Bryan Dickie

09/18/2023

Come join me at U of T’s Hart House this Friday September 22nd from 7-9 pm for an artist talk and exhibit of my work covering Myanmar’s civil war. Tickets are free and can be obtained through the link below.👇👇👇

https://harthouse.ca/events/documenting-myanmars-revolution-project-presentation-2023

05/12/2023

“Starting at midnight people who arrive at our southern border will be subject to our immigration enforcement authorities under Title 8 of the United States Code. Here is what that means.

If anyone arrives at our southern border after midnight tonight, they will be presumed ineligible for asylum and subject to steeper consequences for unlawful entry including a minimum five-year ban on re-entry and potential criminal prosecution. The transition to Title 8 processing will be swift and immediate. We have surged 24 000 border patrol agents, and officers, thousands of troops, contractors and over 1000 asylum officers and judges to see this through.”

-United States Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

03/30/2023

At midnight on Friday, March 24, 2023, the Canadian government shut down the unofficial border crossing at Roxham Rd in Quebec after the Safe Third Country Agreement had been amended the same day. The Safe Third Country Agreement states that refugee claimants must seek asylum in the first safe country they enter, and the new amendment will mean anyone crossing at Roxham Rd will now be arrested and sent back to the United States. The unofficial border crossing has historically been an entry point for migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Canada. The amendment was made after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his US counterpart Joe Biden met in Ottawa to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries. These photos were taken the day after the crossing had been closed. Every person who crossed the border were informed by the RCMP that they were crossing a border illegally and that they would be arrested and sent back to the United States.



1-A man is escorted into a processing facility run by the RCMP after he crossed the border at Roxham Rd.



2- A mother and daughter are confronted by and RCMP officer at the border and are informed that if they cross they will be arrested and sent back to the United States.



3- An international boundary marker on the Canadian and United States border.



4- The new sign that was erected at midnight on Friday March 24 that now informs the public that it illegal to entre Canada from this point.



5- A family waits on the American side of the border.



6- An RCMP officer uses his cellphone to communicate in Urdu to a family that they will be arrested if they cross the border at Roxham Rd.



7- A family contemplates their next move as they learn that the rules for the border crossing at Roxham Rd have been changed in the past 12 hours.



8- An RCMP officer give a family a final warning that they will be arrested if they cross the border at this installation.



9- A bus run by the RCMP takes a load of people who have just recently crossed the border away from the processing facility.



10- The Canadian/United States border.

03/10/2023

There is no obligation on the part of the House of Commons or any Member of Parliament to authorize the publication of an e-petition or to present an e-petition or a paper petition to the House of Commons. Neither the House of Commons nor any Member of Parliament authorizing the publication of an e-...

11/27/2022

A few weeks back I got interviewed by The Hoser about my book Peoples Defence Force, click on the link below to take a read. Special shout-out to Nick Lachance for bringing this to life and making me sound way better than I actually do.

An interview with photojournalist Bryan Dickie

09/05/2022

A proud member of the NLD, Yar Zar was elated to see his party win three hundred and ninety-six of the four hundred and ninety-eight contested seats in the parliament, the most the NLD had won in history. Ready to leave politics behind, Yar Zar was excited to spend the rest of his life as a happy family man. After the coup took place, Yar Zar’s dreams of a peaceful family life were broken. Now he cries when talking about the wife he divorced to come to the jungle and fight.

Q: What were your dreams for the future as a child?

A: My dream was very simple. I wanted to have a happy family. I never gave a damn about politics but now, due to the situation in the country, I have to be involved in this.

Q: What is your opinion of the NLD?

A: I have been a member of the NLD since 2012.

Q: When the NLD took power in 2015 did you notice any change in your country?

A: When the NLD took over, they started to change the education system because the previous military regime had let it collapse over the past 60 years. So, they started to change the education system from the primary schools. Things like giving students free education, school uniforms and textbooks. There were huge upgrades in public transportation. During the five years of the NLD rule, there were huge developments compared to the era when the power of the military regime was at its peak.

Q: What are your thoughts on Aung San Suu Kyi?

A: She is my maternal role model. She is very nice to talk to since we can talk civilly, even if we disagree with each other’s ideas.

Q: What was your life like before the coup?

A: I was a sailor. Before the election, I worked for the NLD party. I was planning to go on with my life as a sailor after the NLD won the election, but the current situation happened due to the regime.

Q: You said that you divorced your wife for this, can you tell me why?

A: I divorced her for her safety because I was a member of the fundraising team in the PDF. There are many photos of me online. Since they can’t arrest me, they might put my family in danger. So, I divorced her.

Q: How did you feel and what were your first reactions after learning of the coup?

A: I was angry, and I couldn’t believe what happened. I discussed it with other members, and they said that there was nothing we could do for seventy-two hours. After we took to the streets, I joined the protests and marched every single day. I was in every peaceful protest until they killed the first demonstrator in Mandalay.

Q: You mentioned you were arrested. Can you tell me the story?

A: I was working as a medic and was in the ambulance because the police, who were armed, forcefully broke the protest in the LhaTan district. So, we had to go there by ambulance to help those protestors. The first two times were okay, but I got arrested the third time. But I was released after only two days.

Q: What made you decide to join the PDF?

A: It’s very simple. I want to fight against the military regime because those people shouldn’t walk on earth.

Q: What is your biggest fear in life?

A: Dictatorship. It’s not only in Myanmar. Everyone hates dictatorship; everyone loves peace and human rights. Everybody is the same.

Q: What is your life like as a PDF soldier?

A: It’s very difficult. To be honest, I can stay comfortable with my family. After I joined the PDF, there were a lot of changes and I have never experienced training. Also, there were some days that we only received one meal, and I injured myself during the training.

Q: What do you want to do with the rest of your life after this is over?

A: After this, I want to live peacefully with my family.

Q: What would you like to say to the world?

A: I just want to say please help Myanmar. Every PDF soldier wants to fight but there are not enough weapons for us to use in the fight against the military regime. So, I just want to say, please help our country to attain peace and democracy.

09/03/2022

People's Defence Force members show off their revolutionary and political tattoos supporting the late General Aung San and his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi.

09/01/2022

Sit Niang, along with his three brothers, came to the jungle with one goal in mind - topple the military government. The brothers arrived at the camp with the first wave of recruits when it was just a small clearing in the jungle. They helped transform the small outpost into one of the largest PDF training centres in the region and are now lending support and funding to smaller and less experienced PDF camps. Now the brothers are all experienced members of the PDF who are tasked with training the new recruits that constantly flow into the camp seeking military training.

Q: Why are you here?

A: I don’t like the dictatorship.

Q: How long have you been here?

A: Over six months.

Q: How old are you?

A: Twenty one years old.

Q: Experience of the coup and the journey coming here?

A: I was still at work when they took over the country. After two or three days, I participated in the protest with my brother because we are against the coup. It didn’t work, and we couldn’t live peacefully, even in our neighbourhood. Since I can’t live peacefully in my neighbourhood, I decided to come here.

Q: Did you come here alone?

A: I have three brothers and we came here together, and my youngest brother is the security guy in here.

Q: I heard that your mother wanted to come here as well?

A: Yes, she wants to come here, but she is still back at home.

Q: Where are your other two brothers?

A: My two brothers are at other camps.

Q: Is it hard to be separated from your brothers?

A: No, I consider everyone here as my brothers and my family.

Q: What was your life like before the coup?

A: I worked at a cleaning company in their production team.

Q: When the war is over and you don’t need to fight anymore, what would you like to do with the rest of your life?

A: I want to support my mother and care for her more, and I don’t want her to worry about anything.

Q: What would you like to say to the world?

A: I want my country to have peace and I don’t want a dictatorship. Since taking power, the situation has worsened with the military murdering unarmed civilians.

08/31/2022

As a new husband and the eldest of four brothers in a household without a father, Phoe Tae had a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders. When the coup occurred on February 1st, he and his three brothers, along with his ageing mother, all agreed that fighting the new military government was the only conscious thing to do. Phoe Tae’s wife and her family were not as enthusiastic about him leaving to fight a war and felt he should stay home to provide for his new family. He saw freedom in his country as the seed of progress for future generations, so Phoe Tae had to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. Lying to his wife, telling her that he was travelling to his mother, Phoe Tae and his three younger brothers made their way to the secret jungle camps that train civilians into revolutionary soldiers.

Q: As a child, what were your dreams for the future?

A: I used to have a dream of becoming a soldier, but I don’t want to be one anymore. The military harms the country because officers in top tier positions brutalize the people.

Q: What was your life like before the coup?

A: I have my own family and lived peacefully in my village before the coup.

Q: What was your first reaction on February 1st?

A: There were many things happening in my brain. There was no one who liked the dictatorship. Therefore, there are many people who are participating in the protests. Although I didn’t get a chance to participate in any protests, I had this thought in my mind that I have to fight to get freedom for my country, so I joined here.

Q: What was the first thing you did after you heard of the coup?

A: I started researching ethnic organizations that are fighting the dictatorship.

Q: Why did you decide to join the PDF?

A: I want to fight until the end to gain back the freedom we lost. That’s why I joined the PDF.

Q: How did you and your three brothers decide to join the PDF?

A: All of my family members don’t like the dictatorship in our country. So, there was no hesitation. My three brothers are even more eager than me to fight against the military. My mom even wanted to join the PDF as well, I told her she must stay back since she is too old to fight, but she never missed a protest.

Q: Are any of your brothers in the same camp as you?

A: No, they are in different camps for now.

Q: What was your friend’s and family’s reaction to you joining the PDF?

A: My mother is very supportive but there was some hesitation about joining from my wife’s side of the family because they want me to stay with my family and live peacefully. I can’t even contact my wife anymore.

Q: When is the last time that you spoke with them?

A: They don’t even know that I’m here. I don’t remember when the last time was that I was in contact with them. Since they don’t agree with my decision, I had to tell her a lie - I was going back to my mother’s place since she was sick.

Q: So, you don’t know what your relationship with your wife is?

A: No.

Q: What is your biggest fear in life?

A: The biggest fear is living far away from my family and loved ones.

Q: What is life like being a PDF soldier?

A: I am very proud of myself for becoming a PDF soldier. There are many struggles when I joined the PDF and I had to be independent to build my life around the idea of becoming a soldier.

Q: What do you want to do with the rest of your life after victory and the war is over?

A: I want to live peacefully with my family and will try to console my wife to keep our family happy and safe.

Q: Do you have anything you would like to say to the world?

A: I have many things I would like to say, but the only important thing is that I want peace for everyone.

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08/26/2022

Kim grew up in a Christian orphanage in one of Myanmar’s largest cities. His upbringing flavoured his outlook on life to the point that he has dedicated his existence to the service of others. Kim was one of the first civilians to seek military training from the EAOs, when he arrived at the camp it was only a tiny cleaning in a hidden jungle valley. Today it is one of the largest and best-equipped camps in the PDS southern region.

Q: As a child, what were your dreams for the future?

A: I want to volunteer for people who are in need.

Q: What changed in Myanmar after the NLD came to power?

A: I was a foster child and I lived in an orphanage. There were more volunteer aides given to us so, I saw a huge change in the orphanages. Since I travelled to the countryside a lot, I saw changes in transport and access to electricity in rural areas. Opportunities for youth greatly increased after the improvements to our education system allowed students to obtain scholarships in foreign countries.

Q: What do you think about Aug San Suu Kyi?

A: I appreciate the work she does very much, and I see her as a person who can control the country and drive it onto the right path. However, I can’t say the same thing about other parliament members of the NLD.

Q: What was your life like before the coup?

A: As I said earlier, I want to achieve my childhood dream by opening an orphanage and a hospital for the underprivileged. I was pursuing an education online through a foreign university in social services. However, when the coup occurred, my studies ended because most countries cut off diplomatic ties with Myanmar.

Q: Why are you so focused on helping orphanages?

A: I was in their shoes; I know the pain a child can go through. I also care deeply about homeless people and what they must endure.

Q: Did you join the protest after the coup?

A: I was part of the peaceful protest, but I knew that armed fighting would eventually get involved. Later when the defence teams in each district were formed, I participated and formed a defence team in my neighbourhood. I also knew there were some people who reported me and my team. This made me decide to join PDF.

Q: How did you decided to join the PDF?

A: I knew violence was close. Am armed revolution is the only way to fight against a military who refuses to listen to us. The evidence such as the 1988 riots and the 2007 Saffron revolution are there for anyone to see. Because the older generations were informing the police about my actions in the protests, I had a target on my back and thought the best option was to leave the city and join the PDF.

Q: What was your friend’s reaction to you joining the PDF?

A: They are very proud of me for joining PDF. Most of my friends are only sons or daughters in their families so they can’t join here. However, they support me financially and support me in every way that they can.

Q: What is your biggest fear in life?

A: I don’t have many fears, but I hate being restricted. I don’t like having unrealistic boundaries put on my life.

Q: What is life as a PDF soldier like?

A: I realised that peace is very difficult to describe after I joined here. I am very proud of being a PDF soldier because we are taking back what we deserve. I am doing this for the civilian of the country.

Q: What do you want to do after this is all over?

A: I want to continue my previous work, but I have lost so many connections. I have no idea what I can do after this.

Q: What would you say to the world if you could?

A: I want to say that war is a bad thing. If they take away our rights, we must fight. All of us here are here not because we want war. We are here because we want peace. Internationally, they must help us diplomatically and people in the country should support us in any way they can. All of us here want to go back home badly.

08/24/2022

One of the most famous quotes from Sun Tzu’s Art of War states: “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”, which describes asymmetric warfare or guerilla tactics. In a fight between two unequal opponents, the weaker competitor can always level the playing field by applying ideas such as hit and run, surprise ambushes, or boobie traps, which are all forms of guerilla tactics. During Myanmar’s seventy-four years of ongoing warfare, the EAOs fighting the state military have become experts in the craft of asymmetric warfare and regularly punch above their weight. These EAOs are responsible for training the many different PDF groups that have formulated across the country. Recruits who make their way to the secret camps have two options for training. The first is a traditional three-month basic training program and resembles soldier training in most places of the world, including weapons training, orienteering, basic survival etc. The second option is an express two-week course that focuses solely on explosives training. Both programs are rooted in guerilla tactics and train the cadets how to fight a much larger force using fewer men and equipment. The three-month program is mainly used to create uniformed soldiers who operate under a commander from an EAO and fight in rural areas. The cadets that graduate the two-week explosives program are set up to create autonomous splinter cell groups that travel back to the city centres to carry out targeted assassinations. The cadets who return to the cities are known as the Urban Guerillas, who then plan and execute their own operations. The Urban Guerillas don’t fight battles, but rather carry out executions by secretly placing bombs or by simply walking up and shooting their target. Cell phone footage of these assassinations are all over social media, drawing much debate from the citizens of Myanmar. On one hand, citizens don’t like seeing bombs go off or mafia-style assassinations in their cities however, it is acknowledged by the same people that these tactics might just be necessary if they ever want to see a free Myanmar again. Sun Tzu certainly understood this when he wrote: “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”