Burmese plead to the world on youtube don't fail us
they quote U Jon Gyi's music video Kay Sah Ma She Bu, " it doesn't matter"
we are all getting very very very very desperate.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
No Help for Burma
World bank is helping Cambodia
Laos
For us Myanmar --nil --no active projects
IMF International monetary funds report from Laos inflation is lower, FDI foreign investment higher.
Myanmar report : "No financial assistants for nearly two decades"
Even Germany and Japan stopped their aids since '88.
It has been 19 years now.
we were punished with no aids,
no western investments since '88.
Before '88 Ne Win closed the doors
after '88 the world ignored us, boycott us
is it the fault of the people?
poor ignorant uneducated people?
how can we revolt against these men with guns on top of us?
26th September 2007,
the day the monks were brutally treated
is the day
the world witnessed its unfairness to Burmese people
58 million denied of help from the world.
The world is not fair to us
Laos
For us Myanmar --nil --no active projects
IMF International monetary funds report from Laos inflation is lower, FDI foreign investment higher.
Myanmar report : "No financial assistants for nearly two decades"
Even Germany and Japan stopped their aids since '88.
It has been 19 years now.
we were punished with no aids,
no western investments since '88.
Before '88 Ne Win closed the doors
after '88 the world ignored us, boycott us
is it the fault of the people?
poor ignorant uneducated people?
how can we revolt against these men with guns on top of us?
26th September 2007,
the day the monks were brutally treated
is the day
the world witnessed its unfairness to Burmese people
58 million denied of help from the world.
The world is not fair to us
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
persuasion rather then by force
Quotes from this link :Asoka the Buddhist King
The use of military force by the state was renouncedby Aśoka after he become a Buddhist, and there have been many Buddhist emperors since his time who have tried to govern by persuasion rather then by force.
Buddhist Attitudes Towards Non-Buddhists.
Tolerance has been an outstanding moral characteristic of Buddhism from earliest times. Buddhism has attempted to arrive at the truth, not by excluding its opposites as falsehood, but by including them as another form of the same truth.
Buddhists are generally noted for their liberal attitude toward other religions,whether polytheistic, monotheistic, or atheistic.
The use of military force by the state was renouncedby Aśoka after he become a Buddhist, and there have been many Buddhist emperors since his time who have tried to govern by persuasion rather then by force.
Buddhist Attitudes Towards Non-Buddhists.
Tolerance has been an outstanding moral characteristic of Buddhism from earliest times. Buddhism has attempted to arrive at the truth, not by excluding its opposites as falsehood, but by including them as another form of the same truth.
Buddhists are generally noted for their liberal attitude toward other religions,whether polytheistic, monotheistic, or atheistic.
Lessons to learn and Autopsy of events
Myanmar people who want changes in the government will resort to terrorism if there is no peaceful dialogue.
They want freedom and equality.
They do not want the old socialist days style party controlled and participated by people who nod their heads without any opposition when they came to Rangoon for their meetings.
Recent events had made the military so ugly and inhumane and it is a victory for its enemies.
They are just waiting for the spark patiently and gas price height had been their spark and the beating of the monks by the authorities had made the event more serious.
Damage is done and nothing much left for the regime to do except for reconciliation. I pray that will be done soon to avoid more pain and sacrifice of people.
Quotes from this link paper about terrorism in Philippines:
One strategic advantage of terrorists is that they operate in the underground and attack with surprise
Typically, terrorists perceive themselves as being an elite or and avant-garde fighting for the liberation etc. of the people or a section of the people. It is typical that they haven’t a democratic mandate in any form. They do what they do in a consciousness of moral supremacy. They need this perception of moral supremacy (and superiority) in order to justify the immorality of their terrorist deeds. The terrorist strategy is basically an indirect strategy. Terrorists don’t reach or promote their objectives by their primary attacks, but much more through the responses and reactions of their foes. The strategy of the terrorist is to provoke a reaction by the opponent which will also affect innocent civilians and – in consequence – lead to estrangement and loss of legitimacy. The tougher and more brutal the reaction of the state, the more successful the terrorist strategy may be called. In this strategy of provoking a reaction by a well planned action, the media play a central role. There are those who argue that terrorism is basically a communications strategy. While that may be too one sided, I believe that terrorism as we know it today, would be inconceivable without the power of the global media, and particularly the global television networks.
3. Variants of terrorism National (or internal) terrorism may be defined as politically motivated violence by terrorists inside the confines of one state, where victims and perpetrators have the same nationality. This is the common variant of terrorism if we consider the context of various anti-colonial struggles and separatist movements.
4. Strategies for Confronting Terrorism
five D's
Dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism to achieve their goals
Deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks
Deter states from supporting terrorists
Develop state capacity to prevent terrorism
Defend human rights in the struggle against terrorism
From a liberal view point, we should never sacrifice or infringe on human rights, for if we do that, we would hand victory to the terrorists and the enemies of freedom. Add to this the drama of what may easily be perceived as an escalating “clash of civilizations”, and you get a situation in which also individuals with a college education get involved in terrorist activities.
They want freedom and equality.
They do not want the old socialist days style party controlled and participated by people who nod their heads without any opposition when they came to Rangoon for their meetings.
Recent events had made the military so ugly and inhumane and it is a victory for its enemies.
They are just waiting for the spark patiently and gas price height had been their spark and the beating of the monks by the authorities had made the event more serious.
Damage is done and nothing much left for the regime to do except for reconciliation. I pray that will be done soon to avoid more pain and sacrifice of people.
Quotes from this link paper about terrorism in Philippines:
One strategic advantage of terrorists is that they operate in the underground and attack with surprise
Typically, terrorists perceive themselves as being an elite or and avant-garde fighting for the liberation etc. of the people or a section of the people. It is typical that they haven’t a democratic mandate in any form. They do what they do in a consciousness of moral supremacy. They need this perception of moral supremacy (and superiority) in order to justify the immorality of their terrorist deeds. The terrorist strategy is basically an indirect strategy. Terrorists don’t reach or promote their objectives by their primary attacks, but much more through the responses and reactions of their foes. The strategy of the terrorist is to provoke a reaction by the opponent which will also affect innocent civilians and – in consequence – lead to estrangement and loss of legitimacy. The tougher and more brutal the reaction of the state, the more successful the terrorist strategy may be called. In this strategy of provoking a reaction by a well planned action, the media play a central role. There are those who argue that terrorism is basically a communications strategy. While that may be too one sided, I believe that terrorism as we know it today, would be inconceivable without the power of the global media, and particularly the global television networks.
3. Variants of terrorism National (or internal) terrorism may be defined as politically motivated violence by terrorists inside the confines of one state, where victims and perpetrators have the same nationality. This is the common variant of terrorism if we consider the context of various anti-colonial struggles and separatist movements.
4. Strategies for Confronting Terrorism
five D's
Dissuade disaffected groups from choosing terrorism to achieve their goals
Deny terrorists the means to carry out their attacks
Deter states from supporting terrorists
Develop state capacity to prevent terrorism
Defend human rights in the struggle against terrorism
From a liberal view point, we should never sacrifice or infringe on human rights, for if we do that, we would hand victory to the terrorists and the enemies of freedom. Add to this the drama of what may easily be perceived as an escalating “clash of civilizations”, and you get a situation in which also individuals with a college education get involved in terrorist activities.
Monday, October 29, 2007
we hate green
After '88, we hated military so much
the soldiers on their trucks roaming about the curfewed city could die of our stares if we had power like the dragon whose eyes could spit fire
afterwards, every day in newspapers, "pagoda and soldiers" pictures
the generals put a white robe aroung their shoulder on top of their green uniforms
worshipping at pagodas, showing how good Buddhists they were
today they show how ! by killing monks!
we said, we do not even want to hear " sit " military , do not even want to a sieve "sit " for drinking water
we hate the color green so much
still we hate them
we hate them
we do not even want a military in our country anymore
let us go free
many of us are all sprayed on earth already
away from our country, politics or economic reasons
many chinese and indians in our country already
making slaves to our people, bribing the generals
let the country dispersed
better than this military
the green monsters
shitting on top of us
the soldiers on their trucks roaming about the curfewed city could die of our stares if we had power like the dragon whose eyes could spit fire
afterwards, every day in newspapers, "pagoda and soldiers" pictures
the generals put a white robe aroung their shoulder on top of their green uniforms
worshipping at pagodas, showing how good Buddhists they were
today they show how ! by killing monks!
we said, we do not even want to hear " sit " military , do not even want to a sieve "sit " for drinking water
we hate the color green so much
still we hate them
we hate them
we do not even want a military in our country anymore
let us go free
many of us are all sprayed on earth already
away from our country, politics or economic reasons
many chinese and indians in our country already
making slaves to our people, bribing the generals
let the country dispersed
better than this military
the green monsters
shitting on top of us
Prof Steinberg's latest prognosis for Myanmar
Quotes from this Link Kyi May Kaung and David Steinberg.
No matter how brave or noble any foreign leader may be, and I have expressed my admiration for her in the past, the United States should never be so dependent on any single foreign leader.
According to Steinberg, sanctions and related travel bans have cut off any effective higher level Western official contact with the military leadership. This is not true. There are no travel bans to Burma in effect. U.S. and western countries still have embassies in Rangoon. Instead, it is the junta that has manipulated the visits of the UN envoys.
In conclusion, the “miasma” is mainly in Steinberg’s paper. To everyone else it is abundantly clear that “Myanmar” is going only backwards and downwards.
ISEAS seminar in singapore
He mentioned about legitimacy of the government
that people hate military
that this is water shed situation
that leadership shows insensitivity to the people
that it is very dangerous for the leaders
that the prognosis very bad
No matter how brave or noble any foreign leader may be, and I have expressed my admiration for her in the past, the United States should never be so dependent on any single foreign leader.
According to Steinberg, sanctions and related travel bans have cut off any effective higher level Western official contact with the military leadership. This is not true. There are no travel bans to Burma in effect. U.S. and western countries still have embassies in Rangoon. Instead, it is the junta that has manipulated the visits of the UN envoys.
In conclusion, the “miasma” is mainly in Steinberg’s paper. To everyone else it is abundantly clear that “Myanmar” is going only backwards and downwards.
ISEAS seminar in singapore
He mentioned about legitimacy of the government
that people hate military
that this is water shed situation
that leadership shows insensitivity to the people
that it is very dangerous for the leaders
that the prognosis very bad
Who is a Bigger Bully to 58 million people?
quotes from this link : microcredits proposed by france Kouchner:
"We have to set up a sort of go-between with NGOs, UN agencies in order to give them a sort of microcredits," he said, to "offer them perspective of trade, development and also real industry."
"It is your turn here," Kouchner said Monday. Asked about what form sanctions could take, Kouchner said "targeted sanctions on bank accounts, certainly, if they have them here."
"I have come to Southeast Asia to tell Burma's neighbors that no progress can be made in Burma without their intervention and assistance," Kouchner wrote.
Quotes from this link US is a bully Myanmar says:
YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military government stepped up its propaganda campaign against the United States on Sunday, accusing Washington of inciting last month's pro-democracy demonstrations in hopes of installing a puppet government.
"Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully, using the exiled dissidents and traitors together with communists, internal and external anti-government destructionists," said a commentary Sunday in the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin daily.
"We have to set up a sort of go-between with NGOs, UN agencies in order to give them a sort of microcredits," he said, to "offer them perspective of trade, development and also real industry."
"It is your turn here," Kouchner said Monday. Asked about what form sanctions could take, Kouchner said "targeted sanctions on bank accounts, certainly, if they have them here."
"I have come to Southeast Asia to tell Burma's neighbors that no progress can be made in Burma without their intervention and assistance," Kouchner wrote.
Quotes from this link US is a bully Myanmar says:
YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military government stepped up its propaganda campaign against the United States on Sunday, accusing Washington of inciting last month's pro-democracy demonstrations in hopes of installing a puppet government.
"Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully, using the exiled dissidents and traitors together with communists, internal and external anti-government destructionists," said a commentary Sunday in the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin daily.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
We can rule our own country! by May Burma
Burmese are very independent people.
we are cultured and we are not dumb
we learn fast
we just need freedom from fear
freedom of press
We can rule our country ,
we deserve democracy!
The military rule cannot go on forever
the top gun always end up being NUTS!
it only take them a few years of absolute power
to think of themselves like Kings
they started addressing themselves like royalty
started building palaces
forget about the origin they come from
all because they are in a position they do not deserve
they all end up in bad death and in jail
we need to save the current regime leaders
the future leaders of military
most of all
our country needs to be developed together with the world
if the military refuse to reconciliate with people
we need foreign power or UN
to help us get rid of these stubborn people
we are cultured and we are not dumb
we learn fast
we just need freedom from fear
freedom of press
We can rule our country ,
we deserve democracy!
The military rule cannot go on forever
the top gun always end up being NUTS!
it only take them a few years of absolute power
to think of themselves like Kings
they started addressing themselves like royalty
started building palaces
forget about the origin they come from
all because they are in a position they do not deserve
they all end up in bad death and in jail
we need to save the current regime leaders
the future leaders of military
most of all
our country needs to be developed together with the world
if the military refuse to reconciliate with people
we need foreign power or UN
to help us get rid of these stubborn people
back to the same situation
link to kanbawza win's article
If military force is the only alternative to unseat the Burmese regime,
the international community with UN and US at its head should seriously considered it.
If military force is the only alternative to unseat the Burmese regime,
the international community with UN and US at its head should seriously considered it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Asian concept!
link No to sanctions
Foreign Ministers Yang Jiechi of China and Sergey Lavrov of Russia said at a meeting with India's Pranab Mukherjee that, instead of punishment, they support efforts by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to open talks between the opposition and the ruling generals.
Meanwhile, stupid activists wearing white prison garb and masks held small protests in cities around the world to mark pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's 12 years in detention in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"I'm very angry, governments around the world know that people in Burma suffer — and have been suffering for so long," refugee Zoya Phan, 26, who is nobody and knows nothing , just a kid of economic refugees said in London. "They know the regime is brutal, but they have done almost nothing to help the people in Burma."
She sounds so stupid and ignorant like a kid begging! We cannot depend upon foreign powers and we should know by now after 19 years. So what they give some bread crumbs to refugee kids and play God to you at Thai border? That is not the solution for our country.
link to chaos expected
"The transition to civilian rule is bound to be extremely difficult, given the fact that the country has not had a truly civilian government since 1962," says Bertil Lintner, one of several Myanmar experts who believe elements of the military would have to be retained to guide the country through such turbulent times. "
What about us?? , we can rule the country ,
we have educated class who are not military,
with the military still intact,
we can change into controlled democracy.
But not western style democracy.
As soon as there is reconciliation
with the army and the elected government that represents the public,
we can start on the right tract.
Sanctions shall be lifted, the whole world shall help us
in developing and building the nation,
said May Burma.
Foreign Ministers Yang Jiechi of China and Sergey Lavrov of Russia said at a meeting with India's Pranab Mukherjee that, instead of punishment, they support efforts by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to open talks between the opposition and the ruling generals.
Meanwhile, stupid activists wearing white prison garb and masks held small protests in cities around the world to mark pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's 12 years in detention in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"I'm very angry, governments around the world know that people in Burma suffer — and have been suffering for so long," refugee Zoya Phan, 26, who is nobody and knows nothing , just a kid of economic refugees said in London. "They know the regime is brutal, but they have done almost nothing to help the people in Burma."
She sounds so stupid and ignorant like a kid begging! We cannot depend upon foreign powers and we should know by now after 19 years. So what they give some bread crumbs to refugee kids and play God to you at Thai border? That is not the solution for our country.
link to chaos expected
"The transition to civilian rule is bound to be extremely difficult, given the fact that the country has not had a truly civilian government since 1962," says Bertil Lintner, one of several Myanmar experts who believe elements of the military would have to be retained to guide the country through such turbulent times. "
What about us?? , we can rule the country ,
we have educated class who are not military,
with the military still intact,
we can change into controlled democracy.
But not western style democracy.
As soon as there is reconciliation
with the army and the elected government that represents the public,
we can start on the right tract.
Sanctions shall be lifted, the whole world shall help us
in developing and building the nation,
said May Burma.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Friends? or Opportunists? or Words of Asian Wisdom?
Quotes from this link: India
Violence and suppression of human rights is something that hurts us," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters last week on the way home from a visit to South Africa.
"Having said that we have to recognize that Myanmar is our next door neighbor and sometimes it does not serve the objective you have in mind by going public with condemnations," he said.
Quotes from this link: India
Menon told Gambari that India had to keep in mind its interests in Myanmar while seeking reconciliation and democracy in the military-ruled country.The Indian side is opposed to imposition of sanctions against Myanmar, arguing that it will serve no purpose.
Quotes from this link: Singapore
George Yeo, Singapore's foreign affairs minister, told parliament any talk of imposing sanctions on Myanmar, and expelling it from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), would "make national reconciliation (in Myanmar) more difficult".
Violence and suppression of human rights is something that hurts us," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters last week on the way home from a visit to South Africa.
"Having said that we have to recognize that Myanmar is our next door neighbor and sometimes it does not serve the objective you have in mind by going public with condemnations," he said.
Quotes from this link: India
Menon told Gambari that India had to keep in mind its interests in Myanmar while seeking reconciliation and democracy in the military-ruled country.The Indian side is opposed to imposition of sanctions against Myanmar, arguing that it will serve no purpose.
Quotes from this link: Singapore
George Yeo, Singapore's foreign affairs minister, told parliament any talk of imposing sanctions on Myanmar, and expelling it from the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), would "make national reconciliation (in Myanmar) more difficult".
No friends for you! by May Burma
Are there friends nearby for you?
Where is Thaksin, the rich and powerful man who gave you internet access
the Bagan Cybertech?
Where is Razali, who gave you e passport tech?
Where is Goh Chok Tong
who visited you as a tourist in Inlay Lake?
Where is Mahathir, who tried to help you?
Where is Suharto and his daughter's company
who tried to buy your fish and make some fortune?
What? they all disappeared together with Khin Nyunt?
So who is your choice of friend today?
India , China, Russia ?
Iran or N Korea?
Don't rely upon ICR
They have become worldly nowadays
Trading with the whole world
whilst you were excluded since 1997
ICR will not stand the way you treat your people
They have liberals of the west to be afraid of
Even Iran has friends
You are left with the despot of N Korea
Are you a despot?
I hope not
Give us some hope and show that you are not a despot
cut the attachments like a good Buddhist
No more power
No more wealth
No more false belief and pride
Let us do something today
to make our final day on earth a peaceful way.
by May Burma
Where is Thaksin, the rich and powerful man who gave you internet access
the Bagan Cybertech?
Where is Razali, who gave you e passport tech?
Where is Goh Chok Tong
who visited you as a tourist in Inlay Lake?
Where is Mahathir, who tried to help you?
Where is Suharto and his daughter's company
who tried to buy your fish and make some fortune?
What? they all disappeared together with Khin Nyunt?
So who is your choice of friend today?
India , China, Russia ?
Iran or N Korea?
Don't rely upon ICR
They have become worldly nowadays
Trading with the whole world
whilst you were excluded since 1997
ICR will not stand the way you treat your people
They have liberals of the west to be afraid of
Even Iran has friends
You are left with the despot of N Korea
Are you a despot?
I hope not
Give us some hope and show that you are not a despot
cut the attachments like a good Buddhist
No more power
No more wealth
No more false belief and pride
Let us do something today
to make our final day on earth a peaceful way.
by May Burma
Sunday, October 21, 2007
lets wait and see the sanctions
link article from moscow
"Myanmar is one place where the United States remains largely admired, where the administration doesn't have to choose between the best of bad options and where it can still leave a legacy of nurturing democracy. Those who legitimately mistrust Bush's approach to the world should not be cynical about his efforts on Myanmar or the possibility of success if other nations do their part."
"The main obstacle to a successful policy toward Myanmar is the belief that the United States is as powerless today as it was 20 years ago. Let the generals hiding in their jungle fortress believe that nothing in the world has changed. And let the United States prove them wrong."
"Myanmar is one place where the United States remains largely admired, where the administration doesn't have to choose between the best of bad options and where it can still leave a legacy of nurturing democracy. Those who legitimately mistrust Bush's approach to the world should not be cynical about his efforts on Myanmar or the possibility of success if other nations do their part."
"The main obstacle to a successful policy toward Myanmar is the belief that the United States is as powerless today as it was 20 years ago. Let the generals hiding in their jungle fortress believe that nothing in the world has changed. And let the United States prove them wrong."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Lies of Burmese Newspapers by May Burma
Who is Mi Khin Thant who wrote an article on Friday 19th Oct in The New Light of Myanmar?
No one read nor believe what is said in NLM anymore after all these years of lyings since 1962, the same tone, the same one sided propanganda like communist newspapers.
Mi Khin Thant blamed upon communist party and CIA for 88 unrest which is not true. It is the same with the monks uprising.
Riots can be started but need to be fueled by common unhappiness of the public.
Riots can be taken advantage by the opposition parties but if the public oppose the ruling government you have to go for the roots of the riots which is your policy and your standing.
Students had to run away to the border area after 88 because Khin Nyunt's intelligence unit was hunting down and arresting them and torturing them. The same thing happening today again.
It is time the military listen to people.
It is time people work together for the future of the country.
Merchants, soldiers, monks, educated Burmese from every corner.
No more uneducated people sitting on top of educated or cultured public.
IN socialist days, the party members of BSPP were uneducated especially in Insein ward and they always came to RIT ( Rangoon Institute of Technology ) to abuse their power.
It is sad that the bright students of the country had to live next to the least educated rough part of the city of Yangon. The mixture is not good. That was how 88 unrest was born.
Everyone in the country lost money in demoneytizing in 1987, a failure of BSPP Ne Win's economy since 1962. Our country was declared the least developed nation in the world. There were more Kyats in the Thai border black market than the central bank of Burma.
Mi Khin Thant is accusing communist party, CIA and exiles for the events. The main cause is the discontent of the whole nation except a few of them serving the military and enjoying the lucrative rewards.
No one read nor believe what is said in NLM anymore after all these years of lyings since 1962, the same tone, the same one sided propanganda like communist newspapers.
Mi Khin Thant blamed upon communist party and CIA for 88 unrest which is not true. It is the same with the monks uprising.
Riots can be started but need to be fueled by common unhappiness of the public.
Riots can be taken advantage by the opposition parties but if the public oppose the ruling government you have to go for the roots of the riots which is your policy and your standing.
Students had to run away to the border area after 88 because Khin Nyunt's intelligence unit was hunting down and arresting them and torturing them. The same thing happening today again.
It is time the military listen to people.
It is time people work together for the future of the country.
Merchants, soldiers, monks, educated Burmese from every corner.
No more uneducated people sitting on top of educated or cultured public.
IN socialist days, the party members of BSPP were uneducated especially in Insein ward and they always came to RIT ( Rangoon Institute of Technology ) to abuse their power.
It is sad that the bright students of the country had to live next to the least educated rough part of the city of Yangon. The mixture is not good. That was how 88 unrest was born.
Everyone in the country lost money in demoneytizing in 1987, a failure of BSPP Ne Win's economy since 1962. Our country was declared the least developed nation in the world. There were more Kyats in the Thai border black market than the central bank of Burma.
Mi Khin Thant is accusing communist party, CIA and exiles for the events. The main cause is the discontent of the whole nation except a few of them serving the military and enjoying the lucrative rewards.
Soldeirs are brain washed by the military propandandas. It is time military shall let people take in charge of the country. They shall join as well mainly to keep the country in one piece and let people think themselves and exercise their rights.
It is time for military and ASSK to come down from their high grounds and work for the country instead of having political ambitions.
None of you deserve to be in the new government. Both of you shall join hands breeding and guiding for new batch of leaders for the coutry together with the traditional merchants, monks and parents among the people.
Education does not mean western education only. We have traditionally cultured monks and elders as well. All should be included which means democracy way of government through election.
by mayburma.
The prescription for us in this article
Revolution in Myanmar
The saffron revolution
Sep 27th 2007From The Economist print edition
If the world acts in concert, the violence should be the last spasm of a vicious regime in its death throes
Reuters
“FEAR”, the lady used to say, “is a habit.” This week, inspired in part by the lady herself, Aung San Suu Kyi, partly by the heroic example set by Buddhist monks, Myanmar's people kicked the addiction.
Defying the corrupt, inept, brutal generals who rule them, they took to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to demand democracy. They knew they were risking a bloody crackdown, like the one that put down a huge popular revolt in 1988, killing 3,000 people or more. In 1988 Burma's people were betrayed not just by the ruthlessness of their rulers, but also by the squabbling and opportunism of the outside world, which failed to produce a co-ordinated response and let the murderous regime get away with it. This time, soldiers are once again shooting and killing unarmed protesters (see article). Can the world avoid making the same mistake twice?
In New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Western leaders, led by George Bush, harangued the junta, and threatened yet more sanctions. They have probably already shot their bolt. Western sanctions have been tried and have failed, in part because Myanmar's neighbours have for years followed a different approach. Its fellow members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations waffled about “constructive engagement” while making economic hay in Myanmar from the West's withdrawal. India, too, anxious about China's growing influence, and hungry for oil and gas, has swallowed its democratic traditions and courted the generals.
Comrades-in-arms
China itself has built an ever-closer relationship. The two countries, after all, have a lot in common beyond a shared border. Since the 1980s a wave of “people-power” revolutions has swept aside tyrannies around the world. Mercifully few regimes, and few armies, are willing to kill large numbers of their own people to stay in power. Two big exceptions have been Myanmar and China, whose government in 1989 likewise stayed in power through a massacre.
Yet it is China that now offers the best hope the outside world has of changing Myanmar for the better. Admittedly, it is a thin hope. There are plenty of reasons to doubt China's willingness to upset Myanmar's generals. China's traditional posture, heard again this week, is to oppose any “interference in the internal affairs of another country”. It trots out this formula so often when foreigners criticise its own behaviour that, even if it supports change, it is hard for it to utter more than platitudes, as it has this month, about the desirability of a “democracy process that is appropriate for the country”.
China has also been the chief beneficiary of the partial Western boycott. Myanmar offers two of the prizes China values most in its foreign friends: hydrocarbon resources and a friendly army, willing to give it access to facilities on its coast on the Bay of Bengal. China has become the junta's biggest commercial partner and diplomatic supporter.
Nevertheless there are two reasons why China might now see its own interests as best served by assisting a peaceful transition in Myanmar. The first is that China wants stability on its borders, and it is becoming obvious that the junta cannot provide it. The generals' economic mismanagement has helped reduce a country blessed with rich resources to crippling poverty. Fleeing economic misery as much as political oppression, up to 2m migrants from Myanmar are in Thailand. And it was an economic grievance—a big, abrupt rise in fuel prices—that sparked the present unrest.
The junta has at least succeeded in cobbling together ceasefire agreements with most of the two dozen armed insurgencies lining its borders. But the price has been lawless zones where banditry and illegal-drug production are rife. Myanmar's slice of the “Golden Triangle” on its Thai and Lao borders was for a while in the 1990s the world's dominant heroin producer. It has been largely priced out of that market by Afghan competition. But it has successfully diversified into methamphetamines. The business relies on precursor chemicals coming from China, but, just as heroin from Myanmar brought China addiction and, through shared needles, HIV and AIDS, so “ice” can wreak havoc. Nobody expects any transition to democracy to be trouble-free. But, Chinese leaders must be asking themselves, can it be any worse?
Appealing to the Olympic spirit
China must also be wondering nervously how all this will affect next year's Olympic games in Beijing. Already, protests about China's support for the government of Sudan, larded with comparisons to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, have shown that its foreign policy as well as its human-rights record at home is under scrutiny. Myanmar is justifiably a popular cause in the West. If China proves actively obstructive to international efforts to bring the junta to book, it may provoke calls for a boycott of the games.
It is of course wrong to assume that China can dictate to Myanmar. In the generals' deluded world-view, only they can preserve Myanmar's independence. They will take orders from no other country. China's role is crucial, nonetheless. It must not blunt the impact of measures taken by other countries and provide the junta with a shield to fend off demands to do what it should.
That, at least, is easy to prescribe. It should stop shooting protesters; free all political prisoners, including Miss Suu Kyi; scrap the constitutional guidelines drawn up by its farcical “national convention”; and start serious talks with all groups, including Miss Suu Kyi and her party. The aim of those talks should also be clear: to arrange a transition to civilian, democratic rule. For their part, provided free and fair new elections are held, Miss Suu Kyi and her party should not insist on the results of the election they won in a landslide in 1990 being honoured. And, unpalatable as it is, they should offer the generals whatever incentive they need to go quietly.
This all sounds a pipedream. It will certainly remain so if the outside world does not unite around a set of demands, and agree on the sticks and carrots that might make deaf old soldiers listen.
The saffron revolution
Sep 27th 2007From The Economist print edition
If the world acts in concert, the violence should be the last spasm of a vicious regime in its death throes
Reuters
“FEAR”, the lady used to say, “is a habit.” This week, inspired in part by the lady herself, Aung San Suu Kyi, partly by the heroic example set by Buddhist monks, Myanmar's people kicked the addiction.
Defying the corrupt, inept, brutal generals who rule them, they took to the streets in their hundreds of thousands to demand democracy. They knew they were risking a bloody crackdown, like the one that put down a huge popular revolt in 1988, killing 3,000 people or more. In 1988 Burma's people were betrayed not just by the ruthlessness of their rulers, but also by the squabbling and opportunism of the outside world, which failed to produce a co-ordinated response and let the murderous regime get away with it. This time, soldiers are once again shooting and killing unarmed protesters (see article). Can the world avoid making the same mistake twice?
In New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Western leaders, led by George Bush, harangued the junta, and threatened yet more sanctions. They have probably already shot their bolt. Western sanctions have been tried and have failed, in part because Myanmar's neighbours have for years followed a different approach. Its fellow members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations waffled about “constructive engagement” while making economic hay in Myanmar from the West's withdrawal. India, too, anxious about China's growing influence, and hungry for oil and gas, has swallowed its democratic traditions and courted the generals.
Comrades-in-arms
China itself has built an ever-closer relationship. The two countries, after all, have a lot in common beyond a shared border. Since the 1980s a wave of “people-power” revolutions has swept aside tyrannies around the world. Mercifully few regimes, and few armies, are willing to kill large numbers of their own people to stay in power. Two big exceptions have been Myanmar and China, whose government in 1989 likewise stayed in power through a massacre.
Yet it is China that now offers the best hope the outside world has of changing Myanmar for the better. Admittedly, it is a thin hope. There are plenty of reasons to doubt China's willingness to upset Myanmar's generals. China's traditional posture, heard again this week, is to oppose any “interference in the internal affairs of another country”. It trots out this formula so often when foreigners criticise its own behaviour that, even if it supports change, it is hard for it to utter more than platitudes, as it has this month, about the desirability of a “democracy process that is appropriate for the country”.
China has also been the chief beneficiary of the partial Western boycott. Myanmar offers two of the prizes China values most in its foreign friends: hydrocarbon resources and a friendly army, willing to give it access to facilities on its coast on the Bay of Bengal. China has become the junta's biggest commercial partner and diplomatic supporter.
Nevertheless there are two reasons why China might now see its own interests as best served by assisting a peaceful transition in Myanmar. The first is that China wants stability on its borders, and it is becoming obvious that the junta cannot provide it. The generals' economic mismanagement has helped reduce a country blessed with rich resources to crippling poverty. Fleeing economic misery as much as political oppression, up to 2m migrants from Myanmar are in Thailand. And it was an economic grievance—a big, abrupt rise in fuel prices—that sparked the present unrest.
The junta has at least succeeded in cobbling together ceasefire agreements with most of the two dozen armed insurgencies lining its borders. But the price has been lawless zones where banditry and illegal-drug production are rife. Myanmar's slice of the “Golden Triangle” on its Thai and Lao borders was for a while in the 1990s the world's dominant heroin producer. It has been largely priced out of that market by Afghan competition. But it has successfully diversified into methamphetamines. The business relies on precursor chemicals coming from China, but, just as heroin from Myanmar brought China addiction and, through shared needles, HIV and AIDS, so “ice” can wreak havoc. Nobody expects any transition to democracy to be trouble-free. But, Chinese leaders must be asking themselves, can it be any worse?
Appealing to the Olympic spirit
China must also be wondering nervously how all this will affect next year's Olympic games in Beijing. Already, protests about China's support for the government of Sudan, larded with comparisons to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, have shown that its foreign policy as well as its human-rights record at home is under scrutiny. Myanmar is justifiably a popular cause in the West. If China proves actively obstructive to international efforts to bring the junta to book, it may provoke calls for a boycott of the games.
It is of course wrong to assume that China can dictate to Myanmar. In the generals' deluded world-view, only they can preserve Myanmar's independence. They will take orders from no other country. China's role is crucial, nonetheless. It must not blunt the impact of measures taken by other countries and provide the junta with a shield to fend off demands to do what it should.
That, at least, is easy to prescribe. It should stop shooting protesters; free all political prisoners, including Miss Suu Kyi; scrap the constitutional guidelines drawn up by its farcical “national convention”; and start serious talks with all groups, including Miss Suu Kyi and her party. The aim of those talks should also be clear: to arrange a transition to civilian, democratic rule. For their part, provided free and fair new elections are held, Miss Suu Kyi and her party should not insist on the results of the election they won in a landslide in 1990 being honoured. And, unpalatable as it is, they should offer the generals whatever incentive they need to go quietly.
This all sounds a pipedream. It will certainly remain so if the outside world does not unite around a set of demands, and agree on the sticks and carrots that might make deaf old soldiers listen.
Destructive engagement
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9868034
Myanmar and the world
Destructive engagement
Sep 27th 2007From The Economist print edition
The outside world shares responsibility for the unfolding tragedy in Myanmar
LIKE North Korea's Workers' Party, another vile dictatorship that has visited misery and penury on its own people, Myanmar's junta has survived in part through diplomatic triangulation. Like North Korea, it has borne isolation and rhetorical hostility from the West by cosying up to the neighbours, notably China. And it has tried to avoid total subservience to any one of these by playing them off against each other.
ReutersNo way out?
As in the past, the world's initial response to the junta's violence was marked by bickering and point-scoring. On September 27th, the United Nations Security Council met in response to pressure from the West for co-ordinated sanctions. But Russia and China argued that the unrest was an internal matter that should not be on the council's agenda at all.
America announced new sanctions against the regime, in keeping with a policy some Western countries have pursued for nearly two decades. They are cheered on by a vocal and well-organised exile movement, and, when she was able to make her views known, by Aung San Suu Kyi herself. Her heroic stature has helped make Myanmar a fashionable cause. Awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1991, she has attracted the backing not just of fellow winners such as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, but also of Laura Bush, the president's wife and Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister. The next Rambo movie features our hero taking on the tatmadaw single-handed.
Shareholder-activists and ordinary consumers have also done their bit to encourage a boycott. But the campaign to punish the regime sometimes seems to have lost sight of its real goal, and to be ready to celebrate isolation itself, not the change it is supposed to bring.
In fact, isolation has never really been on the cards. Any gap is eagerly filled by Myanmar's neighbours—not just China, but also India and Thailand and other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Even in the Western camp there have been differences in approach between the three most important members, America, the EU and Japan.
American leaders have insisted the junta honour the 1990 election result and step aside. To this end, they have imposed wide-ranging sanctions. The most important of these block foreign aid and lending to Myanmar by the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank. Official aid flows to Myanmar are among the lowest of any poor country in the world—around $2.50 a head each year, compared with, for example, $63 in next-door Laos.
The EU has been more equivocal, demanding greater respect for human rights and a transition to civilian democracy, but appearing to accept fresh elections as the way to get there. Its sanctions have been correspondingly milder. Japan has been softer still. Burma's biggest aid donor until 1988, it has continued to provide small-scale help, apparently hoping to retain a smidgen of influence.
These days, however, if any countries can sway the junta they are the regional ones: ASEAN, especially Thailand; India; and above all China. When ASEAN controversially admitted Myanmar in 1997, on the organisation's 30th anniversary, it said membership would be an engine for positive change through “constructive engagement”. ASEAN's culturally sympathetic but fast-growing founder members would show Myanmar the way. This was guff.
Viewed most cynically, Myanmar's accession was part of a bid by ASEAN members to secure access to the country's rich resources: timber, oil, gas and minerals. Using more sophisticated (but no less cynical) geopolitical arguments, ASEAN diplomats justified admitting the unsavoury bunch as a way to prevent Myanmar becoming an arena in which China and India would vie for influence.
But this is happening anyway. China had a head start, and is maintaining its lead comfortably. Itself responsible for quelling an uprising with a massacre in 1989, China's government had few qualms about expanding ties with Myanmar during the 1990s. It supplied weaponry, including multiple-rocket launchers, fighter aircraft and guided-missile attack craft.
Western and Indian analysts worry that China sees Myanmar as part of its so-called “string of pearls” policy of building naval and intelligence bases around the Indian Ocean. There were reports that China was delivering signals equipment for monitoring stations on various coastal sites, and had a permanent presence on Great Coco Island (see map). Such talk has fuelled Indian paranoia, though Western analysts dismiss it.
Border trade, through the thriving, sleazy town of Ruili, also boomed. In the 1990s it included opium and heroin; shared needles produced China's first HIV epidemic, helping teach China the importance of “stability” in its neighbour.
In recent years the economic relationship has been transformed by China's hunger for energy and its involvement in big infrastructure projects. According to EarthRights International, an American NGO, Chinese firms are by now involved in about 40 hydropower projects and at least 17 onshore and offshore oil-and-gas projects. They have also announced plans to build a 2,400km (1,500 mile) oil-and-gas pipeline from Arakan in western Myanmar to China's Yunnan province.
China has also given the junta diplomatic support, helping for years to keep its behaviour off the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. But Myanmar is far from a client state. This week Chinese spokesmen called for restraint in responding to the protests. Their pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Myanmar and the world
Destructive engagement
Sep 27th 2007From The Economist print edition
The outside world shares responsibility for the unfolding tragedy in Myanmar
LIKE North Korea's Workers' Party, another vile dictatorship that has visited misery and penury on its own people, Myanmar's junta has survived in part through diplomatic triangulation. Like North Korea, it has borne isolation and rhetorical hostility from the West by cosying up to the neighbours, notably China. And it has tried to avoid total subservience to any one of these by playing them off against each other.
ReutersNo way out?
As in the past, the world's initial response to the junta's violence was marked by bickering and point-scoring. On September 27th, the United Nations Security Council met in response to pressure from the West for co-ordinated sanctions. But Russia and China argued that the unrest was an internal matter that should not be on the council's agenda at all.
America announced new sanctions against the regime, in keeping with a policy some Western countries have pursued for nearly two decades. They are cheered on by a vocal and well-organised exile movement, and, when she was able to make her views known, by Aung San Suu Kyi herself. Her heroic stature has helped make Myanmar a fashionable cause. Awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1991, she has attracted the backing not just of fellow winners such as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, but also of Laura Bush, the president's wife and Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister. The next Rambo movie features our hero taking on the tatmadaw single-handed.
Shareholder-activists and ordinary consumers have also done their bit to encourage a boycott. But the campaign to punish the regime sometimes seems to have lost sight of its real goal, and to be ready to celebrate isolation itself, not the change it is supposed to bring.
In fact, isolation has never really been on the cards. Any gap is eagerly filled by Myanmar's neighbours—not just China, but also India and Thailand and other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Even in the Western camp there have been differences in approach between the three most important members, America, the EU and Japan.
American leaders have insisted the junta honour the 1990 election result and step aside. To this end, they have imposed wide-ranging sanctions. The most important of these block foreign aid and lending to Myanmar by the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank. Official aid flows to Myanmar are among the lowest of any poor country in the world—around $2.50 a head each year, compared with, for example, $63 in next-door Laos.
The EU has been more equivocal, demanding greater respect for human rights and a transition to civilian democracy, but appearing to accept fresh elections as the way to get there. Its sanctions have been correspondingly milder. Japan has been softer still. Burma's biggest aid donor until 1988, it has continued to provide small-scale help, apparently hoping to retain a smidgen of influence.
These days, however, if any countries can sway the junta they are the regional ones: ASEAN, especially Thailand; India; and above all China. When ASEAN controversially admitted Myanmar in 1997, on the organisation's 30th anniversary, it said membership would be an engine for positive change through “constructive engagement”. ASEAN's culturally sympathetic but fast-growing founder members would show Myanmar the way. This was guff.
Viewed most cynically, Myanmar's accession was part of a bid by ASEAN members to secure access to the country's rich resources: timber, oil, gas and minerals. Using more sophisticated (but no less cynical) geopolitical arguments, ASEAN diplomats justified admitting the unsavoury bunch as a way to prevent Myanmar becoming an arena in which China and India would vie for influence.
But this is happening anyway. China had a head start, and is maintaining its lead comfortably. Itself responsible for quelling an uprising with a massacre in 1989, China's government had few qualms about expanding ties with Myanmar during the 1990s. It supplied weaponry, including multiple-rocket launchers, fighter aircraft and guided-missile attack craft.
Western and Indian analysts worry that China sees Myanmar as part of its so-called “string of pearls” policy of building naval and intelligence bases around the Indian Ocean. There were reports that China was delivering signals equipment for monitoring stations on various coastal sites, and had a permanent presence on Great Coco Island (see map). Such talk has fuelled Indian paranoia, though Western analysts dismiss it.
Border trade, through the thriving, sleazy town of Ruili, also boomed. In the 1990s it included opium and heroin; shared needles produced China's first HIV epidemic, helping teach China the importance of “stability” in its neighbour.
In recent years the economic relationship has been transformed by China's hunger for energy and its involvement in big infrastructure projects. According to EarthRights International, an American NGO, Chinese firms are by now involved in about 40 hydropower projects and at least 17 onshore and offshore oil-and-gas projects. They have also announced plans to build a 2,400km (1,500 mile) oil-and-gas pipeline from Arakan in western Myanmar to China's Yunnan province.
China has also given the junta diplomatic support, helping for years to keep its behaviour off the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. But Myanmar is far from a client state. This week Chinese spokesmen called for restraint in responding to the protests. Their pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Friday, October 19, 2007
President Bush speech.
President Bush Discusses Sanctions on Burma
Diplomatic Reception Room
Video (Windows) /news/releases/2007/10/20071019-11.wm.v.html White House News
Executive Order: Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Burma In Focus: Global Diplomacy
1:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Laura, thank you for joining; and Madam Secretary. In the last few weeks, the world has been inspired by the courage of the Burmese people. Ordinary men and women have taken to the streets in peaceful marches to demand their freedom and call for democratic change. The world has also been horrified by the response of Burma's military junta. Monks have been beaten and killed. Thousands of pro-democracy protestors have been arrested. And Burma's dictator, Than Shwe, continues to hold captive the leader of Burma's largest democratic party -- Aung San Suu Kyi.
Burma's rulers continue to defy the world's just demands to stop their vicious persecution. They continue to dismiss calls to begin peaceful dialogue aimed at national reconciliation. Most of all, they continue to reject the clear will of the Burmese people to live in freedom under leaders of their own choosing.
Last month, the United States tightened economic sanctions on the leaders of Burma's regime, and imposed an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members. The Treasury Department designated 14 top leaders of the Burmese regime for sanctions -- including Than Shwe and his deputy, Vice Senior General Maung Aye. And the State Department added 260 names of Burmese officials and their family members to the visa ban list.
In light of the ongoing atrocities by these men and their associates, the United States has today imposed additional sanctions.
First, the Treasury Department has designated 11 more leaders of the Burmese junta for sanctions under existing authorities.
Second, I've issued a new executive order that designates an additional 12 individuals and entities for sanctions. This executive order grants the Treasury Department expanded authority to designate for sanctions individuals responsible for human rights abuses as well as public corruption, and those who provide material and financial backing to these individuals or to the government of Burma.
Third, I have instructed our Commerce Department to tighten its export control regulations for Burma.
Burmese authorities claim they desire reconciliation. Well, they need to match those words with actions.
A good way to start would be to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations access to political prisoners; to allow Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders to communicate with one another; and to permit U.N. Special Envoy Gambari to enter their country immediately.
And ultimately, reconciliation requires that Burmese authorities release all political prisoners -- and begin negotiations with the democratic opposition under the auspices of the United Nations.
We will continue to review our policies and consider additional measures if Burma's leaders do not end the brutal repression of their own people whose only offense is the desire to live in freedom.
Business as usual is unacceptable.
So I applaud the efforts of the European Union and nations like Australia that have announced targeted sanctions on the Burmese regime. I commend nations such as Japan that have curtailed their assistance to Burma in response to the atrocities.
I appreciate nations such as Singapore and the Philippines and Indonesia, who have spoken out against the atrocities.
I ask other countries to review their own laws and policies, especially Burma's closest neighbors -- China, India, and others in the region.
The people of Burma are showing great courage in the face of immense repression.
They are appealing for our help. We must not turn a deaf ear to their cries. They do have many friends around the world -- including Laura. I am proud of Laura for all she has done to awaken the conscience of the world to the plight of the Burmese people.
I believe no nation can forever suppress its own people. And we are confident that the day is coming when freedom's tide will reach the shores of Burma.
Thank you.
Diplomatic Reception Room
Video (Windows) /news/releases/2007/10/20071019-11.wm.v.html White House News
Executive Order: Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Burma In Focus: Global Diplomacy
1:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Laura, thank you for joining; and Madam Secretary. In the last few weeks, the world has been inspired by the courage of the Burmese people. Ordinary men and women have taken to the streets in peaceful marches to demand their freedom and call for democratic change. The world has also been horrified by the response of Burma's military junta. Monks have been beaten and killed. Thousands of pro-democracy protestors have been arrested. And Burma's dictator, Than Shwe, continues to hold captive the leader of Burma's largest democratic party -- Aung San Suu Kyi.
Burma's rulers continue to defy the world's just demands to stop their vicious persecution. They continue to dismiss calls to begin peaceful dialogue aimed at national reconciliation. Most of all, they continue to reject the clear will of the Burmese people to live in freedom under leaders of their own choosing.
Last month, the United States tightened economic sanctions on the leaders of Burma's regime, and imposed an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights, as well as their family members. The Treasury Department designated 14 top leaders of the Burmese regime for sanctions -- including Than Shwe and his deputy, Vice Senior General Maung Aye. And the State Department added 260 names of Burmese officials and their family members to the visa ban list.
In light of the ongoing atrocities by these men and their associates, the United States has today imposed additional sanctions.
First, the Treasury Department has designated 11 more leaders of the Burmese junta for sanctions under existing authorities.
Second, I've issued a new executive order that designates an additional 12 individuals and entities for sanctions. This executive order grants the Treasury Department expanded authority to designate for sanctions individuals responsible for human rights abuses as well as public corruption, and those who provide material and financial backing to these individuals or to the government of Burma.
Third, I have instructed our Commerce Department to tighten its export control regulations for Burma.
Burmese authorities claim they desire reconciliation. Well, they need to match those words with actions.
A good way to start would be to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations access to political prisoners; to allow Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders to communicate with one another; and to permit U.N. Special Envoy Gambari to enter their country immediately.
And ultimately, reconciliation requires that Burmese authorities release all political prisoners -- and begin negotiations with the democratic opposition under the auspices of the United Nations.
We will continue to review our policies and consider additional measures if Burma's leaders do not end the brutal repression of their own people whose only offense is the desire to live in freedom.
Business as usual is unacceptable.
So I applaud the efforts of the European Union and nations like Australia that have announced targeted sanctions on the Burmese regime. I commend nations such as Japan that have curtailed their assistance to Burma in response to the atrocities.
I appreciate nations such as Singapore and the Philippines and Indonesia, who have spoken out against the atrocities.
I ask other countries to review their own laws and policies, especially Burma's closest neighbors -- China, India, and others in the region.
The people of Burma are showing great courage in the face of immense repression.
They are appealing for our help. We must not turn a deaf ear to their cries. They do have many friends around the world -- including Laura. I am proud of Laura for all she has done to awaken the conscience of the world to the plight of the Burmese people.
I believe no nation can forever suppress its own people. And we are confident that the day is coming when freedom's tide will reach the shores of Burma.
Thank you.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Hope out of this carnage!
Razali hopes
In this aljazeera interview of a Burmese and UN , they all hope one positive thing will come out of this event.
Let us all pray for this.
In this aljazeera interview of a Burmese and UN , they all hope one positive thing will come out of this event.
Let us all pray for this.
Donations drive! Food programme!
UN takes this chance to ask for donation for world food programme.
The world is all about money. What about knowledge and jobs and works?
Have they started distributing food to any area needed in Myanmar?
Yangon and its periphery for a start before they go to border areas.
Is is sad news that the Japanese stopped the HR training center project.
They had one big JICA project of agricultural institute in Hlegu in socialist days. ( 1970s)
What is happening there ? Is there any follow up for this project?
Has it served its purpose?
by May Burma
The world is all about money. What about knowledge and jobs and works?
Have they started distributing food to any area needed in Myanmar?
Yangon and its periphery for a start before they go to border areas.
Is is sad news that the Japanese stopped the HR training center project.
They had one big JICA project of agricultural institute in Hlegu in socialist days. ( 1970s)
What is happening there ? Is there any follow up for this project?
Has it served its purpose?
by May Burma
good job!
We welcome the release of zarganar and kyaw thu . they are both innocent and have no bad intention for the government and the country. They may be moved by the situations in Yangon and have shown their Buddhist culture to stand with the monks and the people.
by May Burma
by May Burma
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Burmese economy
October 17, IrrawaddyBurmese economy has hit bottom; people are suffering - Wai Moe
Two of Rangoon's biggest hotels have closed their doors in what businessowners say is a drastic downturn in the tourist industry and the overall economy following the pro-democracy demonstrations.
Signs of a failed economy are everywhere, say business people.
Teashops have fewer customers, day workers are relying on rice handouts from their employers and prostitutes are walking the streets in daylight—unembarrassed—trying to survive.
Business sources told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the Kandawgyi Hoteland the Hotel Nikko have closed their doors for lack of customers.
Many hotels in Rangoon are reportedly empty, and business has dried up at tourist agencies and airline offices.
A shop owner in Rangoon said on Tuesday that business is suffering,following the demonstrations and the government's increase in fuel prices on August 15, which raised the cost of public transportation and increased food prices.“This situation really hit our pocket,” said the shop owner. “We keep going with our business because we do not want to close. Rice shop owners keep running their shops not because the economy is good but because people need rice. All pockets are empty.”
Most businesses made only a small profit before fuel prices were increased, said the shop owner, but since then, profits have gone to pay for increased fuel prices.
“There is inflation in Burma and the currency is losing more of itsvalue,” he said. After August 15, gasoline and diesel fuel prices more than doubled, while the cost of compressed gas, used to power buses, increased five-fold,driving up ticket prices for those who depend on public transportation.
In 1988, the unofficial exchange rate for 25 kyat was US $1; in the early1990s, 100 kyat equaled $1; currently, 1,300 kyat equal $1 on the unofficial market.
People have even cut back on going to the ever-popular tea shops, the traditional place for friends to gather, said one Rangoon resident. Now,he said, people try to save money any way they can.“If I go with my family to a tea shop and have food there, it will cost about 6,000 kyat," he said. "When my income was good, it was no problem for me. But now my income is not good, and I have to use this money for food.”
“Most people cannot eat meat because the price is skyrocketing," he said."Meat prices increase about 200 kyat every week. Poor people now buy onlyvegetables because they are cheaper."Workers who rely on temporary day work are sometimes given rice by their employers, he said, which helps the very poor survive.
The poorest families buy food one day at a time, he said. Even younger people with educations who have jobs with large companies are feeling the strain.
"All jobs are insecure,” he said.Rangoon sources said women who rely on prostitution to earn money can now be seen on Rangoon streets even in daylight.“Women are at the 10-mile highway bus station, around RC-2 (RegionalCollege 2) and on Waizayanter Road trying to find customers," he said."They are not embarrassed to be seen in the daytime. They are trying to survive too, and it's hard to find customers. People now only think about daily food.”A taxi owner in Rangoon said before the rise in fuel prices he could save a little money each month, and he could pick and choose when to drive during the day. Now he drives all day searching for customers, and it's hard to pay the monthly rental fee for his taxi.
A Burmese economist who lives in Thailand said a UN survey found that the average Burmese citizen used 70 percent of their income for food.“It is difficult to find a real money-making business in Burma at the moment," he said. "So many people are poorer. It's the sign of a failed economy.”
Two of Rangoon's biggest hotels have closed their doors in what businessowners say is a drastic downturn in the tourist industry and the overall economy following the pro-democracy demonstrations.
Signs of a failed economy are everywhere, say business people.
Teashops have fewer customers, day workers are relying on rice handouts from their employers and prostitutes are walking the streets in daylight—unembarrassed—trying to survive.
Business sources told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the Kandawgyi Hoteland the Hotel Nikko have closed their doors for lack of customers.
Many hotels in Rangoon are reportedly empty, and business has dried up at tourist agencies and airline offices.
A shop owner in Rangoon said on Tuesday that business is suffering,following the demonstrations and the government's increase in fuel prices on August 15, which raised the cost of public transportation and increased food prices.“This situation really hit our pocket,” said the shop owner. “We keep going with our business because we do not want to close. Rice shop owners keep running their shops not because the economy is good but because people need rice. All pockets are empty.”
Most businesses made only a small profit before fuel prices were increased, said the shop owner, but since then, profits have gone to pay for increased fuel prices.
“There is inflation in Burma and the currency is losing more of itsvalue,” he said. After August 15, gasoline and diesel fuel prices more than doubled, while the cost of compressed gas, used to power buses, increased five-fold,driving up ticket prices for those who depend on public transportation.
In 1988, the unofficial exchange rate for 25 kyat was US $1; in the early1990s, 100 kyat equaled $1; currently, 1,300 kyat equal $1 on the unofficial market.
People have even cut back on going to the ever-popular tea shops, the traditional place for friends to gather, said one Rangoon resident. Now,he said, people try to save money any way they can.“If I go with my family to a tea shop and have food there, it will cost about 6,000 kyat," he said. "When my income was good, it was no problem for me. But now my income is not good, and I have to use this money for food.”
“Most people cannot eat meat because the price is skyrocketing," he said."Meat prices increase about 200 kyat every week. Poor people now buy onlyvegetables because they are cheaper."Workers who rely on temporary day work are sometimes given rice by their employers, he said, which helps the very poor survive.
The poorest families buy food one day at a time, he said. Even younger people with educations who have jobs with large companies are feeling the strain.
"All jobs are insecure,” he said.Rangoon sources said women who rely on prostitution to earn money can now be seen on Rangoon streets even in daylight.“Women are at the 10-mile highway bus station, around RC-2 (RegionalCollege 2) and on Waizayanter Road trying to find customers," he said."They are not embarrassed to be seen in the daytime. They are trying to survive too, and it's hard to find customers. People now only think about daily food.”A taxi owner in Rangoon said before the rise in fuel prices he could save a little money each month, and he could pick and choose when to drive during the day. Now he drives all day searching for customers, and it's hard to pay the monthly rental fee for his taxi.
A Burmese economist who lives in Thailand said a UN survey found that the average Burmese citizen used 70 percent of their income for food.“It is difficult to find a real money-making business in Burma at the moment," he said. "So many people are poorer. It's the sign of a failed economy.”
Democracy definition
Democracy
Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is retained and directly exercised by the people.
Government by popular representation; a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but is indirectly exercised through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed; a constitutional representative government; a republic.
ဒီမိုုကေရစီဆိုုသည္မွာ ျပည္သူအမ်ားစုုကတင္ေျမာက္ေသာ ျပည္သူကိုုယ္စားျပဳေသာ အစိုုးရျဖစ္ပါသည္။...
Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty. And when that happens, societies stabilize and grow. And there is nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law. Dennis Hastert
စီးပြားေရး ကုုန္သြယ္မႈမ်ားတိုုးလာေသာအခါ လူေတြဆင္းရဲျခင္းမွလြတ္ေျမာက္လာပါမည္။
ဒီမိုုကေရစီ တြင္ မွန္ကန္ေသာ တရားဥပေဒ က လူထုုအက်ိဳးကိုုကာကြယ္ေစာင့္ေရွာက္ပါသည္။
While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile. Madeleine Albright
A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way. Fisher Ames
Freedom of expression - in particular, freedom of the press - guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy. Corazon Aquino
Government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is retained and directly exercised by the people.
Government by popular representation; a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but is indirectly exercised through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed; a constitutional representative government; a republic.
ဒီမိုုကေရစီဆိုုသည္မွာ ျပည္သူအမ်ားစုုကတင္ေျမာက္ေသာ ျပည္သူကိုုယ္စားျပဳေသာ အစိုုးရျဖစ္ပါသည္။...
Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty. And when that happens, societies stabilize and grow. And there is nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law. Dennis Hastert
စီးပြားေရး ကုုန္သြယ္မႈမ်ားတိုုးလာေသာအခါ လူေတြဆင္းရဲျခင္းမွလြတ္ေျမာက္လာပါမည္။
ႏိုုင္ငံသားမ်ား တည္ျငိမ္စြာ စီးပြားရွာႏိုုင္ေသာအခါ ဒီမိုုကေရစီကိုုတည္ေဆာက္လာႏိုုင္ပါမည္။
..
Be assured, fellow citizens, that in a democracy it is the laws that guard the person of the citizen and the constitution of the state, whereas the despot and the oligarch find their protection in suspicion and in armed guards. Aeschines
Be assured, fellow citizens, that in a democracy it is the laws that guard the person of the citizen and the constitution of the state, whereas the despot and the oligarch find their protection in suspicion and in armed guards. Aeschines
ဒီမိုုကေရစီ တြင္ မွန္ကန္ေသာ တရားဥပေဒ က လူထုုအက်ိဳးကိုုကာကြယ္ေစာင့္ေရွာက္ပါသည္။
မတရားနည္းျဖင့္ ခ်မ္းသာသူမ်ားက မသကၤာစိတ္ျဖင့္ လက္နက္ကိုုင္ ကာကြယ္မႈယူၾကပါလိမ့္မည္။
While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile. Madeleine Albright
အရွည္သျဖင့္ေတာ့ ဒီမိုုကေရစီဟာအေကာင္းဆုုံးေပါ့
တည္ျငိမ္မႈရွိေသာအစိုုးရတည္ေဆာက္ႏိုုင္ရင္ေပါ့။
ခ်က္ခ်င္းေတာ့ လမ္းၾကမ္းလိမ့္မယ္။ လႈပ္ရွားမႈမ်ားလိမ့္မယ္။ ျပိဳကြဲရန္လြယ္လိမ့္မယ္။
A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way. Fisher Ames
ဒီမိုုကေရစီဆိုု တာမီးေတာင္ႀကီးလိုု ဘဲ သူ ့အပူေတြနဲ ့သူ ေပါက္ကြဲပ်က္ဆီးမႈျဖစ္တတ္တယ္။
Freedom of expression - in particular, freedom of the press - guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy. Corazon Aquino
လြတ္လပ္စြာ ေျပာဆိုုခြင့္ ေရးသားခြင့္ အစိုုး၇ကိုု ေဝဖန္ႏိုုင္ခြင့္ေတြ အစိုုးရရဲ့ေဆာင္ရြက္မႈမွာ ျပည္သူေတြ
ပါဝင္ႏိုုင္ခြင့္ေတြ ရွိရမယ္။
In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme. Aristotle
In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme. Aristotle
ဆင္းရဲသားဆိုုတာ သူေဌးထက္မ်ားတာဘဲ
ဒီမိုုကေရစီ ဆိုုတာ အမ်ားစုုျဖစ္တဲ့ဆင္း၇ဲသားေတြ ရဲ့ လိုုအပ္ခ်က္ေတြ ေတာင့္တခ်က္ေတြ ျပည့္စုုံလာမယ္။
ဆင္းရဲသားေတြ ပါဝါရလာမယ္။
..
The United Nations has a critical role to play in promoting stability, security, democracy, human rights, and economic development. The UN is as relevant today as at any time in its history, but it needs reform. Chuck Hagel
The United Nations has a critical role to play in promoting stability, security, democracy, human rights, and economic development. The UN is as relevant today as at any time in its history, but it needs reform. Chuck Hagel
ကုုလသမဂၢ မွာတာဝန္ရွိတယ္။ ႏိုုင္ငံေတြ တည္ျငိမ္ေအးခ်မ္းဘိုု ့ ဒီမိုုကေရစီရဘိုု ့ စီးပြားဖြံ ့ျဖိဳးဘိုု ့
လူမႈအခြင့္အေရးေတြ၇ွိဘိုု ့
ကုုလ အဖြဲ ့အစည္း ဟာ ျပဳျပင္ဘိုု ့ေျပာင္းလဲဘိုု ့လိုု ေနျပီ။
Quotes
Ayn Rand
A government is the most dangerous threat to man's rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims. Ayn Rand
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. Ayn Rand
So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money? Ayn Rand
A government is the most dangerous threat to man's rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims. Ayn Rand
Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men. Ayn Rand
So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money? Ayn Rand
answers for Myanmar
by John R
Up until very recently the French petrochemical industry was a major dealer with Burma for oil. The rest of Europe and some other countries have had embargoes in place on trade in that country.If you keep track of things in that region, you will find that China has been having unofficial meetings with the Democratic party and with ethnic groups along their borders. Even the Chinese government are beginning to realise that the junta's days are numbered. They also know that they need a good relationship with whoever rules Burma to maintain their gas and oil supplies.The Chinese cannot come out openly against the Junta because it would leave them open to comments about their own occupation and oppression of Tibet and its people.The only way this will be resolved without major bloodshed IMO is for a group of Army officers in Burma to see the light and stage a coup that will then set a quick timetable for handing over power to the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party. If this does not happen, all I can see happening is an increasing level of protest by poorly armed people against an oppressive, well-armed army.If this leads to civil war, the UN will move in a peace-keeping force and then a major international problem will develop as China and Russia try to veto the action
Up until very recently the French petrochemical industry was a major dealer with Burma for oil. The rest of Europe and some other countries have had embargoes in place on trade in that country.If you keep track of things in that region, you will find that China has been having unofficial meetings with the Democratic party and with ethnic groups along their borders. Even the Chinese government are beginning to realise that the junta's days are numbered. They also know that they need a good relationship with whoever rules Burma to maintain their gas and oil supplies.The Chinese cannot come out openly against the Junta because it would leave them open to comments about their own occupation and oppression of Tibet and its people.The only way this will be resolved without major bloodshed IMO is for a group of Army officers in Burma to see the light and stage a coup that will then set a quick timetable for handing over power to the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party. If this does not happen, all I can see happening is an increasing level of protest by poorly armed people against an oppressive, well-armed army.If this leads to civil war, the UN will move in a peace-keeping force and then a major international problem will develop as China and Russia try to veto the action
Gambari next visit
plan to go in November
He asks ASEAN to work with China and India to pressure Myanmar.
He asks ASEAN to work with China and India to pressure Myanmar.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Thank you Laura Bush !
I thank the first lady for taking interest in our country.
We have a saying in Burmese, that men in uniforms and men in robes are useless when they become ordinary men. ( soldiers and monks )
That is why the military men find it hard to leave their post or not to obey orders.
They do not know how to survive outside.
In our country women are called home ministers, they rule the men of the house as well as the whole family.
Men in Burma are raised as mother's pet later to be under a wife's command.
It is time we have women in our government.
Go Laura Go!
We have a saying in Burmese, that men in uniforms and men in robes are useless when they become ordinary men. ( soldiers and monks )
That is why the military men find it hard to leave their post or not to obey orders.
They do not know how to survive outside.
In our country women are called home ministers, they rule the men of the house as well as the whole family.
Men in Burma are raised as mother's pet later to be under a wife's command.
It is time we have women in our government.
Go Laura Go!
Myanmar News!
My way
Myanmar's military has brushed off international punishment for its crackdown on anti-government protests last month, vowing to "march on" as Japan cut aid and European nations widened sanctions.
UN and ASEAN
Analysts believe only Myanmar's closest allies and trading partners -- such as China, India and Thailand -- have any chance of convincing its reclusive generals to change course.
Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont proposed to Gambari that the United Nations organise multi-party talks modelled on the North Korean nuclear disarmament process to defuse the crisis in Myanmar.
ASEAN chief Ong Keng Yong said in Singapore that the best outcome would be to thrash out a consensus between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi, using the example of Iraq to warn against the dire consequences of sudden regime change.
Reformist general from Indonesia
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo, known for his role in reforming the Indonesian Military, to Yangon to represent him at the funeral of Myanmar's Prime Minister Soe Win.
No aid for your people for killing our Japanese journalist.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan was cancelling aid of up to 552 million yen (4.7 million dollars), equivalent to around 18 percent of the total grants and technical assistance Tokyo gave Myanmar last year.
"The Japanese government needs to show our stance. We cannot take action that would effectively support the military regime at this moment," Komura told reporters.
No shopping trips for your wives and college for your kids
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 15 (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to strengthen sanctions against Myanmar's military rulers in response to a crackdown on protests last month and warned they could go further and ban all new investment.The ministers agreed to broaden sanctions that include visa bans and asset freezes on generals, government officials and their relatives, and to take new steps targeting the country's key timber, metals and gemstone sectors.
US says more sanctions:
"But sanctions don't mean anything if we're the only sanctioner," he said.
Myanmar's military has brushed off international punishment for its crackdown on anti-government protests last month, vowing to "march on" as Japan cut aid and European nations widened sanctions.
UN and ASEAN
Analysts believe only Myanmar's closest allies and trading partners -- such as China, India and Thailand -- have any chance of convincing its reclusive generals to change course.
Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont proposed to Gambari that the United Nations organise multi-party talks modelled on the North Korean nuclear disarmament process to defuse the crisis in Myanmar.
ASEAN chief Ong Keng Yong said in Singapore that the best outcome would be to thrash out a consensus between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi, using the example of Iraq to warn against the dire consequences of sudden regime change.
Reformist general from Indonesia
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo, known for his role in reforming the Indonesian Military, to Yangon to represent him at the funeral of Myanmar's Prime Minister Soe Win.
No aid for your people for killing our Japanese journalist.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan was cancelling aid of up to 552 million yen (4.7 million dollars), equivalent to around 18 percent of the total grants and technical assistance Tokyo gave Myanmar last year.
"The Japanese government needs to show our stance. We cannot take action that would effectively support the military regime at this moment," Komura told reporters.
No shopping trips for your wives and college for your kids
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 15 (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to strengthen sanctions against Myanmar's military rulers in response to a crackdown on protests last month and warned they could go further and ban all new investment.The ministers agreed to broaden sanctions that include visa bans and asset freezes on generals, government officials and their relatives, and to take new steps targeting the country's key timber, metals and gemstone sectors.
US says more sanctions:
"But sanctions don't mean anything if we're the only sanctioner," he said.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Myanmar News
UN envoy heads back to Asia
"We're encouraging special envoy Gambari to get back to Burma as soon as possible," Rice told reporters aboard her plane as she went from Russia to the Middle East. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Trinidad News
The regional powers, China, Russia, and India who have arms and energy deals with Myanmar do not favour what they see as a heavy- handed approach by the US and its allies. For this position the trio earned a withering New York Times editorial which read that they saw themselves as world powers but" refuse to accept the moral responsibility that must come with that position." But Georgetown University professor, David Steinberg, prefers the Indian, Chinese, and Russian states stance of engaging with Myanmar, and believes that the United States should drop its "ill-considered and ineffective sanctions and launch informal discussions with the Burmese regime."
"We're encouraging special envoy Gambari to get back to Burma as soon as possible," Rice told reporters aboard her plane as she went from Russia to the Middle East. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
Trinidad News
The regional powers, China, Russia, and India who have arms and energy deals with Myanmar do not favour what they see as a heavy- handed approach by the US and its allies. For this position the trio earned a withering New York Times editorial which read that they saw themselves as world powers but" refuse to accept the moral responsibility that must come with that position." But Georgetown University professor, David Steinberg, prefers the Indian, Chinese, and Russian states stance of engaging with Myanmar, and believes that the United States should drop its "ill-considered and ineffective sanctions and launch informal discussions with the Burmese regime."