Myanmar’s Secret Railways: Uncovering Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Oppression with Clare Hammond

Zero To Travel Podcast

What hidden stories lie beneath the surface of the places you travel?

Clare Hammond is an award-winning investigative journalist currently working with Global Witness to expose the issues relating to natural resources, conflict, and corruption. In 2016 while working in Myanmar, she discovered an obscure map showing a web of railways that weren’t shown on any publicly available maps. This compelled her to spend three months traveling these mysterious railways to uncover their purpose and the stories surrounding them. Her investigation took five years to complete and form the basis for her book "On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey Through Occupied Myanmar."

In this episode, Clare shares her journey from financial journalism in Hong Kong to uncovering the hidden infrastructure of Myanmar’s illicit economy. She takes us behind the scenes of her investigative work, the ethical dilemmas of reporting from conflict zones, and what she learned from traveling the forgotten railways of Myanmar.

This episode will challenge the way you think about travel, journalism, and the unseen forces that shape the world. Clare’s firsthand accounts of reporting on corruption, conflict, and human resilience reveal the power of storytelling to bring hidden truths to light.

Have you ever traveled somewhere that changed the way you saw the world? What stories did you uncover? I'd love to hear about them, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

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Tune In To Learn:

• Why she chose investigative journalism and how she transitioned from financial reporting to uncovering corruption
• The story behind Myanmar’s secret railway lines and how she discovered them
• The role of forced labor in Myanmar’s infrastructure projects and its lasting impact
• How investigative journalists assess personal risk when reporting on dangerous topics
• Why Myanmar remains a complex and challenging place for travelers today
• The importance of trusted news sources in an era of misinformation
• The resilience of communities living under systemic oppression and what we can learn from them
• The future of investigative journalism
• What keeps Clare motivated in her long-term projects
• And so much more

Resources:

• Join Zero To Travel Premium Passport
• Sign up for our FREE newsletter
• Visit Clare’s website
• Follow Clare on Instagram
• Learn more about Global Witness
• Dustin Main’s This Myanmar Life

Want More?

• Up and Coming Destinations: Myanmar with Dustin Main
• Dark Tourism and the Complexities of Dark Destinations with Professor James Treadwell
• How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel With Paige McClanahan
• Walking the World: A Deeper Exploration of Culture and Community with Chris Arnade

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