<span style="font-weight: 400;">The “Kachin conflict” at its heart is a political one. Even though the <img class="wp-image-2550 alignright" src="http://asiacentre.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1238820_1135688193117074_3493690549020337119_n.jpg" alt="1238820_1135688193117074_3493690549020337119_n" width="182" height="214" />term “Kachin conflict” invariably leads to it being framed and discussed as an ethnic conflict, obscuring the politics at play. This was the main point made by Dr Karin Dean, our guest speaker, at the second installment of the Asia Centre Seminar series.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: 400;">The seminar navigating the participants through the intricacies of the “Kachin conflict” in Myanmar, because to be Kachin can mean more than one thing- as the term does not represent a particular homogenous ethnic group united towards a particular purpose.</span>

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2548" src="http://asiacentre.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/10394868_1135688579783702_2696966684464241378_n.jpg" alt="10394868_1135688579783702_2696966684464241378_n" width="480" height="292" />

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The seminar attracted an audience of over 50 individual from diverse backgrounds, each with different entry points into the discussion; from members of the Kachin community to students and academics researching on Myanmar and members of the general public who were interested in learning more about Southeast Asia’s new hot topic country. </span>

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2547" src="http://asiacentre.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/8377_1135688779783682_209742658531093273_n.jpg" alt="8377_1135688779783682_209742658531093273_n" width="480" height="322" />

Her presentation was followed by in interactive dialogue session which saw members of the Kachin community sharing their personal perspectives, questions from the audience as well as discussion on some of the contentious issues raised.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2549" src="http://asiacentre.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12742831_1135688383117055_4856394100844368184_n.jpg" alt="12742831_1135688383117055_4856394100844368184_n" width="480" height="239" />

<span style="font-weight: 400;">If the politics of Southeast Asia interests you, do join us for our next session, this weekend - A Political Utopia Called Singapore - Saturday 19th March 2016, 9.30am to 12noon. For more information click </span><a href="http://asiacentre.co.th/event/a-political-utopia-called-singapore/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span>

Images courtesy of Lance Woodruff.