When a nation is attacked from the outside, military conscription is controversial but comprehensible.
When a regime forces its own people to fight, kill, and terrorize their fellow citizens — the same communities the regime is already brutalizing — that is not defense; it is state-engineered betrayal.

This is the strategy of the Burmese military junta.

Legal Cover for Forced Complicity

Article 21A of Burma’s People’s Military Service Law (2010) — enforced beginning February 10, 2024 — permits the junta to mobilize civilians when a “state of emergency” is declared. The junta itself created that state of emergency through an illegal coup.

South Korea — once considered a beacon of religious freedom in Asia — is now dragging pastors into prison cells, raiding churches, and waging what observers call an ideological purge disguised as prosecution.

This is not “policy disagreement.” This is state power hammering the church.

Pastors in Prison Without Conviction

Multiple reports confirm that Christian leaders — including elderly clergy — are being detained for weeks in cramped detention cells without trial or conviction, in blatant violation of due process.
One 82-year-old Christian leader has been confined in a 70-square-foot cell for more than a month while still legally presumed innocent.

“Christian leaders detained without conviction in South Korea” — Washington Times, Oct. 22, 2025

Another detained leader — Rev. Son Hyun-bo, a former South Korean Special Forces soldier turned pastor — was imprisoned after publicly criticizing the government, an unmistakable act of political retaliation.

Drug cartels are no longer only sending crews across oceans in low-profile vessels. They are moving into unmanned, satellite-linked, and AI-assisted maritime logistics — a leap that threatens to outpace current interdiction doctrine and surveillance laws worldwide.

I. A Technological Breakout

In July 2025, the Colombian Navy seized the world’s first documented uncrewed “narco-sub” fitted with Starlink satellite internet, allowing remote control over long range with no crew onboard. Officials estimated it was capable of carrying up to 1.5 metric tons of cocaine and traveling hundreds of miles semi-submerged.

This was not merely another drug boat — it was a proof-of-concept that cartels are industrializing autonomy.

A prior case in November 2024 near India’s Andaman & Nicobar waters revealed a similar pattern: traffickers steering remotely via Starlink, transporting illicit cargo without a human pilot.

In a world marked by rapid shifts and deepening crises, PowerMentor Global Watch provides a weekly glimpse into pressing developments across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. From armed conflicts and humanitarian emergencies to natural disasters and political turmoil, this brief delivers clear, reliable insights to help you stay informed, advocate strategically, and respond with purpose.

In a world grappling with growing instability, this week’s briefing highlights evolving threats and humanitarian concerns—from strategic military escalations and terrorism to economic sabotage and severe infrastructure disruption.

In a candid audio conversation recorded in southeast Minneapolis near the University of Minnesota, one witness (here referred to as Speaker 1) offered a sweeping account of how public-benefit fraud, large cash outflows, refugee trauma and institutional distrust are colliding in one of America’s emerging immigrant hubs. The witness claims:

“The largest single funder of Al-Shabaab… are the Minnesota taxpayers.”

Whether this precise claim is verifiable is beyond the scope of this piece, but the statement demands attention because of the gravity of what it says: that U.S. government funds, filtered through fraud and migration-related financial flows, are reaching extremist actors abroad. The witness continues:

“Hundreds of millions of dollars in Feeding Our Future, hundreds of millions of dollars in daycare fraud… millions of dollars per month in cash are sent out to Minneapolis airport. Legally, I’ve got a hundred thousand dollars in cash, I’m putting on this plane and going with me.”

This piece explores that testimony in three parts: (A) the mechanics of alleged fraud and flight capital in Minnesota, (B) the mechanics of remittance pathways and terrorism-finance vulnerability, and (C) the human and community context within which such flows are alleged to occur. It concludes with reflections on oversight failures and what might be done.

A Promise Betrayed

When the United Nations (U.N.) was founded in 1945, it stood as humanity’s greatest hope — a moral compass meant to safeguard peace, protect human rights, and prevent the horrors of war from ever repeating. The world entrusted it with the responsibility to act with courage, integrity, and unity.

Yet after nearly eight decades, that noble vision has collapsed under the weight of corruption, hypocrisy, and political paralysis. The U.N. has drifted from being the protector of the oppressed to the bureaucratic enabler of tyrants.

From genocide and sexual exploitation to aid corruption and selective justice, its failures have not only destroyed trust but cost millions of lives.

Meanwhile, strong leadership — exemplified by results-driven diplomacy under President Trump — has achieved more through decisive action than the U.N. has accomplished through decades of debate and empty resolutions.

1. Structural Paralysis: The Fatal Flaw at the Core

The rot begins with the U.N. Security Council veto, a mechanism that paralyzes global action. The five permanent members — the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China — each hold absolute power to block resolutions.

Despite high-profile crackdowns early in 2025, Myanmar’s network of scam compounds — often dubbed “fraud factories” or “scam cities” — is not only still operating, but expanding. Empowered by satellite internet, local armed groups, and complicity within fractured governance zones, these criminal hubs pose intensifying transnational threats.

Rise, Fall, and Rebirth: The Crackdown That Didn’t Stick

In February 2025, Thai and Myanmar authorities, pressured by public and diplomatic outcry, launched a crackdown against these online fraud hubs. Efforts included cutting off power, fuel, and internet access to border towns like Myawaddy and Tachilek, and repatriating thousands of foreign nationals held in the compounds.

Yet, the gains appear fleeting. Within months, new construction emerged, security fortifications were rebuilt, and operations resumed — often under more resilient architectures. Satellite imagery and drone footage reveal rapid expansion in facilities and infrastructure across the border region.

Where once these compounds relied on terrestrial ISPs and local power lines (sometimes via Thai cross-border links), many now deploy Starlink satellite internet — enabling connectivity even when traditional services are cut. Investigations show roofs festooned with Starlink dishes; in the case of KK Park, dozens of dishes have been counted on a single building.

For the first time in living memory, the guns have gone quiet in Gaza. Hostages held for over two years have just walked free. And for perhaps the first time in millennia, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have signed what may resemble more than a mere ceasefire.

Before proceeding, one must grasp how significant—and how difficult—this moment is. This is not like any conflict in recent history.

1. A Conflict Rooted in Deep Time, Not Just the 20th Century

• The conflict did not begin in 1948, or with the British Mandate, or even upon Israel’s founding. Its deepest roots are in the ancient contest for the land of Canaan, where Israel and the Philistines battled over Gaza.

• Gaza is recorded in the Bible as one of the five cities of the Philistines.

• Samson—a legendary Israelite judge—was betrayed, captured, blinded, and paraded through Gaza. In one of his final acts, he destroyed the temple of the Philistines, falling as many lives fell with him.

• Gaza has witnessed successive conquerors: Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, the British, and more. Yet the rivalry between “the children of Israel” and “those who dwell by the sea” has endured across ages.

The Karen people, known also as Kayin or Kawthoolese, stand among the most ancient and resilient peoples of Southeast Asia. Their story stretches across millennia — a tapestry woven from linguistic heritage, DNA evidence, and sacred oral traditions that recall migrations from the lands of flowing sands in the north to the lush highlands of Burma and Thailand. The Karen narrative carries echoes of divine promise, sacred memory, and ancestral endurance.

This article honors that journey — grounding it in scientific understanding while celebrating oral truths passed down through centuries.

1. The Ancient Landscape: The First Footprints of the Karen

Long before recorded history, Southeast Asia was a crossroads of migration and cultural exchange. Ancient DNA studies show that for more than 5,000 years

The human brain is constantly evolving—reshaping itself in response to experiences, environment, and internal change. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers began observing a new form of neurological adaptation. Studies show that the combined effects of infection, isolation, stress, and disrupted routines have altered both brain structure and function. This phenomenon, often described as “pandemic brain,” reflects not only temporary brain fog but potentially lasting biological and cognitive shifts.

Structural Changes in the Brain

Scientific investigations using MRI imaging and longitudinal studies have revealed measurable changes in the brain among those who contracted COVID-19 and even some who did not.

In the shadows of Africa’s eastern coast, a brutal campaign of terror is intensifying. Over 30 Christians have recently been beheaded, homes and churches torched, and countless civilians forced to flee their ancestral lands. This is not a localized conflict — it is a war on humanity, carried out under the banner of an ISIS-affiliated group in Mozambique’s once-peaceful hinterlands.

The New Wave of Violence: Beheadings, Shootings, and Arson

In late September 2025, the Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) published a chilling 20-image set showing militants executing civilians by beheading and close-range gunfire, while others were shown burning homes and churches. MEMRI+1
Among the attacks the group claimed:

• Two Christians beheaded in Chiure-Velho, Chiure District

• A Christian shot dead in Nacocha village, and two churches burned

• Raids on Nacussa, Nakioto, Minhanha villages, involving burning dozens of homes and churches

• In Macomia town, four Christians were killed; in nearby districts, more beheadings were reported

At least 7,087 Christians were killed in the first 220 days of 2025 in Nigeria—an average of roughly 32–35 per day—according to the Nigerian rights group Intersociety (International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law). Multiple independent outlets summarized that report and its methodology in mid-August 2025, noting an additional ~7,800 kidnappings in the same period.

Who is doing the killing

The perpetrators identified most consistently are Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalized Fulani extremist militias (often blended with criminal “bandit” networks). This aligns with years of documentation by Open Doors, USCIRF, and conflict researchers.

Marijuana today is not the same as what your parents or grandparents may have seen. We are in the era of “superweed”—concentrates hitting 70–95% THC, far stronger than the 3–5% levels of the 1990s. These new products—dabs, wax, shatter, oils, vapes—are so powerful they change the way the drug works in your brain and body.

What 90% THC Really Does

• Psychosis and Schizophrenia: High THC use is strongly linked with paranoia, hallucinations, and even full-blown psychotic disorders. Studies show that daily or high-potency use multiplies your risk of schizophrenia.

• Addiction: The more THC you use, the faster you build tolerance and dependency. Stopping becomes harder. Withdrawal symptoms—anxiety, cravings, mood swings, and insomnia—can last for weeks.

• Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS): Many heavy users are ending up in ERs with severe vomiting that only stops when marijuana use stops. This is not rare anymore—it’s exploding across the country.

• Emergency Room Visits: Young adults (15–24) are flooding ERs after dabbing or vaping concentrates. The dose hits too fast, and the brain simply cannot handle it.

• Permanent Brain Impact: Adolescent and young adult brains are still developing—using high-THC products can rewire your memory, focus, and motivation permanently.

The Human Cost of Exploitation

In Phetchaburi Province, Thailand, Cal-Comp Electronics—a key supplier in the global electronics industry—abruptly terminated more than 1,400 Burma migrant workers without warning. Workers were confined inside the factory, threatened with arrest, and coerced into signing termination papers. Compensation was a meager 10,000 baht (USD 308), far below what Thai labor law prescribes.

The Factory & Its Global Footprint

Cal-Comp is not a small local factory. It manufactures printers, external hard drives, and electronic components for global corporations. Past investigations revealed it had to reimburse more than 10,000 Burmese migrant workers for illegal recruitment fees, one of the largest such settlements in global supply chain history.

Brands sourcing from Cal-Comp include HP Inc., Konica Minolta, and Hitachi. Their reputations are now on the line, as this latest scandal exposes systemic worker abuse under their supply chain contracts.

For ethnic Burmese (Burman) and non-Burman communities alike, this policy shift provides a possible opening — but only if advocacy ensures accountability, equity, and protection. Below are key advocacy imperatives:

1. Universal inclusion and non-discrimination

Permits must not be restricted only to majority Burmese or certain camps. Policies should explicitly safeguard inclusion of ethnic minorities (Karen, Kachin, Chin, Shan, Rohingya, etc.). The application process must be linguistically accessible and culturally sensitive.

The Burmese military thrives on corruption, division, and intimidation. For decades, it has twisted the future of Burma (Myanmar) to serve its generals, enriching itself while entire ethnic communities suffer under war, displacement, and exploitation.

The Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) once stood as pillars of Karen strength and identity. Yet today, divisions and political maneuvering threaten to erode that legacy. Meanwhile, the Kawthoolei Army (KTLA) has emerged with clear resolve: it refuses to bend to corruption and refuses to be used as pawns by the Burmese junta.

Why the Burmese Military Wins When Karen Forces Are Divided

In September 2025, Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing went to Russia. He came back with two big agreements:

1. A nuclear power roadmap with Rosatom.

2. A space cooperation deal with Roscosmos.

The junta says these are for “peaceful use,” but history shows that projects like this often have hidden dangers, especially for ethnic communities.

What Happened

• Nuclear Deal: Russia will help Myanmar build a small nuclear reactor (about 110 MW), with plans running through 2026.

• Space Deal: Russia will train Myanmar officials in satellites, navigation, and Earth observation.

• New Space Agency: In July 2025, the junta set up a Myanmar Space Agency under Min Aung Hlaing’s direct control.

• No Safety Pause: Even after a March 2025 earthquake, Russia promised to push forward with the nuclear plan.

The United States has just confirmed the deployment of MQ-9 Reaper drones to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. This marks a significant shift in the military balance on the Korean Peninsula and across the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Why this matters

The MQ-9 Reaper is more than just a drone. It is a high-end surveillance and strike platform, capable of monitoring vast areas for extended periods of time. Its deployment signals that the U.S. is taking North Korea’s missile program, China’s regional aggression, and shifting South Korean politics very seriously.

By basing a dedicated MQ-9 squadron in South Korea, Washington is making a clear statement:

• America intends to maintain a strong footprint in East Asia.

• The alliance with South Korea remains vital, despite political tensions.

• The U.S. is prepared to watch adversaries closely and respond quickly if provoked.

Thematic Patterns & Risk Drivers

• Proxy Warfare: Many of these conflicts are fueled by external states or actors who seek influence (e.g. Sudan, Yemen, DRC).

• Resource Competition: Natural resources—oil, minerals, waterways—are frequent triggers (DRC, Sudan, Middle East).

• State Fragility & Governance Vacuums: Places with weak institutions (Yemen, Sudan, Myanmar) are more vulnerable to collapse.

• Displacement, Hunger & Humanitarian Crisis: Conflict-driven famine/hunger is rising in multiple theatres (Gaza, Sudan, Yemen) Reuters

• Technology & Warfare Evolution: Drones, missile systems, AI-enabled weapons and cyber warfare are shifting the nature of conflict.

• Spillover & Regional Risk: Conflicts seldom stay contained—refugee flows, cross-border militia operations, arms proliferation ripple outward.

PowerMentor is proud to announce Ywa Hay Hsa Thnay Moo as the recipient of the 2025 Jelly Poe MacBook Air Scholarship Award. This annual scholarship honors the memory of Jelly Poe, whose life embodied resilience, faith, humility, and leadership, and whose story continues to inspire the Karen people worldwide.

Thnay, a dedicated student in San Diego, distinguished himself among applicants with his vision of service, his commitment to the Karen community, and his determination to pursue a career in law enforcement. His goal is to become a police officer in San Diego County, where he hopes to serve with integrity, restore trust, and support families in need—especially within the Karen community.