I have been slammed at work all week, so I haven’t had any time to devote to things unrelated to the broken Internet. Therefore I have a lot of catching up to do this weekend. But I have been deeply struck by the horrific and slightly hopeful bits of information coming out of Burma this week.
About ten days ago, Buddhist monks in Burma began protesting the repressive government’s increase of fuel prices. Over the next few days the protests continued to grow as students and others joined in. The government responded by sending in combat troops and murdering several of the monks.
Throughout the protests Burmese citizens and expatriates pushed pictures, stories, and videos out on to the Net to illustrate the horror of their plight. Using blogs, file sharing, and e-mail ordinary Burmese cried out to the world for attention. If there is anything repressive regimes cannot stomach it is attention. Approximately thirty hours ago, the Burmese regime tried killing the voices of the people by cutting Internet service and shutting down Cell systems. But it is too late. Communications have been established; alternate routes for information to travel have been set up; words and pictures continue to flow out of the country.
I’ll never claim to be more then marginally familiar with the history and political situation in Burma. I know something of its post-colonial history — the wacky Ne Win, who superstitiously reissued Burmese currency so all denominations would be a factor of nine (his favorite number); thus, wiping out years of Burmese savings. I am aware the Burmese regime uses rape as a weapon against ethnic minorities and prisoners to sew fear, shame, and compliance. And, like many, I have watched the plight of Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyl. But I am also aware that the Burmese state has been, and continues to be, protected from international pressure by China.
It is in this last area where some difference can be made. China desperately wishes the upcoming Olympics to be seen as a great success and renewal for their country. Already pressure is being placed on them to change their Burmese policy, but a slightly more pressure may provide the tipping point. The US Campaign for Burma has begun organizing events and a petition to persuade the Chinese to change their policies. I urge people to sign their online petition.
At a time when so many leaders claim to be acting in the name of their people, let us listen to the people of Burma. They are calling, and maybe we can help.
For updates, blogs and news sites like Ko-Htike’s, Dawn_01, Burma Diegest, the Democratic Voice of Burma, and, of course, the BBC have some of the latest news and images coming out of the country.
