Insight Myanmar

Thinzar Shunlei Yi


Listen Later

Episode #223: Raised in a Myanmar military compound, Thinzar Shunlei Yi grew up sheltered from her nation's realities. University life exposed her to diverse ethnic narratives, challenging her military-centric worldview. Embracing democracy through literature and the internet, she grappled with guilt over the military's oppression. Her activism took shape through protests and performance art, even embodying a displaced Shan person to promote empathy among the Bamar majority.

The 2021 coup unified various groups against the military, and Thinzar saw this as an opportunity to advocate for a federal democracy. Her Buddhist faith guided her ethical activism, striving to separate true teachings from the military's nationalist propaganda. Her public portrayal of a military victim gained international support. Despite personal sacrifices, Thinzar's journey from a soldier's daughter to a prominet activist symbolizes a profound shift towards a hopeful future for Myanmar.

“You see all your close friends being tortured, sometimes killed, and also different stories coming out from the ground every day, we have to deal with these news,” Thinzar Shunlei Yi says in closing. “In the morning, you will be really sad and depressed, you don't know what to do, you're not in a position to control things; and in the evening, you will be motivated again, because you see the whole picture of what the revolution is about, and still people are striving, and this is for the good for the country.”

View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Insight MyanmarBy Insight Myanmar Podcast

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

48 ratings


More shows like Insight Myanmar

View all
Democracy Now! Audio by Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! Audio

5,664 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,837 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,904 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

37,904 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,118 Listeners

Tara Brach by Tara Brach

Tara Brach

10,387 Listeners

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters by Global Dispatches

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

317 Listeners

Intelligence Squared by Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

789 Listeners

Asia Geopolitics by The Diplomat

Asia Geopolitics

319 Listeners

This Jungian Life Podcast by Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano

This Jungian Life Podcast

1,508 Listeners

Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings by Oprah and Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

3,783 Listeners

Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs by Jeffrey Sachs

Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs

92 Listeners

Myanmar Revolutionary Tales (တော်လှန်ခြင်းများနှင့်ခေတ်သစ်မြန်မာပြည်) by Insight Myanmar

Myanmar Revolutionary Tales (တော်လှန်ခြင်းများနှင့်ခေတ်သစ်မြန်မာပြည်)

3 Listeners

DVB English News by Democratic Voice of Burma

DVB English News

0 Listeners

The Chris Hedges Report by Chris Hedges

The Chris Hedges Report

39 Listeners

What's Happening in Myanmar by Frontier Myanmar

What's Happening in Myanmar

2 Listeners