Guest contributor
James Shwe
As our struggle against military tyranny enters its fifth year, a dangerous and deceptive narrative has begun to take root in some foreign capitals. It is a story of a failing revolution, of insurmountable setbacks, and of the supposedly inevitable consolidation of power by a ruthless junta.
This fiction, crafted by paid lobbyists in Washington and amplified by a relentless domestic propaganda machine, is not just wrong—it is a betrayal of the millions who have risked everything for a democratic future.
Let us be clear: the challenges we face are immense, multifaceted, and growing. International support is drastically decreasing. Sweden, once a key partner, announced on September 11, that it will phase out all development aid by 2026, a move that follows devastating U.S. aid cuts.
This withdrawal is not just about money; it is a profound blow to Myanmar’s independent media and human rights defenders. The loss of an estimated $2.4 million USD annually for media support is a direct gift to the junta, allowing its disinformation to spread in the ensuing darkness.
We have watched with dismay as the U.S. = a self-proclaimed champion of democracy – quietly rolled back sanctions on military-linked entities, seemingly entertaining shortsighted deals for our nation’s rare earth minerals presented by apathetic, self-serving businesspeople.
This is happening while the U.S. has gone silent, even appearing to have stopped its condemnation of the junta’s horrific bombing of schools.
Meanwhile, there has been no official U.S. criticism of the planned sham elections, no public explanation for the sanction relief, and a deafening silence from both the State Department and Congress on the legality of FARA applications by the junta’s lobbyists, DCI and McKeon Group.
This silence disheartens those of us advocating for democracy in Myanmar as U.S. citizens.
When a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, killing over 4,000 people, U.S. lobbyists immediately seized upon this humanitarian tragedy to pressure the Trump administration for sanctions relief, arguing that earthquake aid justified engaging with the murderous junta.
We see our primary patron of tyranny, China, working to orchestrate a sham election, a cynical ploy to put a civilian façade on a murderous military.
But the war against our revolution is not just external. It is a multi-front assault that seeks to divide us from within and distort our cause from without.
Junta-funded lobbyists have successfully limited the access of non-NGO, grassroots Myanmar diaspora advocates to the halls of power in Washington, ensuring that policymakers hear a sanitized, pro-junta narrative.
At the same time, they push for premature peace negotiations designed to grant the regime legitimacy while it still holds a gun to our head.
We confront the Western-educated children of junta leaders and cronies, who use their stolen wealth and elite connections to whitewash their parents’ crimes from the comfort of their London and New York apartments.
Tragically, we must also contend with our own internal fractures.
In some areas, struggles over leadership and resources have led to damaging divisions, as documented in places like Chin State.
We see the growing pains of a movement trying to forge unity from a history of fragmentation, where some older figures may fear losing relevance in a new federal structure and resist the very reforms necessary for collective victory.
This disunity is exploited and exacerbated by others. Some Rohingya activists, rather than focusing on our common enemy, have petitioned courts in Argentina to target leaders of the Arakan Army (AA)—a key revolutionary force—thereby weakening the broad front against the junta.
Religious advocates at times impose narrow sectarian prerequisites for engagement, failing to grasp that no true freedom, religious or otherwise, can exist until the military is defeated.
Even some well-meaning humanitarian actors inadvertently legitimize the junta by engaging with its mechanisms, allowing our oppressors to weaponize aid.
This is the grim, complex picture our enemies want the world to see. But it is a carefully cropped photograph, deliberately excluding the one force they can neither control nor crush: the unyielding will of the Myanmar people.
For every setback, there is a powerful grassroots counter-surge. On September 20, a large and vocal rally was held in front of the U.N. in New York to demand the continuation of our legitimate representative, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun.
Similar rallies have taken place in every major city with a sizable Myanmar population, from Tokyo to London, Seoul to San Francisco, and more.
In September and recent months, verifiable pro-democracy rallies or diaspora protests related to the credentials issue, U.N. advocacy, or opposition to the junta occurred in the following cities:
- Australia: Melbourne held major rallies, and coordinated protests occurred in other cities as well.
- Canada: Burmese communities in Vancouver and Toronto have staged solidarity events and protests in recent months.
- France: Rallies have been verified in Lyons and Paris.
- Germany: Demonstrations have appeared in Berlin and other cities.
- Japan: Protests were held in Tokyo (notably outside the Myanmar Embassy), Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Hokkaido.
- South Korea: Demonstrations have been organized in Seoul as well as Daegu, Gumi, and Seongnam by local Myanmar communities.
- Netherlands: Events and protests have taken place in Amsterdam.
- United Kingdom: London has seen recurring protests, including a major rally in Parliament Square against the junta and for Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun to have his credentials renewed on September 20.
- United States: Documented rallies in New York City (notably Times Square on coup anniversaries), Washington D.C., San Francisco, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Buffalo, NY.
This list is not exhaustive—smaller solidarity events are also regular in places such as Oslo, Norway, Auckland, New Zealand, and other diaspora centers.
Activists have strategically held these demonstrations near embassies, consulates, or public squares, aligning them with U.N. sessions or international advocacy periods.
Rallies in support of continued U.N. recognition for Kyaw Moe Tun and rejection of junta credentials remain a global feature of the Myanmar diaspora’s advocacy efforts.
In some cities, dedicated groups have held rallies continuously, week after week, since the coup began.
The global diaspora continues its tireless resistance—fundraising, organizing, and mobilizing to educate the world about how they can advocate for our democracy.
While the junta spews lies of “terrorism,” our brave citizen journalists and independent media expose their war crimes daily. Their propaganda has failed where it matters most: at home.
The people of Myanmar know the truth because they live it.
They see it in the junta’s hollowed-out military, which has lost over half the country and suffered more than 30,000 casualties.
They see it in the catastrophic failure of the forced conscription law, which has driven our best and brightest to join the resistance or leave the country.
They see it in the liberated territories, where People’s Administrations under the National Unity Government (NUG) are rising to deliver services, administer justice, and build the foundations of a new federal democracy from the ground up.
Meanwhile the junta launches aerial attacks and applies scorched-earth tactics to prevent the display of more effective governance than theirs.
This is the revolution’s most vital truth. It is not just about tearing down a dictatorship; it is about building a new nation.
Grassroots movements are pushing our own leadership to reform and unite into a credible alternative government.
This is where the world’s help is needed—not to prop up a failing junta, but to support the nascent democratic structures that are our future.
International decision-makers must listen to these authentic voices, not just those who have privileged access or impress with sophistication.
Critically, any assistance must be tied to unity incentives that benefit the resistance as a whole, rather than fueling more division by favoring one group over another.
The ferocious battle for Kyaukphyu, Rakhine State–the strategic port at the heart of China’s economic ambitions–demonstrates our resolve.
Our revolution is not failing; it is a decentralized, resilient “school of fish” that cannot be crushed by a single blow.
It is a nationwide movement supported by a global diaspora that has become our financial lifeline, raising over $156 million USD to sustain the fight when official aid was cut.
The question is no longer if the revolution will succeed, but when. The old, Bamar-dominated, centralized state is dying. A new, inclusive, and federal union is being born in the fires of this struggle.
To those in the international community who are tempted by the junta’s false promises of stability, by the siren call of resources, or by the sophisticated propaganda of its enablers, we issue a final warning: you are betting on a collapsing regime.
To the people of Myanmar, our message is one of unwavering resolve. We have come too far to turn back. Our setbacks are real, but our spirit is unbreakable.
The forces arrayed against us—from Beijing’s billions to Washington’s lobbyists, from internal fractures to external betrayals—cannot extinguish the flame of freedom that burns in our hearts.
Victory may not be easy or quick, but it is inevitable. The Spring Revolution will prevail.
James Shwe is a Myanmar democracy activist in the U.S. and is a member of the advocacy groups Free Myanmar and the Los Angeles Myanmar Movement. He has been trying to organize and motivate the Myanmar diaspora to advocate for democracy in Myanmar.
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