Chiang Mai University hosted the 4th International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) from August 2-4, 2024, under the theme “Assemblages of the Future: Rethinking Communities After the State.” The conference aimed to address the evolving dynamics in Myanmar and its impact on regional and global communities. The plenary session on August 3, titled “Three Years After the Coup: Situation in Myanmar,” was led by Aung Zaw, the founder and chief editor of The Irrawaddy.
The panel featured prominent experts including Min Zin, Executive Director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar; May Oo Mutraw, Senior Policy Advisor at the Salween Institute for Public Policy; and Sunai Phasuk, Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch in Thailand. They discussed the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar, evaluating the coup’s repercussions on the country’s socio-political landscape and its implications for future policy directions.
The conference was a continuation of a series that began in July 2015 at Chiang Mai University, which initially focused on Myanmar’s transition with the title ‘Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges.’ The second conference took place at Mandalay University in 2018, co-hosted with Chiang Mai University, and saw participation from 543 individuals across 29 countries. The third edition, which became the largest to date, was delayed and eventually held as a hybrid event in March 2021, attracting over 1,000 participants globally under the theme ‘Myanmar/Burma in the Changing South East Asia Context.’
This year’s conference reflected on the continuing challenges and potential future developments for Myanmar, providing a platform for critical discussions and strategic insights into the country’s evolving situation.