Myanmar: While the world watches

[glossyp]

Re: Blackwater murders verses Myanmar protest deaths

US's Blackwater mercenary soldiers kill a dozen unarmed civilians in a routine daily action by Blackwater forces in Iraq as the Myanmar military kills ten protestors during days of marches by thousands of protestors and which story gets top billing in the U.S. media? The one Bush wants to talk about.

Clearly nothing exists in the world for you except Bush hatred and everything and anything pales in comparison. Lucky you - you stay safe and can say whatever you like without concern for any repercussions. Never mind that Bush will do nothing in either instance to make a positive difference.

[Miulang]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

The Burmese civilians are just an impediment to the scramble to access the natural gas and other resources of the country of Myanmar.

Natural gas from Myanmar, which generates 20 percent of all electricity in Thailand, keeps the lights on in Bangkok. The gas, which this year will cost about $2.8 billion, is the largest single export for Myanmar’s otherwise impoverished and cash-strapped economy.

Thailand’s gas imports highlight the dilemma facing China, India, Singapore and Malaysia, among other countries, as they vie for Myanmar’s hardwoods, minerals, gems — and access to its market of 47 million people.

...From the perspective of Myanmar’s generals, the gas purchases by Thailand are only the beginning of what promises to be a significant infusion of cash. Myanmar will soon announce the winner of a concession in the even larger Shwe gas fields off the coast of western Myanmar. Companies from India, China and South Korea have put in bids for those contracts.

...The cash has allowed the generals who run Myanmar to buy weapons from China and helicopters from India, order a nuclear test reactor from Russia and construct their new capital north of Myanmar’s main city, Yangon.

...Last year, Myanmar sold $2 billion worth of gas to Thailand, which amounted to more than 40 percent of the country’s total exports for that year. Largely because of the gas deal, Thailand is Myanmar’s biggest trade partner, not China, as is widely reported.

From Ko-Htike's blog today: reports that 500 monks are being detained and are refusing their daily meal that is provided by their guards. Civilians trying to bring the monks food are being turned away, which means effectively that the monks are being starved.

Monday, 1 October 2007

Please Help Monks!!!!!!!!!!Reports emerging from Rangoon indicate that the temporary detentioncentres based in Yangon Institute of Technology and General Instituteof Technology (GTI) is currently detaining 500 hundred monks.The monks are refusing to accept Sune (Alms food.....food offering given to monkby layperson just before 12 noon as main meal of the day) from themilitary junta. The local population approached these detentioncentres to offer food and they have been turned away by theauthorities. Technically, the monks are unintentionally on hugerstrike.We contacted the International Red Cross's (ICRC) office and UNHCR inRangoon. The UN's office refused to help and ICRC bucked theresponsibility on their head office in Geneva.Please write or Phone to ICRC, e-mail Foreign Secretary and Prime MinisterGordon Brown.

Miulang

[glossyp]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

The Burmese civilians are just an impediment to the scramble to access the natural gas and other resources of the country of Myanmar...

"Natural gas from Myanmar, which generates 20 percent of all electricity in Thailand, keeps the lights on in Bangkok. The gas, which this year will cost about $2.8 billion, is the largest single export for Myanmar’s otherwise impoverished and cash-strapped economy.

Thailand’s gas imports highlight the dilemma facing China, India, Singapore and Malaysia, among other countries, as they vie for Myanmar’s hardwoods, minerals, gems — and access to its market of 47 million people."
Miulang

So, are the citizens of Burma an impediment or are they a potential market?
[Bold added by me.]

Current reports from Burma indicate that the death toll may be much larger then what was reported earlier. UK Daily Mail.

[Miulang]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

So, are the citizens of Burma an impediment or are they a potential market?
[Bold added by me.]

Current reports from Burma indicate that the death toll may be much larger then what was reported earlier. UK Daily Mail.

They and the democracy movement are an impediment to the junta. They are an opportunity to the Chinese, Thais, S. Koreans, etc. And the junta has caused the death of hundreds (more likely thousands) of ethnic Karens since 1949.

Ethnic groups residing in Eastern Burma bear the brunt of the Junta’s oppressive policy. The Karen people are one such group. The SPDC routinely raids Karen villages, burn crops, steal livestock, force men and boys to serve as laborers. Rape of Karen women and girls is a common occurrence.As a result, a number of Karen have fled to Thailand, the jungles or isolated camps inside Burma. Health conditions in this region are at disaster levels, according to various reports by the United Nations. An estimated 1 million people are displaced into Thailand and another 1 million are displaced internally within Burma.

In 2004 and 2006, international agencies, such as the World Health Organization, documented the dire conditions faced by the Karen.

-1 in 12 Karen mothers die from child-birth, compared to 1 in 900 for Thai mothers
-1 in 5 Karen children will die by age 5 compared to 1 in 50 in neighboring Thailand

Miulang

[glossyp]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

Thanks for the clarification.

The innocent blood on the hands of the junta goes back a long, long time. The last serious attempt for democracy was just about 20 years ago and that was brutally ended. The death toll amongst the Karens is most likely in the thousands (as you noted). I think many of us hope or hoped that this time around the modern media would help to communicate the brutality with a reach that it hadn't in earlier times. Wishful thinking, especially when one considers Darfur.

[Miulang]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

Thanks for the clarification.

The innocent blood on the hands of the junta goes back a long, long time. The last serious attempt for democracy was just about 20 years ago and that was brutally ended. The death toll amongst the Karens is most likely in the thousands (as you noted). I think many of us hope or hoped that this time around the modern media would help to communicate the brutality with a reach that it hadn't in earlier times. Wishful thinking, especially when one considers Darfur.

I agree. There seems to be no end to the despotic regimes worldwide who are causing so many people so much pain.

In fact, just last week, after many years of silence, Baby Doc Duvalier sent out a message of contrition to the world for any harm his regime did while he was in power in Haiti. I think the only reason why he did it is because he is now penniless in Paris and is looking for some sympathy from among the people he oppressed. I think he should just rot in the hell of those who choose to profit off the misery of others.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

Sylvester Stallone, while filming a new Rambo movie on the border between Myanmar and Thailand, witnessed the aftermath of the atrocities going on in the Myanmar countryside and wants to help bring more attention to the events happening in that country.

HOLLYWOOD star Sylvester Stallone and his Rambo sequel movie crew have witnessed human atrocities while filming along the Burmese border.

"I witnessed the aftermath - survivors with legs cut off and all kinds of land mine injuries, maggot-infested wounds and ears cut off. We saw many elephants with blown off legs. We hear about Vietnam and Cambodia and this was more horrific,'' Stallone told Associated Press.

Miulang

[salmoned]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

Sly? More horrific because he saw it personally, not necessarily because it actually IS more horrific (else it's more horrific because it's NOW and not 'back then'). I don't find this kind of quote adds anything to the discussion.

One thing I would not wish to see is some outside agency coming in to forcefully disarm the junta - the 'peaceful' protests should be respected, not disrespected by using means not sanctioned by those protesting.

[Miulang]

Re: Myanmar: While the world watches

An explanation of how the protests in Yangon began, as reported by two of the organizers, now in exile in Thailand.

Miulang