Satellites capture evidence of Burma crackdown Satellites focus on abuses in Myanmar Troops take back control in Myanmar Now that they've pulled the plug on the internet and closed off the phones, there doesn't seem to be many other ways for what is going on there to come out. Those who are seeking change for democracy are asking that their plight to be kept in mind even though there are no more pictures.
I said this was going to happen to my sister when it started, "another few thousand people will die, nothing will change, status quo will resume". So long as they've got China propping them up and a general populace that's more scared of dying then they are scared of getting every last person in the street and rebelling, it will continue.
I really have to ask - where did this whole suddenly caring about Burma/Myanmar thing come from? I swear it came out of absolutely nowhere about four days ago. Sounds cruel and cold, but it's an honest question.
I think Britain perhaps cares because they used to be ours pretty much. Plus, it's a place that's got people fighting for freedom and democracy, trying to overthrow a military government which treats it's people like crap. Last time anything like this happened, thousands died. I guess people care this time because they want to see the country improve, and because the alternative is that thousands more die and nothing changes. The world doesn't care per se though, we're just interested. There's a slight difference.
From a cynical standpoint, Burma has one of the few nasty dictatorships that the West isn't getting much out of; though they've a lot of gas there's damn all oil. It's their immediate neighbours (China and India) who are their weapons suppliers in exchange for a gas pipeline. So Bush could stand up at the UN and bad-mouth the junta without fear of egg on his face, and anything that could reduce China and India's energy supply and industrial growth is great news for the USA. It also helps distract attention from Iraq & Afghanistan, so the current unrest is well-timed for him. And Buddhist monks are definitely not Islamic or Muslim or linked to Alkaola, so no confusion there, they're freedom fighters, not insurgents or terrorists. The next country to be compassionate about will be Pakistan, as plucky little woman Benazir Bhutto stirs up the **** in the interests of Democracy™; a corrupt leader the West can deal with.
I think it has a lot to do with your age. Burma has been a closed society for so long, most of us hardly remember it as Burma and Myanmar stays out of the news quite well. Except for the flair ups, it's never in the news. Places like the balkans and darfur get all the air time, so the awareness is higher.
Gross generalisation, perhaps, but how does the killing of the hundreds of people etc not equate with the "genocide" in other places around the world? Sure, America is afraid of China's response to any direct involvement, but the cynic in me can't help feeling that the reason Bush isn't getting stuck in is because there isn't any bloody oil in Burma. A sad day indeed
Genocide has to be a specific group or ethicity, killed simply because they belong to that group or ethnicity. Like the murder of the gypsies and jews in WW2, or the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982, or the Armenian genocide way back before anyone cared. This is just lots of wonderfull killing. As for Bush getting stuck in, you'd probably be criticising him if he did, in 2-3 years time when the country was a huge mess. And what would he do anything with? His words are meaningless, economic sanctions are already in place, and the US has next to no military assets left that are free to deploy. He would appear to be doing everything he can.
