Myanmar’s Civil War: A Conflict Too Often Overlooked
Mi Tala Nyan, a commander of the Mon State Revolutionary Force, fires an FGC-9 Myanmar Now News, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Students with family ties to Myanmar described the effects of the conflict and called for more attention.
Sanjay Rao, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The civil war in Myanmar, also known as Burma, has affected families, education, healthcare, and access to basic needs. Students with connections to the country said the conflict has created serious problems for people living there while receiving less attention than other conflicts around the world.
“My family has been on the run for a long time trying to find a safe place,” freshman Rocky Say said.
He said uncertainty has caused basic needs such as food, safety, and housing to become major concerns.
“The biggest problems are food, safety, and finding a home,” Say said.
Say said bombs happened weekly, forcing people to escape into the woods to protect themselves.
“People should know about war and conflicts and the damage they do to a country,” Say said.
Sophomore Thang Khaul has family in Myanmar as well. Khaul explained that the conflict made it difficult for families to travel and visit each other. People within the country were not permitted to move freely between states; this made normal family visits more difficult and acted as a barrier from the rest of the world.
“My family is in Burma, and the conflict prevents us from traveling,” Khaul said.
Travel was not the only problem Khaul said families faced. He said the conflict had also affected villages, schools, and healthcare, making everyday activities harder for children and families.
“People should know the consequences, like villages being burned, people being tortured and not having proper healthcare or education,” Khaul said.
Junior Joel Mang said the distance between Myanmar and the United States could be one reason the conflict received less attention. He said conflicts that were more connected to the United States often received more discussion.
“Myanmar is far away and less connected to America,” Mang said.
Mang’s family had also been separated by the conflict. He said his mother could only communicate with her mother by phone instead of seeing her in person.
“People are dying and losing their homes,” Mang said.
Khaul said spreading awareness and providing help could make a difference for families struggling because of the war.
“The international community should spread awareness and send people to help,” Khaul said.
For Say, the lack of attention given to Myanmar’s civil war is especially troubling given the destruction it has caused.
“I feel like it’s messed up that other conflicts get more attention despite the horrible things happening in Burma,” Say said.
Mang said that drawing attention to Myanmar does not require ranking its suffering against that of other countries.
“I don’t like to compare conflicts,” Mang said. “I just want people to show Burma as much attention as they show other controversial things going on around the world.”
