Three years ago, on March 9, 2021, army trucks pulled up in front of Mizzima’s headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Soldiers proceeded to ransack and loot the office of the independent media group, taking whatever they wanted. This scene was played out across the city, as the junta enforced legislation that outlawed Myanmar’s independent media scene on the heels of the coup in February 2021 to overturn the results of the November 2020 general election.
The situation on the ground
With many being targeted, a number of Myanmar journalists were forced to abandon their native places, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, or in regions in Myanmar that were outside junta control. This exodus of journalists has been mirrored by the population at large, as vast numbers of Myanmar citizens — over two million within Myanmar and some 1.5 million refugee seekers — have been forced from their homes since the coup. Estimates suggest nearly half of Myanmar’s population, i.e., 25 million people, is living in conditions of poverty. The result is a highly destabilising situation for Myanmar and its neighbours.
