|
iReport From Inside Burma |
|
|
Friday, 19 October 2007 |
|
CNN has an iReport of life in Burma (For those of you who don't know, an iReport is a user created story.) Excerpts: The military crackdown has been unbelievably severe, especially considering this country's deep reverence for Buddhist monks. To see monks attacked during peaceful demonstrations is disturbing, as is the vengeance with which the military attempts to cover up its abuse and prevent news from leaking to the outside world. .... Every day, I hear sad stories. A father is killed when trying to reach his son in a school that is cordoned off by the military. A young student in a village school is killed by overzealous military, but the family cannot obtain the body, which was conveniently cremated. If the family protests, the whole village suffers. .... A recent quote in the The New Light of Myanmar, a government publication, says it all: "National traitors will soon meet their tragic ends." |
|
|
Monastery Raids in Northern Burma |
|
|
Friday, 19 October 2007 |
|
From Mizzima: In the unabated crackdown on monks, a local police team has started mounting a search and conducting raids in monasteries and places where monks live in northern Burma's Kachin state and neighboring Sino-Burma border areas. As of Tuesday, the police team began raiding, interrogating and collecting guest lists from monasteries on the Sino-Burma border district of Bamaw, local residents said. "The situation is not improving. The monasteries here are being raided for the third time now. This time they [authorities] are conducting a more comprehensive search and sustained interrogation," an abbot on the Chinese border town of Loi Kye told Mizzima. Full story found here. |
|
|
Ladies, Burma Needs Your Help! |
|
|
Friday, 19 October 2007 |
Apparently, women throughout the world have been sending their panties to their local 'Myanmar' embassy. Being a superstitious lot, the generals believe that contact with women's underwear saps them of their power. From an International Herald Tribune Article : Women in several countries have begun sending their panties to Myanmar embassies in a culturally insulting gesture of protest against the recent brutal crackdown there, a campaign supporter said Friday. "It's an extremely strong message in Burmese and in all Southeast Asian culture," said Liz Hilton, who supports an activist group that launched the "Panties for Peace" drive earlier this week. The group, Lanna Action for Burma, says the country's superstitious generals, especially junta leader Gen. Than Shwe, also believe that contact with women's underwear saps them of power. To widespread international condemnation, the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, crushed mass anti-regime demonstrations recently and continues to hunt down and imprison those who took part. Hilton said women in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, England and other European countries have started sending or delivering their underwear to Myanmar missions following informal coordination among activist organizations and individuals. "You can post, deliver or fling your panties at the closest Burmese Embassy any day from today. Send early, send often!" the Lanna Action for Burma Web site urges. "So far we have had no response from Burmese officials," Hilton said. |
|
|
Burmese Economy Doing Horribly Since the Crackdown |
|
|
Wednesday, 17 October 2007 |
|
Not surprisingly, the economy has really suffered. From the Irrawaddy: 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. .. 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 its value,” he said. Full article here. |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 October 2007 )
|
|
|
Regime: The Monks Brought this on Themselves |
|
|
Wednesday, 17 October 2007 |
According to the regime, they are just a pawn in this game and the monk's basically forced their hand...? From an AP article: "The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said that if the monks had remained in their monasteries, "the government would not have used force to prevent protests."" Hmm..let's see...as long as the monk's stay in their monasteries and serve the military and NOT Lord Buddha, everything will be ok. It almost sounds like the regime would rather just use the monks to passify the people so they may remain in power - allowing individuals like Than Shwe to have $50 million weddings while people are starving in the streets and others are being tortured simply for their desire to live a free life. When are the every day soldiers going to wake up, realize that the regime is spitting in the face of Buddha, and do something about it? When these soldiers are reincarnated do they honestly think they will be 'moving up' in the chain of life? Unless they start making amends and start doing the right thing by helping the people who are suffering I suspect they'll all be living as pigs, dogs or worms in their next life. You can't escape Karma. |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 17 October 2007 )
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
| Results 82 - 90 of 108 |
News