{"id":9984,"date":"2023-09-20T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=9984"},"modified":"2023-09-25T21:21:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T11:21:27","slug":"the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","title":{"rendered":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a style=\", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: inherit\" href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/tag\/andrew-selth\/\">ANDREW SELTH<\/a><span style=\", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;font-size: 14px\">&nbsp; |&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no doubt that the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and its People\u2019s Defence Force (PDF), together with various other groups, have made considerable progress against the junta. Contrary to the expectations of many observers, the armed resistance has become better organised, better trained and better equipped. It is now able to pose a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irrawaddy.com\/in-person\/interview\/a-decisive-year-in-terms-of-trajectories-in-myanmar.html\">real challenge<\/a>&nbsp;to the junta\u2019s military forces (the Tatmadaw) and police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This has led to some remarkable claims. For example, in 2022, the NUG\u2019s acting president Duwa Lashi La announced that the regime had&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irrawaddy.com\/news\/burma\/nug-we-control-over-half-of-myanmars-territory.html\">lost control<\/a>&nbsp;of at least half the country. More recently, the NUG claimed (without presenting any evidence) that more than 15,000 military and police personnel had \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irrawaddy.com\/news\/burma\/myanmar-military-suffers-spike-in-defections-as-resistance-gains-ground.html\">defected<\/a>\u201d to the opposition. This had reportedly undermined the morale of the security forces and left the junta gravely weakened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Please click here to read the full \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lowyinstitute.org\/the-interpreter\/how-credible-are-casualty-figures-coming-out-myanmar\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.lowyinstitute.org\/the-interpreter\/how-credible-are-casualty-figures-coming-out-myanmar\">How credible are the casualty figures coming out of Myanmar?<\/a>\u201d article published at The Interpreter, written by Griffith Asia Institute Adjunct Professor Andrew Selth.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":9986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[247,1731,1057],"tags":[1672,279,1886,1887,1698,1891,1888,369,1882,1883,1889,1884,1885,1890,959],"class_list":["post-9984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indonesia-and-southeast-asia","category-sdg16","category-security","tag-andrew-selth","tag-burma","tag-casualty-numbers","tag-ethnic-armed-organisations","tag-junta","tag-kachin-independence-army","tag-military-regime","tag-myanmar","tag-myanmar-civil-war","tag-national-unity-government","tag-opposition-movement","tag-peoples-defence-force","tag-special-advisory-council-for-myanmar","tag-statistics","tag-tatmadaw"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Jill Moriarty","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?fit=900%2C500&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\"},\"headline\":\"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":232,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/myanmar-military-2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Andrew Selth\",\"Burma\",\"Casualty numbers\",\"Ethnic armed organisations\",\"Junta\",\"Kachin Independence Army\",\"Military regime\",\"Myanmar\",\"Myanmar civil war\",\"National Unity Government\",\"Opposition movement\",\"People's Defence Force\",\"Special Advisory Council for Myanmar\",\"Statistics\",\"Tatmadaw\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia\",\"SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions\",\"Topic-Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/\",\"name\":\"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/myanmar-military-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00\",\"description\":\"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/myanmar-military-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/myanmar-military-2.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"The public relations war being waged in the international arena is just as important as the war being fought on the ground. (Image: Myanmar Armed Forces Day, 2021, Wikimedia Commons)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Insights\",\"description\":\"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"width\":2930,\"height\":308,\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/griffithasiainstitute\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/GAIGriffith\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/author\\\/gaigriffith-edu-au\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights","description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights","og_description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.","og_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","og_site_name":"Griffith Asia Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","article_published_time":"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg?fit=900%2C500&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Griffith Asia Institute","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_site":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Griffith Asia Institute","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/"},"author":{"name":"Griffith Asia Institute","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a"},"headline":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed","datePublished":"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/"},"wordCount":232,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","keywords":["Andrew Selth","Burma","Casualty numbers","Ethnic armed organisations","Junta","Kachin Independence Army","Military regime","Myanmar","Myanmar civil war","National Unity Government","Opposition movement","People's Defence Force","Special Advisory Council for Myanmar","Statistics","Tatmadaw"],"articleSection":["Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia","SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions","Topic-Security"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/","name":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed | Griffith Asia Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","datePublished":"2023-09-20T05:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-25T11:21:27+00:00","description":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Since the latest civil war began in Myanmar in 2021, elements of the opposition movement have been making increasingly bold claims about its battlefield successes and the problems facing the military regime. Some of these claims need to be treated very carefully.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","width":900,"height":500,"caption":"The public relations war being waged in the international arena is just as important as the war being fought on the ground. (Image: Myanmar Armed Forces Day, 2021, Wikimedia Commons)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-the-truth-myanmar-casualty-statistics-may-be-skewed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The first casualty of war is the truth: Myanmar casualty statistics may be skewed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","name":"Griffith Asia Insights","description":"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","width":2930,"height":308,"caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GAIGriffith"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/author\/gaigriffith-edu-au\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10010,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/myanmar-military-nuclear-ambitions-fact-or-fiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":0},"title":"Myanmar military nuclear ambitions: Fact or fiction?","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"28 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"ANDREW SELTH\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0 A front page\u00a0story\u00a0in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2009 confidently predicted that within five years Myanmar would have its own nuclear weapon and be capable of producing one atom bomb every year thereafter, if all went according to plan. The story, by two respected Myanmar watchers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Myanmar pagodas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9989,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/duelling-battle-networks-the-new-equilibrium\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":1},"title":"Duelling battle networks: The new equilibrium","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"21 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"PETER LAYTON | With digital technology omnipresent, future major wars will most likely pivot around duelling battle networks. These complicated systems represent unique target sets best attacked through using system of system thinking and emerging ideas of cognitive warfare. Particularly given China\u2019s \u201csystems confrontation\u201d focus, attacking battle networks is an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | China and Northeast Asia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | China and Northeast Asia","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/china-and-north-east-asia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark red technological map of the world with luminous dots, global information network on a digital screen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Defence-technology-network.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":989,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/burma-since-the-1988-uprising\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":2},"title":"Burma (Myanmar) since the 1988 uprising: A select bibliography, 2nd Edition","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"26 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"By Andrew Selth, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University PUBLISHED BY: Griffith University ISBN: 9781922216717 PUBLICATION DATE: 2015 Read the digital version of the bibliography A bibliography is never complete. No matter how conscientious the compiler there will always be gaps and scope for additions, particularly to select bibliographies. In this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New book&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New book","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/new-book\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Burma-Bibliography-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7823,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/entering-the-goldilocks-zone-strategic-inertia-and-new-opportunities-in-the-australia-philippines-relationship\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":3},"title":"Entering the Goldilocks Zone? Strategic inertia and new opportunities in the Australia-Philippines relationship","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"31 July 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"In science it is noted that terrestrial planets are situated in the \u2018Goldilocks zone\u2019, that is the habitable or life zone in space where a planet is just the \u2018right distance from a home star so that\u2019s its surface is neither too hot nor too cold.\u2019 The Goldilocks zone in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/AU-PH-goldilocks-zone.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/AU-PH-goldilocks-zone.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/AU-PH-goldilocks-zone.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/AU-PH-goldilocks-zone.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6425,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/the-rise-of-sophisticated-authoritarianism-in-south-east-asia\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":4},"title":"The rise of sophisticated authoritarianism in South East Asia","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"23 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"With a majority of countries in South East Asia currently under autocratic leadership and little history of liberal democracy in the region, Dr Lee Morgenbesser has found that the region\u2019s penchant for authoritarianism is stable and the level of sophistication is increasing \u2013 which is a concern for champions of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region | Indonesia and Southeast Asia","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/indonesia-and-southeast-asia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/09\/EE3WjYlU8AABldT.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10429,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/pacific-outlook-bulletin-10-january\/","url_meta":{"origin":9984,"position":5},"title":"Pacific Outlook Bulletin | 10 January","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"10 January 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 Heine returns as President of RMI Further to last year\u2019s elections the Nitijela convened last week and confirmed Dr Hilda Heine as the tenth President of the Republic of Marshall Islands. This is Heine\u2019s second term in the office, having previously served as President for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Griffith University Pacific Outlook banner - map of the Pacific region over a beach background.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/pacific-outlook-banner-900x500-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/myanmar-military-2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}