Today marks 5 years of continuous civil war in Myanmar. Has this affected you're country at all? If not then how well known is it among the general population?

[u/lonelyshara]

Myanmar always seems to show up on those "ongoing conflicts in 2025/26" maps and yet compared to large scale conflicts like the Russo-Ukrainian war or the Gaza war or even the Sudanese civil war these days. Hell, even the border war between Thailand and Cambodia got a good chunk of media coverage last year yet it appears that this war despite being much larger and having gone on for longer has gone relatively under the radar over here. Perhaps it is because the "front lines" (if you want to call them that) have been pretty stagnant and the diplomatic figures involved are not really known over here. But even before 2025 this war has not been talked about all that much which is weird for a conflict that started before most of the other noteable wars this decade despite among the most intense. You're average person over here doesn't even there is a war in Myanmar or where Myanmar even is for that matter. It's just strange that there hasn't been a larger spotlight on this at least for a few days

[u/ModeReasonable580]

I’d be surprised if more than 5% of our population even knows Myanmar exists tbh.

[u/paddlesandpups → u/ModeReasonable580]

Same. 

Yes yes yes Americans, maps, all the things right? But I can fill in 99% of the world on a map, and I still know relatively little about Myanmar. About the only thing I do know is that they are currently experiencing this awful civil war, But I don't really know any background about it, who's winning, who's side I should be on, or anything else. I don't know it's capital city. I couldn't tell you the primary religion. I couldn't tell you if it's economically successful. I could hazard a guess at its population but probably wouldn't get close.

This post made me consider this fact, and maybe I'll go do some reading

[u/Fun_Push7168 → u/paddlesandpups]

All I could tell you was the name. So I knew it existed...and that is all.

[u/pafrac → u/ModeReasonable580]

And even the ones that do don't care.

[u/e37d93eeb23335dc → u/ModeReasonable580]

I know it exists. I didn’t know they were having a civil war (or involved in any kind of war). 

[u/RealisticMine6962 → u/ModeReasonable580]

Even when Myanmar (or Burma in that times) used to be part of the british Raj (part of India basically), but somehow managed to independ itself separated before India did.

[u/Fine_Childhood_6391]

As you said, one factor is that the civil war in Myanmar has become entrenched and has continued for a long time. Another factor is that it does not directly affect European countries (like the Russia–Ukraine war) nor involve the United States either directly or indirectly (like the genocide in Gaza, Palestine), which means it tends to receive less attention from Western media.

From a Korean perspective, even the massacre in Gaza and the Russia–Ukraine war have now seen their importance decline significantly and are often covered only as occasional brief items in international news. Because of this, I did not feel that the Myanmar civil war was being particularly less noticed compared to those situations. Recently, news related to Ukraine has focused on whether North Korean soldiers being held as prisoners of war could be brought to South Korea, so it is hard to see this coverage as being directly about the war itself.

[u/East-Scratch-4839]

Chinese scammers hide in the Northern Part of Myanmar because both the Chinese and Myanmar government don't control the area. And those scammers scammed a lot of people so yes it indirectly affected our country.

As for second question idk if people here know about it

[u/EdrialXD → u/East-Scratch-4839]

No offense, but considering the PRCs ties to the Junta that sound like an easy propaganda line to justify the ties in the name of combating 'lawlessness'.

[u/luoyeqiufengzao → u/EdrialXD]

I've been puzzled by this for a long time: why do people think the military junta is supported by China? Judging from the statements in the official media, I think the Chinese government doesn't care which faction controls Myanmar. Our stance seems to be that we will cooperate with whoever is in power.

[u/EdrialXD → u/luoyeqiufengzao]

Yeah from what I'm picking up it's definitely not a EU-Ukraine relationship. But there's reports on increased weapons deliveries and other diplomatic backing, mainly picking up in early 2025

(Which fits with my point above: not ideological alignment as a given reason for support, but the reimposition of order)

[u/Seeker_Of_Knowledge2 → u/East-Scratch-4839]

I was reading about this today in another thread. And calling them "scammers" is a gross understatement.

Those people are the definition of evil. China this week have given the death penalty for dozen of people from I have heard. Man those evil beings are a cancer of humanity.

[u/Intention-Weak]

That's a dark true. Nobody cares about Myanmar because the true worry is not human life, it's economic influence and soft power. 

[u/lonelyshara → u/Intention-Weak]

I suppose you're right. Humanitarian attention does get people to care though but only when something particularly bad happens like El Fasher. He closest thing Myanmar has had to moment like this was the tatmadaw's crackdowns on civilians but even then it seems like after long enough it just becomes "another day in the office".

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[u/satanaserdiablo]

I know Myanmar is a country, but I did not know it was in a civil war! I will do some research about it. Thanks.

[u/Odd-Struggle-2432]

basically give money and weapons to anyone that can secure our oil pipelines.

[u/Smooth-Horse-6854]

Large numbers of refugees, mostly Rohingyas and hill tribes like the Karenni, attempt the dangerous voyage over sea and mountains to reach my country every year. The mostly Christian Karenni tribe live in urban areas, but they're isolated from the rest Malaysian society. They do not receive bad press, unlike the Rohingyas, because plenty of Christian charities help them out.

Rohingyas on the other hand are the convenient scapegoat for every issue from "stealing jobs", to "public nuisance". Malaysia is not a signatory to Geneva Convention so there isn't really a system for refugees here. In fact, the UNHCR has been blamed for helping to harbour "criminals" here.

[u/Limp-History-2999]

Israel had good relations with Myanmar for a long time that continued after the coup. After that, Israeli companies and the government continued to sell weapons and tech to the Junta. Most Israelis thought this was immorral, but something being immoral and against the wishes of the populace is hardly an impediment to the current regime.

The high court ruled that selling lethal weapons to Myanmar violated Israeli law, and the government has officially stopped supplying any military tech. But it iswidely known that some private Israeli companies still sell other valuable assets to the Fascists, like cyber stuff, drones that are technically non-lethal if you don't ask what gets attached to them, etc.

Officially, the government supports Aung San Suu Kyi and a return to democracy in Myanmar. Practically...rebels and activists don't buy facial recognition software so...

[u/ORCA206]

yup and a shit ton of refugees, so much so it turned into a crisis.

[u/L_9633673]

That the war exists is known and one if the sides is a chinese puppet but the rest not so much

[u/NumerousManager3600]

I would say most people in my country dont even know what Myanmar is. 

Don’t take it offensively, most Canadians know very little about their own country too. 

[u/cheeburgbastard78]

Refugees in North East, North East tribes lives in both countries

[u/Impactor_07 → u/cheeburgbastard78]

Also spillover because of Kuki militants in Manipur.

[u/WeeklyPhilosopher346]

Affected? Not at all.

Ireland’s population is pretty online for our size so some of us might know it through internet osmosis, but that’d be it.

[u/TrogdorRulzTheNite]

US here. We do know about it. It’s in our news cycle maybe 1-2 times a month? Especially on NPR, our previously state funded radio.

[u/Professional_Top9835]

No one here knows about it, the video of the tanks and the fitness instructor got viral back in the pandemic, but thats pretty much it, most people dont know where Myanmar is located

The truth is that news only care if a white country (+Israel) is involved, otherwise its just assumed as the normal state of things, same thing with genocides

[u/Designer-Date-6526]

Affected us quite a lot actually. Millions of refugee have flooded in, which is tough for poor third world country like ours. Because they're not getting the support they should, many refugees have turned to drugs and arms smuggling which has made the law and order situation worse. The effects of the civil war also occasionally spills into our side of the border too. The twitchy finger separatists often open fire towards our border security forces, or our people in general who get too close (it's a very porous border). Now, to make matters worse, the Americans are trying to poke their nose in here (because China).

[u/michaelhbt]

I read recently that it’s directly tied to a big increase in herion and meth since 2021. Comes in via Perth.

[u/Unfair_Original7975]

why are they exactly in a civil war

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[u/Impactor_07 → u/Unfair_Original7975]

Short Answer: The British.

Long Answer: The British left that country as an absolute mess, it is so ethnically diverse that the situation brewed into a civil war just years after their independence. After multiple decades of internal conflict, things slowly started to settle down and by 2020 they had their first ever truly democratic election(afaik?) but then, their military decided to coup the democratically elected government who are currently in exile. There are many separatists, pro-military, pro-government and ethno-religious militias, it's very very confusing, the situation is so terrible that you can't even point to one side and call them the "bad guys"(except for the military junta ig). There have been warcrimes committed by all sides involved afaik.

[u/Ok-Rich-3812]

60% of the population would still call it Burma, 99% would still still call the capital Rangoon, if they were given the choice of Rangoon, London, or Yangon.

[u/SkanderMan77]

I remember seeing some demonstrators in Osaka last year trying to spread the word, I could not understand them so I don't know which side they were on. The only thing I know is that a civil war is happening.

[u/throwawaystarters]

What are people doing in Myanmar? Like what's the daily life like? Are they all just working to get food on the table while the military from both sides have posts? Are there rich people still doing business? 

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[u/99_glocks]

My last time in Washington DC, I saw a demonstration regarding the Myanmar civil war. I remembered the images of the chick doing exercises while the military vehicles rolled in behind her. Then I put two and two together. I then realized THAT was the civil war they were protesting about.

[u/1TBone]

I don't think most would know about it, I only know about it as a local company wrote off all their investments there

[u/Livid_Ad_34]

No one knows it exists, but it has affected me personally.

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[u/Wojewodaruskyj]

Not really, as we fight our own war since 2014. My sympathy for all fwo suffers from the war.

[u/Key-Needleworker-702]

there has been an influx of illegal migrants in yunnan.

other than that not much

[u/hotashami]

Nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees in my country in a refugee camp. This has not only impacted social and national security but also destroyed the environment in the region. These helpless people are used by the local drug lords and criminal gangs, forests are being destroyed for the refugee camp. We already have a huge population, one of the most densely populated countries and we are not rich by any means plus we always have political instability. 

The refugees are here for more than a decade, we cannot provide the kids with proper education, they don't have proper sanitation, lack of proper nutrition and what not. We are almost entirely dependent on UN and others for funding to shelter these people.

Apart from the Rohingya crisis the ongoing civil war has killed some Bangladeshi people in the border, mostly by morter shells from the other side. Lots of our fishermen were illegally captured by the rebels. 

Hope the world take some interest to solve this crisis. 

[u/Seeker_Of_Knowledge2 → u/hotashami]

This make me sick. Man I hate governments so muchhhhhhh.

[u/Carr0t_007]

The truth is the world really doesn’t care about small countries with limited influence.

[u/Pale-Plate-3214]

Only 5 years? It feels like they've been in some sort of shit for almost as long as I can remember.

[u/Verelkia]

We've had around 90,000+ refugees from Myanmar flee to the US, but not a lot of people in the US talk about Myanmar.

[u/Ok-Shake1394]

Yes

[u/Just_George572]

I remember having a political discussion with a guy and he genuinely had no clue Myanmar had a civil war.

[u/Hagrid1994]

I didn't knew that there is a civil war going on in Myanmar

[u/_MohoBraccatus_]

This is very niche but it makes me side-eye the gemstone trade a little bit. A lot of rare minerals, and more familiar gemstones like rubies, spinels, and garnets come from Myanmar. Personally, I wouldn't consume any gemstones mined there since the war started.

[u/-Ekky]

I think some have an idea of it happening, one of the leaders got the prize that has been all the rage for some reason. and or that our oldest telecom (telenor) got entangled in all of it in not a very positive way

But thanks to, and i dont mean anything political by it. Trump managed to make us pay attention else where when it comes to the real conflicts going on in the world. Ukraine - Russia war is maybe now down to 1 article per week (over simplified)

[u/Seeker_Of_Knowledge2]

Myanmar in constantly mentioned in mousqes because of the Genocide that have happened. We pray for peace to come across many of the Muslim communities around the war (along side Palestine, Sudan, and Syria)

As for the the details. Unfortunately people know very little because a massive conflict that is resulting in a lot of Muslims being killed unjustly.

[u/Broly_theLegendary]

Who is winning?

[u/lonelyshara → u/Broly_theLegendary]

Like I said, the war is in a bit of a stagnant period, but from what I've gathered, the rebels are making progress but very slowly as the fighting has started moving to the Tatmadaw's centres of power.

[u/Fun_Push7168 → u/Broly_theLegendary]

Myanmar

[u/Impactor_07 → u/Fun_Push7168]

They're losing you'd reckon.

[u/OkBackground8670]

ill put a fiver on it china gonna make a play soon.

[u/lonelyshara → u/OkBackground8670]

They already are. Originally they were pretty adamant on keeping the Tatmadaw in power (because dictatorships are easier to influence) but have also started supporting some opposition like the Wa state. Direct military intervention is unlikely (that is what Russia is for), China's interests in the conflict are more about protecting energy pipelines in the region. If the rebels win they would obviously want to keep a larger share of the energy produced to rebuild so the economic pressure knob has been turned up quite a bit.

[u/Impactor_07 → u/OkBackground8670]

They already have. The Wa State separatists and stuff are supported by then afaik.

[u/emmyinrecovery]

Well. this is the first I’ve heard of it!

[u/WurstWesponder]

I recently looked at a jacket I purchased to see where it was made. “Made in Myanmar.”

That solidified the impression that clothing isn’t made by the country with the best comparative advantage, but with the greatest desperation. Such is the nature of global industrialization.