Event description
Following the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar’s education system became a host for civil disobedience protests, with teachers and students protesting the country’s state-run schools. The military, or Tatmadaw, responded by occupying campuses and prosecuting teachers and students. In the time since 2021, the Tatmadaw has escalated its violence, including schools among the targets in its attacks against pro-democracy resistance. The webinar hosts Myanmar natives providing 1st-person accounts of their experiences in the education system amidst Myanmar’s pro-democracy struggle. The webinar addresses the challenges facing teachers and students in Myanmar’s ongoing conflict, and the ways international aid efforts can navigate the ethical and legal challenges of rendering assistance.
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Speakers
Featured Speakers
Dr Ka Lok Yip is an Assistant Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar. Her academic research straddles international law, social theory, and empirical studies in armed conflict and post-conflict settings. She has written extensively about international law on the use of force, international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Besides academia, Dr Yip is an experienced international lawyer actively involved in peace and justice initiatives in conflict situations.
Dr Su Yin Htun is a former US-ASEAN Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University in the United States of America and also a former Professor of Law at the University of Mandalay. She is currently serving as Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) Professor at the International Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education under the National Unity Government. She has been working as a research fellow in the areas of international human rights law and constitutional law for more than six years not only in Europe, at Central European University, but also in Asia, at the National University of Singapore. She specialised in the teaching fields of human rights law, constitutional and administrative law and environmental law over years during her service as a professor.
Yamin (pseudonym) was born in Yangon, Myanmar. She graduated from the University of Yangon. She worked for the Ministry of Education for more than 20 years. She was a professor in Myanmar until the military coup. She took part in the CDM, and fled her homeland as she was wanted by the military. She applied for asylum in the US, and she received refugee status in July 2021. She is studying international human rights law to contribute to her people who are struggling for democracy in Myanmar.
Dr Jonathan Liljeblad (moderator) is an Associate Professor at The Australian National University's College of Law. His research largely focuses on rule-of-law, with case studies from human rights and environmental issues. Generally, his research falls within the fields of international law, rule-of-law, human rights, environmental law, law & development, and law & society.