On March 21, 2023, YCAPS hosted a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the ongoing situation in Myanmar two years after a military coup plunged the country into a deepening political and economic crisis. The primary aim of the event was to bring together experts from across a number of different countries including Thailand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, the United States, and Japan to discuss the way forward and how regional actors can more effectively respond to the crisis.
The hybrid event, which was jointly organised by YCAPS and the University of Tokyo, brought together an impressive number of internationally recognized dignitaries engaged on Myanmar for an in-depth and focused conversation about the future of the country and how the international community can better respond.
Zin Mar Aung, the incumbent Foreign Minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) provided a pre-recorded keynote address which was then followed by live remarks from Moe Zaw Oo, the incumbent Deputy Foreign Minister of the NUG.
Other participating experts included Kasit Piromya, the former Foreign Minister of Thailand from 2008-2011; Scot Marciel, the former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar from 2016-2020; Gautam Mukdopadhaya, the former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar from 2013-2016; Adelina Kamal, the former Executive Director of the ASEAN Secretariat’s Centre for Humanitarian Aid and; Thomas Daniel, a Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Teppei Kasai, a Program Officer at Human Rights Watch and Dr. Yasunobu Sato, the Former Director of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Sustainable Peace also joined the event in-person to highlight Japanese perspectives on the Myanmar crisis.
The event was moderated on the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo by Sam Baron, YCAPS’ Policy Research Fellow, and joined by over 30 in-person attendees and more than 60 virtual participants.
By Sam Baron for YCAPS