TEDx Chiang Mai 2025 ‘Actions for our future’
TEDx Chiang Mai 2025 under the theme “Actions for Our Future,” was held at the University Academic Service Center (UNISERV), Chiang Mai University (CMU), on Saturday. The two-day TEDx event, which concluded Sunday, featured 15 main speakers and 10 short talks, as well as activities like climbing a seven-meter tower, learning through interactive spaces, and workshops led by community groups.
“We want to bring everybody together and learn about what actions we can take to address climate change, to improve sustainability, and to improve resilience,” said Martin Venzky, the lead organizer of TEDx Chiang Mai 2025. Mental health professional and founder of Jue Jue’s Safe Space, Jue Jue Min Thu, talked about her initiative to expand access to mental health care in Burma at TEDx Chiang Mai.
“We need a lot of psychological support. I mean, we can provide humanitarian aid, the food and shelter, [which] are basic needs. At the same time, we also need to bring hope and dignity to the community when we are rebuilding after a natural disaster and ongoing conflict and war,” Jue Jue Min Thu told DVB at TEDx Chiang Mai. Check out our photo essay.
Myanmar embraces solar to tackle power crisis
When Thailand cut power supply to Burma across its western border earlier this year, it intended to curb online scam centres linked to regional networks trafficking hundreds of thousands of people. However, the move also hit the wider community, pushing hospitals and some offices to install solar panels, said Zaw, a rescue worker in Myawaddy Township of Karen State. Homes, too, made the switch.
“Three out of four people now rely on solar panels, with businesses using multiple panels,” said Zaw, who did not want to disclose his full name, fearing retribution. Burma’s electricity supply has deteriorated since the 2021 military coup and ensuing civil war, exposing millions to chronic blackouts, with a cash-strapped military in Naypyidaw hit by Western sanctions unable to maintain power infrastructure.
The World Bank estimated the country’s operating power capacity plunged to 2015 levels in 2024, describing electricity supply in conflict-affected areas as “catastrophic”. Chinese firms have helped fill the gap, supplying cheap solar panels. Light intensity data – a proxy for economic activity and electricity access – analysed by the U.N. revealed an average 8 percent annual decline after the 2021 coup. Read more
Philippines appoints its Special Envoy on Myanmar
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro as the Special Envoy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Chair on Myanmar on Friday, the Philippine News Agency reported.
“We are confident that she shall bring a constructive, principled, and inclusive approach to supporting the people of Myanmar, guided by her mandate and the Five-Point Consensus, as we work together towards peace, stability, and reconciliation,” said Marcos.
President Marcos made the announcement in Manila during an event launching the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN chairmanship on Nov. 14. Lazaro’s appointment is meant to help implement the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus, which aims to resolve the crisis that has gripped Burma since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. Read more
News by Region
ARAKAN—Rohingya residents of Maungdaw District condemned the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) for murdering civilians. The Arakan Army (AA) seized Maungdaw on Dec. 8, which brought the entire 167 mile (270 km) long Burma-Bangladesh border under its control.
A Rohingya resident of Maungdaw told DVB that the armed groups are “using the Rohingya name to raise money from around the world, but haven’t done anything to help the community.” The Rohingya in Maungdaw told DVB that the AA allows them to participate in administrative duties.
TANINTHARYI—Forty-two regime troops were detained by resistance forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) during the seizure of Mawtaung town on Friday, the Karen National Union (KNU) told DVB. Mawtaung is located 217 miles (349 km) north of the region’s capital Dawei.
Padoh Saw Eh Nar, the KNU secretary for Myeik and Dawei districts, told DVB that over 40 regime troops fled across the border into Thailand. Over 2,000 Mawtaung residents fled their homes into Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan Province during airstrikes Nov. 12-14. Read more
YANGON—Thet Thet Khine, the founder and leader of the People’s Pioneer Party (PPP), had her candidacy appeal rejected by the regime Union Election Commission (UEC) on Friday. She was first disqualified to run as a candidate in the regime’s 2026-26 elections by the UEC on Oct. 25.
She addressed the UEC during a PPP campaign event in Hlaingthaya Township. The jewelry magnate reportedly appealed the UEC decision after paying five billion MMK ($1.2 million USD) toward an undisclosed loan she owed to KBZ Bank. A total of 86 candidates were disqualified by the UEC.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,045 MMK)
Watch: Part 2 of the DVB Newsroom interview with Khin Sandar Nyunt on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.
