III is the director at Fortify Rights. He joined us in the newsroom to discuss international accountability for crimes committed by the Myanmar military.

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