Suzanne and Ruth are joined by Leo, an activist focused on digital psychological warfare operations in Myanmar. Leo and his team use social media to contact soldiers in the Tatmadaw, sending them messages, memes, and other media with the aim of subtly influencing them. The ultimate purpose of these operations is to change the soldiers' behaviour: to bring about defection, desertion or to demoralise them to the degree that they can no longer contribute to the military's fight. Here Leo talks about the defection process and the aims of psychological warfare, as well as strategies used, while also touching on the ongoing issue of “experts’ who are out of touch with the situation on the ground and continue to inadvertently aid the military’s own propaganda. He delves into the mindset of both soldiers and senior military generals, exploring motivations for defection, including personal cost, and what tips the balance for those who make the decision to change sides. Leo also encourages the wider diaspora and those with an interest in Myanmar to join the psychological warfare campaign and to stop engaging with bad “experts”, particularly on platforms like twitter. 

[Please note in order to protect both Leo and operations he is involved in on the ground his name has been changed and his voice altered.]

The ah nah: Conversations with Myanmar podcast was born from a desire to bring into public consciousness the atrocities that are currently being committed in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Our goal is simply to keep the conversation going, and to let the people of Myanmar know that they have not been forgotten. You can continue to support the people of Myanmar by keeping this conversation going. You can subscribe to this podcast on all major podcasting apps, including Apple, Spotify and Acast. You can also follow us on all our social media pages, linked below. If you’d like to reach out, please email us or fill out this form to add your voice to the conversation (https://tinyurl.com/3ee7ssm9).

Credits:

Song: Kabar Makyay Bu (Until the End of the World), was written and recorded by Naing Myanmar, it became the revolutionary anthem of the 1988 pro-democracy movement and could be heard once again all over Myanmar during the 2021 Coup. Naing Myanmar maintains that the song is no longer his, since the '88 uprising “it belongs to everyone”.

Graphics: SelinaXin

Sound Effects: https://mixkit.co

*Special thanks to Leo and his team and all those who risk their lives everyday to fight back against a brutal military dictatorship.  We are so grateful to Leo for adding his voice to the conversation. You can find out more about organisations dedicated to helping soldiers defect, People's Soldiers & People’s Embrace, by clicking on the linktree in our biosite: https://bio.site/w3VjcD 

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Thanks for listening, and remember to #KeepTheConversationGoing! Myanmar, we have not forgotten you.

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