burma - potential uprising?

[ymu]

No apologies for cut'n'paste odyssey or xposting on this one.

Burma Petition to China President Hu Jintao and UN
Monday, 1 October 2007, 3:37 pm
Press Release: Miles Thompson

Petition to Chinese President Hu Jintao and the UN Security Council

Sign the Petition: Stand with the Burmese Protesters

Burma's generals have brought their brutal iron hand down on peaceful monks and protesters -- but in response, a massive global outcry is gathering pace. The roar of global public opinion is being heard in hundreds of protests outside Chinese and Burmese embassies, people round the world wearing the monks' color red, and on the internet -- where our petition has exploded to over 200,000 signers in just 72 hours.

People power can win this. Burma's powerful sponsor China can halt the crackdown, if it believes that its international reputation and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing depend on it. To convince the Chinese government and other key countries, Avaaz is launching a major global and Asian ad campaign on Wednesday, including full page ads in the Financial Times and other newspapers, that will deliver our message and the number of signers.

We need 1 million voices to be the global roar that will get China's attention. If every one of us forwards this email to just 20 friends, we'll reach our target in the next 72 hours. Please sign the petition at the link below -if you haven't already- and forward this email to everyone you care about:

I just signed a petition calling on Burma's powerful ally China and the UN security council to step in and pressure Burma's rulers to stop the killing. The petition has exploded to over 200,000 signatures in a few days and is being advertised in newspapers around the world, delivered to the UN secretary general, and broadcast to the Burmese people by radio. We're trying to get to 1 million signatures this week, please sign the petition and tell everyone!

The pressure is working - already, there are signs of splits in the Burmese Army, as some soldiers refuse to attack their own people. The brutal top General, Than Shwe, has reportedly moved his family out of the country – he must fear his rule may crumble.

The Burmese people are showing incredible courage in the face of horror. We're broadcasting updates on our effort over the radio into Burma itself – telling the people that growing numbers of us stand with them. Let's do everything we can to help them – we have hours, not days, to do it.

Sign the Petition: Stand with the Burmese Protesters

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0710/S00010.htm

[frogwoman]

Burma time 13;51

There are 2 groups of protester are marching in YGN, one is about 2000 people and the other one is about 1500 people are on the street of YGN.

[teqniq]

Just found this:

Lloyd's of London is rapped for Burma link
Nick Mathiason
Sunday September 30, 2007
The Observer

Lloyd's of London has come under severe criticism for its role in the insurance of infrastructure vital to the economic wellbeing of Burma's repressive military dictatorship.

The Observer has established that Lloyd's of London members are involved in writing insurance of the country's aviation and shipping interests.

Leaders of the Burmese democratic movement expressed anger at the refusal of Lloyd's to prevent the business from being underwritten by its members.

source

And this:

Unspeakable Attrocities Committed Against Revered Buddhist Monks in Burma By The Army

Late yesterday, the Serilanka educated, professor of sacred Buddhist scripture, Venerable Shin-Thila-Wuntha died in a torture-cell of Myitkyina Prison in Northern Burma.

The highly respected Buddhist monk was detained along with hundreds of other monks during the violent raids on many monasteries all over the State Capital of Kachin State, Myitkyina, by the Burmese Army since last Friday.

Major General Ohn Myint, the Commander of Burmese Army's Northern Command Division and the notorious Warlord of occupied Kachin State, is known to have ordered the arrest and personally involved in the brutal torture of Reverend Shin-Thila-Wuntha.

He has also ordered the medical staff from Myitkyina Hospital to doctor the death certificate to say the cause of death as a severe Heart-Attack.
In Rangoon, a reliable source confirmed that at least four of the 300 detained monks in a labor camp near Insein GTI were killed during the torture sessions. (News courtesy of DVB Oslo)

source

[gnoriac]

Just been reading this on Ko Htike's blog:

For one instance, the monastery at an obscure neighborhood of Yangon, called Ngwe Kyar Yan (on Wei-za-yan-tar Road, Yangon) had been raided early this morning.

A troop of lone-tein (riot police comprised of paid thugs) protected by the military trucks, raided the monastery with 200 studying monks. They systematically ordered all the monks to line up and banged and crushed each one's head against the brick wall of the monastery. One by one, the peaceful, non resisting monks, fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Then, they tore off the red robes and threw them all in the military trucks (like rice bags) and took the bodies away.

The head monk of the monastery, was tied up in the middle of the monastery, tortured , bludgeoned, and later died the same day, today.

From the coverage in the media you'd get the impression it's all over, no longer front page and even heavily relegated in the BBC's news, yet from this guy's blog it's apparent the demonstrations are continuing even though being stripped of the support of the monks while the streets are swarming with troops.

[teqniq]

Another news source:http://www.mizzima.com/
Please be aware, very unpleasant pix.

[fela fan]

In the sound byte culture of western news reporting and news consumption, burma is no longer news. They've had enough of that, nothing new happening. On to more short-time shit.

And that is that. There may be more protests, but they're winding down because the outside intervention that was essential never ever remotely looked like materialising. The UN are putting on a show for skin-deep veneer's sake, pretending to action, but that gambari will fly out within a day or two with no gains at all. Brown and bush will return to their iran agenda. China will hold the olympics, no problems. India and thailand will continue to do business with the rogues in burma. ASEAN will continue to not interfere with each other.

The burmese people's aspirations have yet again been beaten by the hardware, by the iron batons and by the bullets.

They'll go back to an even worse police state than before, begging the belief that that is possible, but oh yes it is. Freedom? What the fuck is that?

And the world will go back to its own preoccupations. The thais and chinese to their efforts at making headway in their lives, getting the food into the family's tables.

The western people will return to their soaps and shopping.

Sorry, did something just happen?? Did i blink, or was there an attempted uprising?? Nah, sorry, can't see nothing. It must have been a dream.

Ta ra.

[Lock&Light]

In the sound byte culture of western news reporting and news consumption, burma is no longer news.

That is simply not true. It could become true, but certainly isn't yet.

[gnoriac]

...

And the world will go back to its own preoccupations. The thais and chinese to their efforts at making headway in their lives, getting the food into the family's tables.

The western people will return to their soaps and shopping.

Must be plenty of military leaders, would-be dictators, world over, taking a pleased interest, not just at how violent repression has worked so well in Burma, but how quickly attention disappeared.

[purves grundy]

In the sound byte culture of western news reporting and news consumption, burma is no longer news. They've had enough of that, nothing new happening. On to more short-time shit.

And that is that. There may be more protests, but they're winding down because the outside intervention that was essential never ever remotely looked like materialising. The UN are putting on a show for skin-deep veneer's sake, pretending to action, but that gambari will fly out within a day or two with no gains at all. Brown and bush will return to their iran agenda. China will hold the olympics, no problems. India and thailand will continue to do business with the rogues in burma. ASEAN will continue to not interfere with each other.

The burmese people's aspirations have yet again been beaten by the hardware, by the iron batons and by the bullets.

They'll go back to an even worse police state than before, begging the belief that that is possible, but oh yes it is. Freedom? What the fuck is that?

And the world will go back to its own preoccupations. The thais and chinese to their efforts at making headway in their lives, getting the food into the family's tables.

The western people will return to their soaps and shopping.

Sorry, did something just happen?? Did i blink, or was there an attempted uprising?? Nah, sorry, can't see nothing. It must have been a dream.

Ta ra.

I share your anger and thoughts.

[N_igma]

In the sound byte culture of western news reporting and news consumption, burma is no longer news. They've had enough of that, nothing new happening. On to more short-time shit.

And that is that. There may be more protests, but they're winding down because the outside intervention that was essential never ever remotely looked like materialising. The UN are putting on a show for skin-deep veneer's sake, pretending to action, but that gambari will fly out within a day or two with no gains at all. Brown and bush will return to their iran agenda. China will hold the olympics, no problems. India and thailand will continue to do business with the rogues in burma. ASEAN will continue to not interfere with each other.

The burmese people's aspirations have yet again been beaten by the hardware, by the iron batons and by the bullets.

They'll go back to an even worse police state than before, begging the belief that that is possible, but oh yes it is. Freedom? What the fuck is that?

And the world will go back to its own preoccupations. The thais and chinese to their efforts at making headway in their lives, getting the food into the family's tables.

The western people will return to their soaps and shopping.

Sorry, did something just happen?? Did i blink, or was there an attempted uprising?? Nah, sorry, can't see nothing. It must have been a dream.

Ta ra.

Don't be so pessimistic.

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

I share your anger and thoughts.

Yep, me too.

[Streathamite]

In the sound byte culture of western news reporting and news consumption, burma is no longer news. They've had enough of that, nothing new happening. On to more short-time shit.

And that is that. There may be more protests, but they're winding down because the outside intervention that was essential never ever remotely looked like materialising. The UN are putting on a show for skin-deep veneer's sake, pretending to action, but that gambari will fly out within a day or two with no gains at all. Brown and bush will return to their iran agenda. China will hold the olympics, no problems. India and thailand will continue to do business with the rogues in burma. ASEAN will continue to not interfere with each other.

The burmese people's aspirations have yet again been beaten by the hardware, by the iron batons and by the bullets.

They'll go back to an even worse police state than before, begging the belief that that is possible, but oh yes it is. Freedom? What the fuck is that?

And the world will go back to its own preoccupations. The thais and chinese to their efforts at making headway in their lives, getting the food into the family's tables.

The western people will return to their soaps and shopping.

Sorry, did something just happen?? Did i blink, or was there an attempted uprising?? Nah, sorry, can't see nothing. It must have been a dream.

Ta ra.

right. so it's up to us - here and now - to do all we can to keep the struggle going

[Kid_Eternity]

right. so it's up to us - here and now - to do all we can to keep the struggle going

Agreed. Waiting for the government or media is pointless, especially as there are so many different ways a small contribution can add up.

[fela fan]

I share your anger and thoughts.

It's one of the most depressing things i've known for ages. And i'm lucky, i wasn't born in burma.

Right from the beginning, and i know you know this mate, the only way they were going to get their freedom was with outside help.

But without any help for the last 19 years (or longer if we wish), why would people suddenly care now?

I thought the internet, by spreading the word in far wider fashion than communications ever allowed for before, might help, but unfortunately no. People are too insular.

That to me has accounted for humanity at this point in history. And therefore i declare it to be far too self-centred. Selfish. No empathy. Pathetic. Or... just...

[Lock&Light]

That to me has accounted for humanity at this point in history. And therefore i declare it to be far too self-centred. Selfish. No empathy. Pathetic. Or... just...

Or.... just.....

human, as humanity has always been.

[fela fan]

Don't be so pessimistic.

I am a born optimist, and love optimism as a way of life, and practise life that way.

I hope that demonstrates well my pessimism on this particular subject.

[fela fan]

right. so it's up to us - here and now - to do all we can to keep the struggle going

And this, mate, perfectly illustrates the balance in life. Struggle, if effected by people, will impact upon our leaders, via the media. And then they act. If the struggle is not perceived, it is not reported upon in the media, and therefore politicians won't give a fuck, coz they only give a fuck when their vote might be compromised.

Politicians only act if their power is being compromised. People act only upon their conscience, and that depends entirely on their bank of goodwill. If they're too preoccupied with life, then there is not enough in the bank.

And that unfortunately describes the burmese situation.

But, any human who is being beaten to death, who is being smashed to bits, who is being murdered off, will impact upon the lot of us.

We are all complicit, and it makes me sick in one way. Of course, in the other way i just forget about them and carry on with my life as normal.

But it feels not right man...

[fela fan]

Or.... just.....

human, as humanity has always been.

We are an evolving organism. We are constantly changing for the better. It might be three steps back, four forward, but whatever and however slow, we continue to evolve.

As a species we can only go forward. But right now it seem so fucking slow.

The current plight of the burmese, allied with the internet, gave us a chance to really push the leaders of this world. Gave us a chance to help our burmese brethren attain freedom while at the same time show the leaders that we are a force.

But, no. We botched it.

Posters on this thread knew, but the wider world botched it.

Go on, smash those iron bars against the skulls of monks and ordinary people. Pump the bullets into their flesh and blood. Kill em off.

We don't care, we're just worried about our own lives. Sorry burmese, fight your own fight, we saw this time, we knew this time, unlike in 1988, but as you can see mates, we just don't give a toss.

Ta ra.

[Lock&Light]

We are an evolving organism. We are constantly changing for the better.

I see no signs of it.

[fela fan]

Must be plenty of military leaders, would-be dictators, world over, taking a pleased interest, not just at how violent repression has worked so well in Burma, but how quickly attention disappeared.

Unfortunately bush paved the way mate. And the other presidents that went before him.

We need a proper international court, one that tries leaders for their war crimes, and their ineptitude.

That would, of course, put just about every single american and british leader behind bars. It would be a very crowded wing of the prison...

[fela fan]

I see no signs of it.

We used to feed people to the lions in front of massive crowds.

We used to have slavery.

Oh, hang on a minute, in burma they still do.

So you may be right for once mate...!

[frogwoman]

Just come back from the Burmese embassy.

[frogwoman]

Oooooooooooh!!
the times seems more up to date than the beeb ...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle2567469.ece

The wife, daughter and hated son-in-law of Burma’s secretive leader left the country last week, the opposition Democratic Voice of Burma has reported.

The Oslo-based radio station, which receives information from a network of dissidents within the country, said that Kyaing Kyaing, the wife of Than Shwe, had arrived with other family members in Singapore, the elite’s favourite destination for shopping and hospital trips.

Than Shwe has remained at the new capital, Naypitaw, with other junta members throughout the current crisis. He is believed to have traveled to Singapore a few months ago for medical treatment, said to be for cancer.

His daughter Ma Shwe Aye and her husband Teza, a tycoon who used his regime connections to rise from obscurity to become the richest man in the country, reportedly flew to Dubai.

Impoverished Burmese had an insight into the luxurious lifestyle of Than Shwe’s family last year when a video emerged of the wedding of another of his daughters, who was seen draped in presents of diamond necklaces.

DVB said that one of its correspondents had attempted to call Mr Teza at the seven-star Burj Al Arab Hotel, one of the world’s most luxurious, for an interview, but the tycoon failed to return the call.

Ten years ago Mr Teza was an unknown businessman but he has risen to become one of the most powerful men in Burma, thanks to his close connections with the regime. He is banned from visiting EU countries under targeted sanctions and is suspected of involvement in arms deals.

He owns Bagan Air, a tourist airline, and his Htoo Company is believed to have made tens of millions of dollars constructing bunkers and government buildings in Naypitaw. The crippling costs of building the city - located in an old jungle logging camp far to the north of Rangoon - are believed to have forced the regime to treble fuel prices, sparking the current round of protests.

Mr Teza was also notorious for building an ugly 60-metre viewing tower complete with a cocktail lounge in the historic city of Bagan. Known as Than Shwe’s tower by locals, because the military strongman financed it and Teza’s company built it, the cylindrical structure is hated because it is higher than all the 3,000 pagodas in the extraordinary complex that was once a Buddhist holy city. It was part of a complex, including a golf course, aimed at attracting Chinese package tourists.

Locals complained in private that to build higher than the height of a pagoda was arrogant and deeply sacrilegious.

The Asian Human Rights Commission warned today that junta members could move millions of dollars of personal wealth out of the country, as has happened before the fall of other Asian dictators.

[Streathamite]

when I rang, the hotel in dubai denied all knowledge

[Barking_Mad]

BBC news = shite.