Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
語言:
English /// 中文
Photo courtesy of Will Yang
New Bloom’s Brian Hioe interviewed freelance journalist Will Yang about his new initiative, Border Eyes, involving reporting on Myanmar.
Brian Hioe: Could you first introduce yourself for readers who don’t know you?
Will Yang: I’m freelance journalist Will Yang. I’ve been a journalist for between 11 and 12 years. My last job was at investigative reporting The Reporter, as a full-time journalist, I was there for around three-and-a-half years. The more significant events I have reported on include the Hong Kong Anti-ELAB Movement, exposing the drug trade in East Asia, human trafficking and fraud in Cambodia, Ugandan students being sent to work factories in Taiwan, national defense in Taiwan, and similar issues. I left The Reporter in May of the last year and again became a freelance journalist, reporting primarily on the civil war in Myanmar and related issues.
Last year, I traveled to Thailand five times, staying one to two months each time. I spent most of the time in Mae Sot, a small city in Thailand. The quickest way to enter Myanmar is through Mae Sot. As such, there are a number of political refugees that have fled from Myanmar, journalists in exile, members of the parallel government, resistance armies, and refugees. That is the place you can report on the frontlines of Myanmar, so after leaving The Reporter, I have primarily moved between Thailand, Myanmar, and Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Will Yang
BH: How did you become involved in journalism regarding Myanmar?
WY: November 2015 was the first time since independence in 1948 that the Myanmar people were able to hold a national election. Having studied international relations, I believed that this would be a historic time for Myanmar. As such, I went to Myanmar to observe and report on the elections. I observed that a nation yearning for democracy as well as the passion of the people. After that, I often would travel to Myanmar or neighboring countries to report on what occurred after a democratic government came to power in Myanmar.
In 2019, after becoming a journalist for The Reporter, I went less often to Myanmar. I believed that Myanmar was on the path to democracy. But I focused primarily on reporting news in Taiwan. But in February 2021, with the violent military coup that occurred, I became to believe that Myanmar had returned to its original path despite having originally been on the path to democracy.
At the time, I had interviewed some people in Myanmar through the internet , but I felt this was not enough. And there was no way to report directly on-site, which troubled me. After leaving my job in 2023, news regarding the civil war in Myanmar was often overshadowed by news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the Israel-Palestine conflict, and it was something that was not widely discussed. As such, I hoped to conduct reporting on the situation in Myanmar through my previous network.
Photo courtesy of Will Yang
BH: How did the idea for Border Eyes come about?
WY: As I described earlier, news about Myanmar has often been neglected internationally, and is not given importance. In Chinese-language news, there is very little reporting. At best, you may have a few short breaking news updates. There are very few long-form news reports.
Because of geopolitics, the Chinese language is quite important to Myanmar or Southeast Asian countries. In Northern Myanmar, there are many for whom Chinese is their mother tongue. As such, I hope to continue to report on Myanmar in Chinese.
Moreover, for China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, where news and freedom of expression is concerned, Taiwan should take up a responsibility regarding the production of Chinese-language news. We should allow this region or Chinese-readers across the world to better understand the development of what occurs in Myanmar.
BH: What do you hope to accomplish with Border Eyes? Do you hope that more Taiwanese are aware of the situation in Myanmar?
WY: The Border Eyes project has several elements. Every month, we will submit a longform report to Chinese (comparatively free media, such as The Paper), Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and other countries. Through publishing on these platforms, we can disseminate news about events in Myanmar. Shortform, breaking news updates each week, will work in coordination with Myanmar media in exile, using translation and media production to report in Chinese, which will appear on the Border Eyes website.
Whether long-form or short-form reports, Border Eyes will cooperate with Myanmar in exile, not only to provide salaries, but to try and reduce the burdens of exile. Through their networks and knowledge, this can also provide for greater knowledge of Myanmar.
Consequently, this project hopes to disseminate news to not only Taiwanese society, but through Weibo, WeChat, and other social media platforms used in China, disseminate accurate news about events in Myanmar.
BH: What are upcoming projects for Border Eyes?
WY: In July, we reported from deep within the forests of Myanmar, staying with resistance arms to produce two eight-minute news clips. Through the lens, we can allow readers to understand the lives of young people after their join the resistance army and enter the forests.
Outside of this, I also am working with The Reporter, and will soon publish longform reports. The report is produced in cooperation a Burmese artist in exile, through working with this artist, this will allow for illustrations in the report, to allow for reporting on what cannot be filmed or photographed.
BH: What do think is currently needed regarding the situation in Myanmar? Is there anything Taiwan can do to help?
WY: The resistance movement against the military junta has already gone on for three years. Although new battle lines were opened up last year, where the overall situation is concerned, the two sides are still deadlocked. But because of this deadlock, this has led the domestic economy to have experience difficulties, which led CNN to report on Burmese selling organs for money to survive.
Because of the harsh repression from the Myanmar military government, as well as that the nation continues to be in a state of emergency, this has led news getting out to be comparatively limited. Journalists cannot enter the country normally, to obtain firsthand news, and this has made it difficult for news to find an audience. Of course, we hope Border Eyes can be a choice for readers in terms of Chinese-language news in terms of both our short-form and long-form reporting.
This is what the outside world can do now is that, apart from understanding more about the situation in Myanmar. If Taiwanese hope to support Myanmar, every Sunday, there is a market in Nanshijiao in New Taipei. The Taiwan Alliance for Myanmar holds a charity sale, to raise money for the resistance in Myanmar, to provide resources for the movement.
Photo courtesy of Will Yang
BH: Is there anything you’d like to say in closing to readers?
WY: Although the war in Myanmar seems quite distant from Taiwan, but within the context of tensions between the US and China, countries in Southeast Asia are also caught between this contest between the two superpowers. Many factories originally in China have since moved to Southeast Asia. Taiwan, then, should make more efforts and plans concerning Southeast Asia than in the past. The New Southbound Policy of the preceding government should continue and expand.
Likewise, taking the example of the Myanmar government, at the time, few Burmese people thought there would be a coup d’etat. Some may have been aware of this possibility, but did not want to confront the possibility of it occurring. When the coup happened, the majority of people were caught unprepared.
That it had not happened yet, does not mean it would not come to happen. I hope that Taiwanese society can prepare for the possibility of a rainy day, to be more careful, pragmatic, and realistic in facing this.