On the crowded streets of New Delhi, India, in 1998, with little more than a laptop and access to phone and fax lines, Mizzima was founded by two veterans of Myanmar’s 8-8-88 uprising. It was established with a vision of promoting freedom of expression and inclusiveness in the fight for Myanmar democracy.

As Myanmar citizens struggled under the dictates of military rule, founders Soe Myint and Thin Thin Aung guided Mizzima to become one of the most trusted voices for news and information on Myanmar. Mizzima journalists worked on the front lines to cover seminal events impacting the country, including 2007’s Saffron Revolution, the ensuing year’s landfall of Cyclone Nargis, and the much-maligned general election of 2010.

This perseverance paid dividends when, in early 2012 and following the onset of social and political reforms, Mizzima became the first exile Myanmar media group to publicly register as a Myanmar media entity. It was affirmation of the hard work of so many Mizzima members. And for those in exile, it was also the realization of a dream to one day return home.

As a member of Myanmar’s domestic media scene, Mizzima became one of the top three independent media houses in the country. With a free-to-air TV channel to its credit, Mizzima was, at the close of 2020, a financially solvent company in a country basking in its emerging democracy.

But this all came to a sudden end with the coup of 1 February 2021. Mizzima was stripped of all licenses and its Yangon headquarters raided. All persons affiliated with Mizzima face potential arrest, or worse, because of Mizzima’s persistent dedication to bring people the truth of what is happening in post-coup Myanmar.

Today, Mizzima is again forced to work clandestinely inside Myanmar with the support of exile facilities. Mizzima staff working from abroad, particularly in India and Thailand, rely on the support of host countries and international benefactors to allow them to continue to bring the unfolding stories of Myanmar to the attention of audiences both inside Myanmar and throughout the world.

Partly because of this support, Mizzima is the leading source of news for media consumers in post-coup Myanmar. While our work is not without obstacles and risk, we vow to continue our struggle, whether inside Myanmar or operating externally, in the fight for freedom of expression and the rights of the people of Myanmar. And while we do not know precisely what day we will emerge victorious; we know that it is only a matter of time before Mizzima staff will be reunited in a federal, democratic Myanmar.