Almost two years after the military seized power, the determination of Myanmar’s resistance movement has only grown. ‘We will never give up,’ says a deposed lawmaker-turned-revolutionary who remains in the same jungle camp he fled to last year, taking up arms after junta forces viciously crushed peaceful protests against the coup.
Just six years ago Myanmar was celebrated as Asia’s fastest-growing economy. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was the country’s de facto leader. After years of isolation under repressive military rule a slew of political and economic reforms were under way. The country was firmly back on the tourist trail, investors rushed in, and it appeared as though Myanmar was on a path towards democracy.
