Wai Yan Hpone

I once wondered if I truly loved you. For so long, my love had no distinct form— a mist without shape. Then I learned to follow my breath, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. I watched my mind, its flickering nature, dancing like fireflies. With time, love transformed— a larva breaking free, unfolding into a butterfly that soared with kindness, compassion, and light. So, my dear, stay if you will, I will welcome you. Go if you must, I will not grieve. I have let go without letting love fade. For true love, I have found, blooms like a waterlily under the moon’s quiet glow, rooted deep within me. Take it, hold it, breathe in its scent. It costs nothing, yet no one can buy it. All you must do is cherish it— until it withers away.

Among a litany of long-standing challenges facing a new NLD-led government, addressing religious nationalism will be among the most sensitive and demanding. The people of Myanmar are euphoric at the landslide victory won by the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in a Nov. 8 general election deemed to be the freest and fairest since 1990. As Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s party has received more than enough parliamentary seats to select a president of their choice and form government, many are already beginning to dream of a better future ahead. There is widespread optimism that an NLD-led government will ensure more democratic reforms, respect the public’s will and attract more international support. However, the people of Myanmar should not get over-excited about the country’s prospects over the next five years. This is not yet a happy ending but rather the start of another episode. The new government will inherit a package of political time bombs—unresol...

WITH general elections in Burma drawing ever nearer, questions arise over the future of the key political players beyond this exciting milestone. Many are convinced that the incumbent Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has very little chance of securing another victory, while the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and other big ethnic parties are in the box seat. If this turns out to be case, and we see a primarily civilian government, what will next year’s political landscape look like, and how can we expect the relationship between civilian politicians and the military to evolve? We have seen a new institutional framework emerge from the 2008 Constitution, in which a new generation took over the reins of government from a single strongman. We also saw that the new constitutional structures and decision-making forums did not yield any intense frictions among the new elites as they assumed key positions. This is no surprise, and it is not for nothin...

EU Ambassador to Burma Roland Kobia poses for a photo with members of the Myanmar Police Force. (Photo: Facebook / European Union Delegation to Myanmar) The police’s handling of protesting students this week at Letpadan in Pegu Division has appalled much of the world, yet again putting Burma in international headlines for all the wrong reasons. Photos of baton-wielding police savagely beating up helpless students and their supporters immediately spread via social media, drawing heavy condemnation from domestic and international audiences alike. Perhaps more deplorable than the brutal use of force against the demonstrators is that this same police force has been receiving training from the European Union since September 2013, a program that is described as seeking to professionalize this checkered institution. The European bloc has poured €10 million (US$11 million) into training the police, one component of the program being lessons in crowd management and riot policing. Brussels decid...

Myanmar is taking significant strides towards political and economic liberalization after decades of military dictatorship, yet a series of violent attacks against Muslims is shaking confidence in the country. Surprisingly, Buddhist monks support much of the violence. Buddhism is widely perceived as a fundamentally peaceful religion. Thus, it has been a shock for many to see Buddhist monks in Myanmar (also known as Burma) take a prominent role in violence against the country’s minority Muslims . After all, it was less than a decade ago: in 2007 when tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and other anti-government protesters peacefully assembled on the streets of big Burmese cities in defiance of the Burmese generals. More recently, the world watched with astonishment and hope as Myanmar began to gradually emerge from decades of military dictatorship following elections in 2010 and 2012 . Yet the rise of right-wing religious nationalism is posing a serious obstacle to the country’s democr...

I used to be proud of being a Bamar, or Burman. In the early days of my life, I was overwhelmed with pride for our rich culture, civilization and centuries-long history. We Bamar are a people who founded three great empires and produced warrior kings who were feared by our neighbors. In the view of the average Bamar, we are superior to any ethnic group politically, economically or culturally, and other minority groups have always looked up to us with fear and envy. But once I began to explore beyond my childhood knowledge, I had to unlearn much of it. At that point, the pride I had always taken in my Burman-ness began to disintegrate, replaced by guilt and shame. I feel guilty and ashamed of my race because of its centuries-long oppression of Myanmar’s myriad ethnic minorities. Even though I am not directly liable for the wrongdoings of my fellow Bamar past and present, I feel I have a share in that responsibility. And the thought that justice for those transgressions has...

  THE closer the train drew to the city, the more jittery I became. The sun was about to set beyond the low-lying plains across the Yangon River by the time the helmsmen had slowed the train down with a long blast of the horn. I was slightly swaying along with the train. I was excited to see faces and scenes I had not seen for some time. The thought only made my heart beat faster.  I had been assigned to work in my organisation’s Pyinmana branch for three months, the first time I had ever been away from Yangon for that long. While in Pyinmana, thoughts of my hometown rarely popped into my mind.  I had never thought of Yangon as a great place to live, even though it had been my home since birth. But on that evening, as I got closer to the city, I couldn’t help stretching my head through the window and excitedly looking forward to taking in the cityscape   –   the main railroad station with its floral-motif towers, and Traders Hotel and Sakura Tower rising up agai...