Nightlife in Myanmar Amidst Conflict

After midnight, during an ongoing war, a D.J. energized the crowd. “Are you ready to party?” he shouted into the microphone.

The attendees at Pioneer Plus, the most exclusive nightclub in the conflict-ridden nation of Myanmar, were indeed ready. The D.J. had traveled all the way from Croatia for this event. Young women moved rhythmically onstage. The premium Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky was the drink of choice among the affluent crowd. Booking a private table for the evening, complete with hookah, imported fruit, and towers of frosted shot glasses, costs several hundred dollars.

In the restrooms and on the dance floor, guests seized stolen moments between flashes of strobe lights to consume pastel-colored pills. These pills, which flavored their breath with vanilla or grape candy, were concoctions of methamphetamine and caffeine. They were branded by local drug syndicates, providing a long-lasting high.

Over the past five years, Myanmar has plunged into a full-scale civil war, following a coup by the military junta that toppled the elected government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Amidst the chaos, the nation yearns for an escape, a diversion, a lasting sense of euphoria.

A private table at Pioneer Plus, featuring hookah, imported fruits, and frosted shot glasses, costs hundreds to reserve.