NEW DELHI: The reports filtering out of Myanmar are grim. The death toll has touched 8,800 and there are over 1,500 people in the army’s prisons where torture is routine. Aung San Suu Kyi has been convicted on clearly fraudulent charges while others have been killed.
In this conversation on The Gist, Dr. James Gomez of the Asia Centre in Bangkok warns that the situation is deteriorating given widespread reports of fighting, the lack of essential supplies including medicines and the Covid pandemic stalking parts of the country. Army directed internet shutdowns are making it difficult to figure out the ground situation.
The seeming indifference of the outside world may have emboldened the military junta to step up its efforts to subdue the country. The churn among other ethnic groups needs to be closely watched to see the shape of the opposition to the army.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Dr. James Gomez of the Asia Center in Bangkok.
