Tao’s 2 Cents

As you may well be aware, the military regime of Burma(officially called “Union of Myanmar“) is in the process of crushing a popular democratic uprising led by the country’s Buddhist monks which was initially sparked by an increase in fuel prices and subsequent attack on monks protesting the drastic price increase. The military regime is Orwellianly known as the “State Peace and Development Council”.

In 1960, U(Mr.) Nu, was democratically elected for his third, non-consecutive term, as Prime Minister in a landslide victory. Two years later the head of the military, General Ne Win, led a coup d’etat and seized power. U Nu had been elected several times previously in the few elections the country had held since 1948, when Britain released them from colonial rule. U Nu had given up power before and was continually re-elected as a popular leader. His popularity stemmed from being head of the AFPFL which led the movement for independence from England.

It’s interesting to note that U Nu only became leader of the AFPFL after the assassination of Aung San, the father of Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Unbelievably, Aung San Suu Kyi is not only a Nobel Peace Laureate, but the elected Prime Minister of Burma. Her party, the National Democratic League, won 392 of the 492 parliamentary seats in the 1990 election. The military regime collapsed briefly due to the 1988 popular uprising but seized power again after the 1990 elections and rejected its results. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and has been detained in the country for the 17 years since.

Yesterday, September 27th, Aung San Suu Kyi was transferred from being under house arrest to Insein Prison(pronounced “insane”), infamous for its physical and mental torture of political dissidents. There have been no further reports on her condition and the military has begun shutting down the media and has cut the Internet connections for the entire country as of today. Someone else must now speak for the Burmese people.

During the 1988 popular uprising thousands of protesters were shot in the streets at the orders of General Ne Win who gave the order that “guns were not to shoot upwards”, i.e., no more warning shots. Another general at the time, General Soe Win, ordered his soldiers to open fire at Rangoon General Hospital. Soe Win is now the acting Prime Minister, as the Prime Minister elect, Aung San Suu Kyi is “detained”.

The U.N. recently held a meeting of the Security Council in order to sanction the regime, however, China alone has used its veto power on any action against the Burmese military regime. Burma is a land rich in resources and is also a border country to China. The Chinese government is an avid supporter of the military regime and is likely anxious that a democratic government in Burma would spurn a Chinese government which has aided in the suppression of the people.

The last reports out of the country before the media blackout was that 9 people, 3 of them monks, had been confirmed to murdered by the military soldiers. One monk was said to have had his head bashed in by the butt of a rifle and a Japanese photo-journalist has been shot point blank. The murder of the photo-journalist, Kenji Nagai, was actually caught on film and you can see the last terrible seconds of his life in the video below.

The Buddhist Pagodas hosting the protesting monks was raided last night and as many as 500-1,000 monks have been jailed. Many were beaten and blood, glass, and monk robes were said to have covered the floors of the Pagodas.

Now that the media has been shut down and the eye of the world turned away the death toll will likely skyrocket. I am incensed to say the least. The hypocrisy of our world leaders in their inaction is staggering. If a country such as the United States which has intervened in so many sovereign foreign nations under the guise of bringing freedom will not act in the face of an actual need then how can we believe it ever again.

No President Bush, I’m not asking you to start a war with China. I’m asking you to go talk to them and get the Chinese government and the National Democratic League to come to an agreement. Perhaps something along the lines of allowing the people’s will and democracy on the promise to maintain a healthy trade relationship. I never thought I’d be asking you to speak Mr. Bush, but right now the Burmese people cannot speak for themselves.

If you would like to speak out for the Burmese or simply for a just and peaceful world then sign the petition by the U.S. Campaign for Burma. You can also tell your representatives how you feel with a simple phone call. It takes almost no time and certainly has a much greater impact than a number higher on an on-line petition. Apart from going to a protest and voting, its the best feeling I get of being a responsible and active citizen and human being. You can find your congressional contact numbers here.

Note: All of the pictures on this page were taken from the Democratic Voice of Burma’s web page. Visit them to see more. There may not be any more pictures like these if the military has its way.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 8:55 pm and is filed under Apathy, Accountability, Leadership, Violence, Democracy, Protest, Ethics, Awareness, Media, Crime, Extinction, Elections. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.