Ah Nyar Studies

Ah Nyar Studies

Ah Nyar Studies is a long-term research initiative committed to advancing scholarly inquiry into Ah Nyar Community, fostering intellectual development, and contributing to a deeper understanding of its historical and socio-cultural dynamics. The project adopts an interdisciplinary approach with three primary research dimensions:

1. Anthropology – This strand critically examines the cultural practices, social structures, and epistemologies of the Ah Nyar people, analysing how traditions, belief systems, and everyday interactions shape community identity and cohesion.
2. History – This dimension undertakes a rigorous historical analysis of the Ah Nyar Community, tracing its origins, migratory patterns, socio-political transformations, and engagements with external forces, including colonial and post-colonial influences.
3. Politics – This research area explores the political structures, governance mechanisms, and collective agency of the Ah Nyar people, political participation, and representation within local and national contexts.

Photo: Mai A Naing‘s Facebook

Central Burma Watch

Research and Political Analysis

The Central Burma Watch (CBW) is an innovation to co-create a structured monitoring and research mechanism by three independent groups led by local researchers and analysts. The local groups have a deep and widespread presence across Ah Nyar and are largely involved in the current socio-political landscape. CBW is designed as a locally led initiative that combines field and desk research with evidence-based advocacy to strengthen local governance, ensure civilian protection, and promote accountability. It aims to serve as a robust mechanism for tracking, analysing, and addressing critical issues in Ah Nyar. The project focuses on areas experiencing conflict, governance challenges, and displacement, leveraging local knowledge and expertise to document violations of international laws, strengthen governance frameworks, and enhance civilian protection and accountability.

Civic Space and Youth Empowerment

Civic Space and Youth Empowerment

CSYE programme provides a space for young people from conflict-affected communities to foster active citizenship and support post-conflict reconstruction. It aims to create an enabling environment for civic participation and youth empowerment.

Crisis Response

Crisis Response

Crisis Response is a key component of our emergency response portfolio, developed to address urgent needs following the 2021 military coup. It includes direct cash transfers, emergency healthcare, and other vital humanitarian initiatives.

Early Warning and Emergency Response

Crisis Response

EWER is a community-based initiative aimed at enhancing civilian protection in conflict zones. CAS has established a community-based Early Warning and Response System (EWRS), designed in collaboration with local community groups to strengthen local capacities for emergency preparedness and response.

Human Rights Clinic

Human Rights and Transitional Justice

HRC is an innovative initiative dedicated to advancing justice, accountability, and human rights protection in Burma. In a context where impunity prevails, HRC plays a crucial role in documenting human rights violations, equipping communities with knowledge and skills, and advancing transitional justice through community-driven initiatives.
HRC serves as both a learning space and an action-oriented platform, engaging academic, grassroots leaders, and civil society actors in evidence-based advocacy, capacity building, and community-based justice efforts. The project integrates documentation, education, and grassroots TJ approaches to ensure that affected communities actively contribute to shaping their own justice processes.
Project Framework
HRC operates through a dual-pillar framework, with grassroots transitional justice initiatives as our core priority and formal justice mechanisms as a complementary effort, particularly at the international level. The first pillar focuses on empowering local communities to document human rights violations, preserve historical memory, and lead survivor-centred truth-seeking and justice initiatives. The second pillar ensures that these community-driven efforts inform and complement formal justice mechanisms, bridging local realities with national and international accountability processes.
Pillar 1: Strengthening Grassroots Transitional Justice Initiatives
HRC works directly with communities to develop and implement grassroots TJ mechanisms that promote truth, accountability, and reconciliation. The project equips grassroots actors with the skills and knowledge to document abuses, advocate for justice, and support survivors through psychosocial care and community dialogue. These initiatives serve as the foundation for long-term justice and historical memory preservation in Burma.
Pillar 2: Complementing Formal Justice Mechanisms Locally and Internationally
HRC ensures that community-driven efforts are integrated into broader national and international justice processes. By supporting legal research, human rights documentation, and strategic advocacy, HRC strengthens pathways to accountability. The project builds bridges between grassroots actors, national legal efforts, and international human rights mechanisms, amplifying local voices and ensuring that evidence contributes to formal justice initiatives.
Key Activities
1. Human Rights Documentation and Investigation
2. Civil and political rights education
3. Human Rights practicum for students and fresh graduates
4. Capacity Building for Community Leaders
5. Research and Publications
6. Advocacy and Networking
7. Psychosocial Support for Survivors
8. Community Tea Circle

Photo: Lwan Thu‘s Facebook