The Coup Years
September 26 @ 10:00 am - October 11 @ 6:00 pm
Event Background
For over five years now, the people of Myanmar have been fighting to restore democracy following the coup on 1 February 2021, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power to prevent the National League for Democracy (NLD) from forming a government after its landslide victory in the 2020 general election. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other key officials and political activists were arrested.
People’s lasting opposition has come at a heavy price. As of 11 June 2026, 8,093 persons have been confirmed killed by the junta and around 5,000 more killings have been reported, but are still unverified. A total of 31,151 people has been arrested, with 22,122 currently detained and 173 people sentenced to death. 639 children have been arrested and 1077 children killed (AAPP). According to UNHCR report, the number of displaced people in the country and across borders is over 4 million and growing as villagers escape intensified bombing and young people leave the country to escape from forced conscription in the army.
The recently held elections have been rejected by the population as a sham designed to whitewash crimes and entrench authoritarian rule against the will of the people. Symbolic gestures, such as General Min Aung Hlaing claiming to have been elected by his crony parliament as leader of the country and the conversion of prison sentences into house arrest for President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, do not obliterate the fact that the death toll number continues to rise, thousands remain in jail, and the fight for real democracy goes. What is more, no proof of life has been provided for Aung San Suu Kyi, despite calls from her son and the international community.
The global community has broadly condemned the coup, but has largely failed to respond with meaningful and effective action. Increasingly, the Myanmar regime has relied on China and Russia to weather international isolation, while ASEAN has proved unable to mount any concerted response beyond excluding the junta’s top leadership from official meetings, with several member states, notably Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, continuing to invest in the country.
As the debate intensifies among ASEAN member states over the re-admission of Min Aung Hlaing into the regional body following his claimed transition to civilian rule, the photography exhibition The Coup Years, curated by Yit and Ji Ji, and first organised by SEA Junction and displayed on the 5th floor of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), is being toured to Jakarta, home to the ASEAN Secretariat, to inform the Indonesian public and engage with ASEAN representatives on what is actually happening in the country.
Opening on 26 September 2026, “The Coup Years” will be on display at the art space Dia.lo.gue for two weeks. In this adapted version, the pool of photographers has expanded beyond the four original ones Kaung, Loki, Phoenix and Sis Min Naing, and now includes Aung Khant Zaw (AKZ), Yit, Ants Are Always Busy (AAAB), Mar Naw, Tam We, Visual Rebellion, Yar Zar Tun, Mayco Naing and Naphat Kongchan.
The two-week event also consists of a series of dialogues on topics ranging from the situation in Myanmar and the role of ASEAN in conflict management, to building Southeast Asian transnational civil society solidarity and formulating strategies to counter the shrinking civic space and oppose authoritarianism, militarism and impunity. Four movies on post-coup Myanmar are planned namely “Myanmar Diaries,” “Broken Dreams,” “A Long Way Panglong – film by Mon Mon Myat” and “Thabyay: Creative Resistance in Myanmar” by Jeanne Hallacy.
This comprehensive programme has been made possible through partnerships with Dia.lo.gue and leading Jakarta-based organizations working on democracy, human rights, transitional justice and regional solidarity, namely Kurawal Foundation, Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial (Humanis), and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR).
Through art, documentation, and participation, The Coup Years challenges the erasure of memory, confronts injustice, and stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in their fight for democracy. The exhibition is not only meant to be viewed, but also to be remembered and felt, questioning power in relation to justice and human dignity.
For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140
Organizers
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on twitter and Instagram @seajunction.
Dia.lo.gue Artspace is a venue dedicated to art and design located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Name of the gallery in the local Betawi language means “He/She.You.Me”. In addition to the exhibition space the venue also houses a small shop.
Kurawal Foundation is a social justice philanthropy that supports new ideas, initiatives, and endeavours to promote dignified and benevolent democracy in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Their aim is to address democracy without democrats by promoting individuals and agents who consistently believe in, respect, and upholds values and principles of majority rules, minority rights. For more information, see https://www.kurawalfoundation.org/
Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial or Humanis is a Jakarta-based organization that works across the Southeast Asia region. We are committed to building just and sustainable societies where every individual enjoys their fundamental rights and is free from threat of environmental degradation and climate change. For more information, see https://humanis.foundation/
Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) is a non-profit organization, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, whose aim is to contribute to the strengthening of human rights and the alleviation of entrenched impunity in the Asia-Pacific region. Its work focuses on countries involved in transition from a context of mass human rights violations to democracy, where it strives to build cultures based on accountability, justice and a willingness to learn from the root causes of mass human rights violations to help prevent the recurrence of state-sanctioned human rights violations. For more information, see www.asia-ajar.org.
