Each month, Su Myat covertly crosses the border from Thailand into Myanmar to report on her conflict-ridden homeland, documenting military airstrikes and illegal scam compounds that have become havens for organized, transnational crime. As the editor of the online news outlet ThanLwinKhet News, Su is part of a community of exiled journalists from Myanmar whose organizations are facing an existential crisis due to former US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze foreign aid.
Trump criticized the US Agency for International Development (USAID), stating, “The horrible USAid, the horrible things that they’re spending money on. It’s got to be kickbacks.” However, in Mae Sot, a western border town in Thailand known for its trading hub and hidden markets for gems, drugs, and human trafficking—home to around 300 exiled journalists from Myanmar—USAID funds are used to support independent journalism. Trump’s decision has plunged editors and reporters into new depths of uncertainty and fear.
Many journalists in exile take significant risks on both sides of the border: documenting atrocities committed by the military junta, which violently seized power in a February 2021 coup, while also living under the constant threat of detention and arrest, as many reside in Thailand without proper documentation. Financial stress and job cuts have now been added to their list of occupational hazards.
“We can say we have nothing now,” Su stated. “As soon as I wake up, I have to think about money.” Operating on a shoestring budget entirely reliant on USAID funding, Su collaborates with a network of journalists in Mae Sot and a small group of citizen journalists inside Myanmar whom she has trained to file reports covertly.
With 20 years of experience, Su, who possesses the necessary documentation to live in Thailand, is now using her own funds to pay her team’s salaries—albeit at 50%—and providing them with a small home and affordable meals. “They don’t have money, they don’t have magic,” she remarked, “But they have decided to help each other, like providing some rice or oil for their daily needs.”
Among his numerous foreign policy decisions, Trump suspended billions of dollars in USAID-backed projects, including over $268 million in support for independent media. A USAID factsheet, accessed by the press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) before being taken offline, revealed that in 2023, the US agency funded training and support for 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets, and supported 279 civil society organizations dedicated to strengthening independent media in more than 30 countries, including Iran, Russia, and Myanmar.
Myanmar’s independent press council estimates that around 200 journalists in exile have faced a “sudden impact” from Trump’s decision. “Some of my colleagues are still reporting, even though they know they won’t receive payment,” said Harry.