Tuesday, October 9

An Eyewitness Account From Sule Paya

David Jimenez is a Spanish reporter who was on the ground at Sule Paya (Pagoda) on the day the military began shooting unarmed (and praying, according to Jimenez) civilians and monks. Click on the title above to see the article in The Star.

RB

Saturday, October 6

Christian Science Monitor

Reports from three monks who have reached Thailand.
Suu Kyi Rejects Deal

The "Burma File" is reporting that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has 'rebuffed' Than Shwe and the ruling junta's offer of talks. A National League of Democracy (NLD) spokesman explained,

"NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the conditions set by Than Shwe for a meeting with Suu Kyi were tantamount to 'asking her to confess to offences that she has not committed.'"

The United States, together with Great Britain and France, has called for the immediate release of detained protestors and other political prisoners (which would include the lady).

The article by three permanent security council members will be presented to the entire security council on Monday. Burma File reports, "The 'statement', which has no inherent power of enforcement, will be presented on Monday to the UN Security Council, where China will be asked this time to withhold its veto and so signal that it also wants democratic change in Burma."

The Karen National Liberation Army has been operating in the Karen (Kayin) state almost since World War 2. Burma File reports regarding the Karen army, "Its political wing, the Karen National Union, offered assistance to the protesters in Rangoon at the height of the demonstrations, but the government’s security forces locked the city down before any practical alliance could be discussed."

The junta has from the beginning followed a policy of "divide and conquer" with the nation's numerous ethnic and tribal peoples. It seems unlikely that any kind of democracy or freedom will be achieved until the various people groups of the country can speak with a united voice.

RB

Wednesday, October 3

UN Employee Detained By Junta

The follow-up to shooting protesters is now the "knock on the door" in the middle of the night. This regime has lost all moral authority to claim it is the proper government of Myanmar:

1. It was not only never elected, regular elections were overthrown ['nullified' is the fancy word they use for what in reality was a bloody coup d'etat] in 1990 when the NLD won an overwhelming majority at the polling booth.

2. The illegitimate "government" of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) is not held responsible by anyone. This arrangement makes the old discarded theory of the "divine right of kings" seem reasonable by comparison.

3. It has shot its own citizens and leading "clergy" (i.e. the Buddhist monks) for the simple crime of disagreeing with government policy and having the audacity to organize and assemble publicly.

4. It has now carried that to the ridiculous extreme of actually rounding up people in the middle of the night and intimidating others by means of loud-speaker trucks driving on the streets through the night.

5. In the midst of all this it is noticeable to many people that the American administration has been soundly condemned by world opinion for bringing democracy and freedom of choice (remember the purple fingers?) to the Iraqi people 'for oil,' while there is barely a whimper from anyone against the Chinese government which -- for oil -- is supporting a brutal and tyrranical bastard government that shoots its own people.

RB