Policy Brief #12: Non-Taingyintha Identity in Myanmar’s Post-Coup Ethno-Political Landscape
Written by Khin Thinzar, this policy brief examines the persistent problem of ethno-religious exclusion in post-coup Myanmar. It argues that the state’s official “135 national races” (Taingyintha) framework: an enduring legacy of Ne Win–era ethno-nationalism continues to obstruct efforts to build a just and stable federal democracy.
The paper highlights how this exclusionary logic is also being unintentionally reproduced within the pro-democracy movement’s federalism discourse, which prioritizes territorial rights for officially recognized ethnic groups while overlooking non-territorial minorities such as Muslims, Hindus, and Sino-Burmese communities.
This Brief was funded by the International Development Research Centre, which supported much of the Ottawa Dialogue’s Myanmar research and programming. We thank them for this support.