Emily Fishbein
@emilyfishbein11.bsky.social
Independent journalist focusing on Myanmar. Pulitzer Center Rainforest Investigations Network Fellow 2025
New painting by Cecilia, an artist from Kachin State, Myanmar. Kachin holds the world's largest jade mines and has seen a dramatic expansion of rare earth mining over the past decade.
Title: Lost
Caption: With the loss of natural resources, human resources are disappearing.
Title: Lost
Caption: With the loss of natural resources, human resources are disappearing.
October 30, 2025 at 4:27 PM
New painting by Cecilia, an artist from Kachin State, Myanmar. Kachin holds the world's largest jade mines and has seen a dramatic expansion of rare earth mining over the past decade.
Title: Lost
Caption: With the loss of natural resources, human resources are disappearing.
Title: Lost
Caption: With the loss of natural resources, human resources are disappearing.
And one from the Mizo dancer Moya Fanai in Yangon
Song: Lasi Te Lal
Artist: Nanaute Hmar
Video: Jue Jue Myat Nwe
Song: Lasi Te Lal
Artist: Nanaute Hmar
Video: Jue Jue Myat Nwe
August 31, 2025 at 5:25 AM
And one from the Mizo dancer Moya Fanai in Yangon
Song: Lasi Te Lal
Artist: Nanaute Hmar
Video: Jue Jue Myat Nwe
Song: Lasi Te Lal
Artist: Nanaute Hmar
Video: Jue Jue Myat Nwe
Adding to this thread, a video from the Mon dancer Bobby One and Only.
Title: ခေ (Eras)
Piano: Austin B.Chen
Video: ZanLatt
Venue: Maw Yon Cafe
"As a young artist, I’ve always believed in looking back at our cultural roots - not just to remember, but to understand where we come from."
Title: ခေ (Eras)
Piano: Austin B.Chen
Video: ZanLatt
Venue: Maw Yon Cafe
"As a young artist, I’ve always believed in looking back at our cultural roots - not just to remember, but to understand where we come from."
August 31, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Adding to this thread, a video from the Mon dancer Bobby One and Only.
Title: ခေ (Eras)
Piano: Austin B.Chen
Video: ZanLatt
Venue: Maw Yon Cafe
"As a young artist, I’ve always believed in looking back at our cultural roots - not just to remember, but to understand where we come from."
Title: ခေ (Eras)
Piano: Austin B.Chen
Video: ZanLatt
Venue: Maw Yon Cafe
"As a young artist, I’ve always believed in looking back at our cultural roots - not just to remember, but to understand where we come from."
SHRF's analysis of social media posts from rare earth mining workers in NDAA territory identified in-situ leaching methods similar to those used in Myanmar's Kachin State, where harmful environmental & health impacts have been increasingly documented.
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
August 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
SHRF's analysis of social media posts from rare earth mining workers in NDAA territory identified in-situ leaching methods similar to those used in Myanmar's Kachin State, where harmful environmental & health impacts have been increasingly documented.
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
All 19 rare earth mines identified in the report are in Shan State's Special Region 4, which is controlled by the NDAA, a ceasefire group. SHRF noted that other kinds of mining in the territory, including for manganese, are also contributing to water contamination
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
August 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
All 19 rare earth mines identified in the report are in Shan State's Special Region 4, which is controlled by the NDAA, a ceasefire group. SHRF noted that other kinds of mining in the territory, including for manganese, are also contributing to water contamination
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
Using satellite imagery analysis, SHRF identified 19 new rare earth mining sites in NDAA territory since 2021. It found that most of the sites are located around 4 KM from the China border, where leaching chemicals would drain into a Mekong River trubutary.
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
August 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Using satellite imagery analysis, SHRF identified 19 new rare earth mining sites in NDAA territory since 2021. It found that most of the sites are located around 4 KM from the China border, where leaching chemicals would drain into a Mekong River trubutary.
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
shanhumanrights.org/satellite-im...
With support from Myanmar Witness, we found that Ting Ying, his children, Lagwi Bawm Lang & his wife have been traveling & developing their networks since losing Pangwa to the KIA, while Ting Ying's son has posted from what appears to be a jungle training camp.
pulitzercenter.org/stories/back...
pulitzercenter.org/stories/back...
August 19, 2025 at 7:41 PM
With support from Myanmar Witness, we found that Ting Ying, his children, Lagwi Bawm Lang & his wife have been traveling & developing their networks since losing Pangwa to the KIA, while Ting Ying's son has posted from what appears to be a jungle training camp.
pulitzercenter.org/stories/back...
pulitzercenter.org/stories/back...
It's been a while since I posted a dance video from Myanmar, where the hip-hop scene has managed to endure despite the war and post-coup crisis.
Here's a clip taken somewhere on the Kachin-Yunnan border (downloaded from Facebook)
Here's a clip taken somewhere on the Kachin-Yunnan border (downloaded from Facebook)
August 18, 2025 at 12:06 PM
It's been a while since I posted a dance video from Myanmar, where the hip-hop scene has managed to endure despite the war and post-coup crisis.
Here's a clip taken somewhere on the Kachin-Yunnan border (downloaded from Facebook)
Here's a clip taken somewhere on the Kachin-Yunnan border (downloaded from Facebook)
This article was translated by ACDD with support from the Pulitzer Center. It looks into the role of Big Tech companies in enabling Myanmar-based cyberscams, as well as the human trafficking and forced labor on which they rely. Read part 2 here (2/5):
www.facebook.com/share/p/19H7...
www.facebook.com/share/p/19H7...
May 18, 2025 at 12:17 PM
This article was translated by ACDD with support from the Pulitzer Center. It looks into the role of Big Tech companies in enabling Myanmar-based cyberscams, as well as the human trafficking and forced labor on which they rely. Read part 2 here (2/5):
www.facebook.com/share/p/19H7...
www.facebook.com/share/p/19H7...
The article I co-wrote with Peter Guest for MIT Technology Review, "Inside a romance scam compound -- and how people get tricked into being there," is now available in Burmese on the Facebook page Action Committee for Democracy Development. Read part 1 here (1/5):
www.facebook.com/share/p/16F8...
www.facebook.com/share/p/16F8...
May 18, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The article I co-wrote with Peter Guest for MIT Technology Review, "Inside a romance scam compound -- and how people get tricked into being there," is now available in Burmese on the Facebook page Action Committee for Democracy Development. Read part 1 here (1/5):
www.facebook.com/share/p/16F8...
www.facebook.com/share/p/16F8...
Picking up my former X thread on music in Myanmar, here is a teaser for a new song by Young G, a Kachin rapper now serving in the Kachin Independence Army.
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
April 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Picking up my former X thread on music in Myanmar, here is a teaser for a new song by Young G, a Kachin rapper now serving in the Kachin Independence Army.
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
www.facebook.com/watch/?mibex...
More art by JC, an illustrator from Myanmar, in a piece by @hpanjabrang.bsky.social & me for @thedialmag.bsky.social about a member of Myanmar's Spring Revolution serving in the Gorkha Force of the Kachin Independence Army: www.thedial.world/articles/new...
April 17, 2025 at 5:10 PM
More art by JC, an illustrator from Myanmar, in a piece by @hpanjabrang.bsky.social & me for @thedialmag.bsky.social about a member of Myanmar's Spring Revolution serving in the Gorkha Force of the Kachin Independence Army: www.thedial.world/articles/new...
Please check out the beautiful illustrations from JC, an illustrator from Myanmar, in my latest piece for @thedialmag.bsky.social, co-written with @hpanjabrang.bsky.social (1/2)
www.thedial.world/articles/new...
www.thedial.world/articles/new...
April 17, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Please check out the beautiful illustrations from JC, an illustrator from Myanmar, in my latest piece for @thedialmag.bsky.social, co-written with @hpanjabrang.bsky.social (1/2)
www.thedial.world/articles/new...
www.thedial.world/articles/new...
Ending this thread w/ a speech from Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the National Unity Govt of Myanmar:
"I...want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that all aid given...truly reaches those in genuine need."
"Come to us anytime—our doors are always open."
www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...
"I...want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that all aid given...truly reaches those in genuine need."
"Come to us anytime—our doors are always open."
www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...
March 29, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Ending this thread w/ a speech from Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the National Unity Govt of Myanmar:
"I...want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that all aid given...truly reaches those in genuine need."
"Come to us anytime—our doors are always open."
www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...
"I...want to emphasize the importance of ensuring that all aid given...truly reaches those in genuine need."
"Come to us anytime—our doors are always open."
www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...
Then, as the military junta appeals for international aid in response to the earthquake, local media report that it continues to drop bombs on its own people:
www.facebook.com/share/p/161e...
eng.mizzima.com/2025/03/28/2...
www.facebook.com/share/p/161e...
eng.mizzima.com/2025/03/28/2...
March 29, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Then, as the military junta appeals for international aid in response to the earthquake, local media report that it continues to drop bombs on its own people:
www.facebook.com/share/p/161e...
eng.mizzima.com/2025/03/28/2...
www.facebook.com/share/p/161e...
eng.mizzima.com/2025/03/28/2...
4 years on, Myanmar's Spring Revolution continues not only by armed struggle, but also with acts of civil disobedience, nonviolent demonstration, political mobilization, resistance governance, and art. Illustration by Atun.
February 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
4 years on, Myanmar's Spring Revolution continues not only by armed struggle, but also with acts of civil disobedience, nonviolent demonstration, political mobilization, resistance governance, and art. Illustration by Atun.
Despite the risks, education has continued outside of the junta system, often clandestinely & without internet. Many educators are former government teachers who went on strike after the coup & are now volunteering in grassroots public administrations.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature...
January 31, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Despite the risks, education has continued outside of the junta system, often clandestinely & without internet. Many educators are former government teachers who went on strike after the coup & are now volunteering in grassroots public administrations.
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature...
www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature...
I've written 8 articles on challenges to quality education access for students from Burma (Myanmar), both before & after the coup. Here are some key takeaways:
January 31, 2025 at 12:31 AM
I've written 8 articles on challenges to quality education access for students from Burma (Myanmar), both before & after the coup. Here are some key takeaways:
In 2024, USAID ended the Lincoln Scholarship & introduced the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship Program, which sought to "empower Burma's future leaders." Unlike the Lincoln scholarship, students were sent to schools in SE Asia rather than the US. The DISP site is now down.
January 31, 2025 at 12:30 AM
In 2024, USAID ended the Lincoln Scholarship & introduced the Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship Program, which sought to "empower Burma's future leaders." Unlike the Lincoln scholarship, students were sent to schools in SE Asia rather than the US. The DISP site is now down.
In 2019, USAID launched the Lincoln Scholarship, enabling 95 "emerging Burmese leaders" each year to pursue a master's in the US. According to the program's workplan, its goals included to help promote self-reliance & democratic governance in the countryhttps://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00W9SM.pdf
January 31, 2025 at 12:29 AM
In 2019, USAID launched the Lincoln Scholarship, enabling 95 "emerging Burmese leaders" each year to pursue a master's in the US. According to the program's workplan, its goals included to help promote self-reliance & democratic governance in the countryhttps://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00W9SM.pdf
Disheartening to see @DOGE cancel funding for scholarships to students from Burma, cutting off another pathway for those already facing massive hurdles to safe & quality education, especially since the 2021 military coup.
In light of this news, I've prepared a thread.
In light of this news, I've prepared a thread.
January 31, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Disheartening to see @DOGE cancel funding for scholarships to students from Burma, cutting off another pathway for those already facing massive hurdles to safe & quality education, especially since the 2021 military coup.
In light of this news, I've prepared a thread.
In light of this news, I've prepared a thread.
The translated versions of my articles with @hpanjabrang.bsky.social, Jaw Tu Hkawng & Jauman Naw on the Kachin Independence Army's takeover of Myanmar's main rare earth mining region from a military-aligned border guard force & militia are now online! Links in this thread:
January 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The translated versions of my articles with @hpanjabrang.bsky.social, Jaw Tu Hkawng & Jauman Naw on the Kachin Independence Army's takeover of Myanmar's main rare earth mining region from a military-aligned border guard force & militia are now online! Links in this thread:
Big victory for anti-junta forces on Myanmar's Western front with the recent capture of Mindat, in southern Chin State, as well as neighboring Kanpetlet. Both townships have endured mass displacement and a heavy humanitarian cost since fighting broke out in 2021. Photos via Zalen media (1/3)
December 22, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Big victory for anti-junta forces on Myanmar's Western front with the recent capture of Mindat, in southern Chin State, as well as neighboring Kanpetlet. Both townships have endured mass displacement and a heavy humanitarian cost since fighting broke out in 2021. Photos via Zalen media (1/3)
Civil war and business in Kachin State, Myanmar
Acrylic on canvas
By Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
Acrylic on canvas
By Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
December 13, 2024 at 10:21 AM
Civil war and business in Kachin State, Myanmar
Acrylic on canvas
By Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
Acrylic on canvas
By Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
Title: Myanmar
Artist: Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
Artist: Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
December 12, 2024 at 5:59 AM
Title: Myanmar
Artist: Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar
Artist: Black Art, an anonymous artist from Myanmar