Turmoil in Myanmar & Burma

[AinuLainour]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21003194/

No doubt many of you have been hearing about this recently.. it\'s terrible to see how the Burma(ian?) government\'s been lashing out in reply to the protesters, but the fact that people are starting to take notcie all around the world, maybe it\'ll end up alright.... thoughts?

 

[treide]

I confess I haven\'t kept up with Burmese politics, but the events of the past week are disturbing. I think the sanctions certainly are appropriate. We\'ll just have to see if things escalate.

 

[Swordwind]

I\'m not so sure. Afterall, the world watched Tiananmen Square happen and did nothing.

 

[Avelorn]

Yeah I have been following this. Hope it all turns out good. Tomorrow is wear a red shirt for Burma day. Sure, it might not do a difference per se. But I\'ll do it anyway.

 

[Evil Dave]

I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

 

[Avelorn]

Originally posted by Evil Dave
I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

You\'ve been saying an awful lot of truths lately...

 

[Sand Rat]

Originally posted by AinuLainour
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21003194/

No doubt many of you have been hearing about this recently.. it\'s terrible to see how the Burma(ian?) government\'s been lashing out in reply to the protesters, but the fact that people are starting to take notcie all around the world, maybe it\'ll end up alright.... thoughts?

Does Burma/Myamar have an exploitable resource? Do they pose a threat to other world powers? Since these guys have been in power for 19 years now I think most of the rest of the world will just watch the dust settle.

 

[treide]

Originally posted by Evil Dave
I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

I agree that general trade sanctions generally hurt the populace rather than those in power, but I got the impression that the actions were targeted towards the assets of 14 individuals in power.

 

[No Such Agency]

There are a hell of a lot of people in the streets in Burma, but I think the military is going to crack down hard (and indeed have already started). There might not be open massacres, but only because shooting a bunch of monks would simply increase the population\'s anger. Burma\'s military leaders are very paranoid and ruthless in their maintenance of power. According to BBC they are already isolating the country from the foreign media and the internet, and aggressively propagandizing about \"foreign troublemakers\" supposedly behind the unrest.

 

[Evil Dave]

Originally posted by treide

Originally posted by Evil Dave
I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

I agree that general trade sanctions generally hurt the populace rather than those in power, but I got the impression that the actions were targeted towards the assets of 14 individuals in power.

yeah...but will it really affect those 14 when they can just take what they want from those under them?
Money really means nothing when you have power.

 

[treide]

Originally posted by Evil Dave

Originally posted by treide

Originally posted by Evil Dave
I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

I agree that general trade sanctions generally hurt the populace rather than those in power, but I got the impression that the actions were targeted towards the assets of 14 individuals in power.

yeah...but will it really affect those 14 when they can just take what they want from those under them?
Money really means nothing when you have power.

Good point. It probably would be more effective to deploy our surplus US troops to police the nation.

Sorry - I know that was a smart-ass comment, but I\'m not sure what an appropriate response to the situation would be.

Public condemnation and sanctions are for the most part ineffectual gestures. Actual military action will of course be perceived as heavy-handed and intrusive.

Where is the happy medium? Multinational UN peacekeeping forces? We have seen how effective that is in African conflicts.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Originally posted by steelcult

Originally posted by AinuLainour
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21003194/

No doubt many of you have been hearing about this recently.. it\'s terrible to see how the Burma(ian?) government\'s been lashing out in reply to the protesters, but the fact that people are starting to take notcie all around the world, maybe it\'ll end up alright.... thoughts?

Does Burma/Myamar have an exploitable resource? Do they pose a threat to other world powers? Since these guys have been in power for 19 years now I think most of the rest of the world will just watch the dust settle.

Yes large sources of Oil, Natural gas, Precious Gems and vast Teak forrests. Their number on client is China. So since China likes things the way it is.. were probably not going to see a change. The Generals who led the coup and control Burma live on vast wealth while the majority of the country live in Poverty and a forced to work useually with pay for the government. Its pretty much a country of 50 million slaves.

The news tonight was reporting that one of the Generals daughters was married recently and that her wedding cost 50 million dollars.

 

[Evil Dave]

Originally posted by treide

Originally posted by Evil Dave

Originally posted by treide

Originally posted by Evil Dave
I don\'t know...sanctions usually just hurt the people at the bottom, rarely affecting those at the top who are the intended target.

I agree that general trade sanctions generally hurt the populace rather than those in power, but I got the impression that the actions were targeted towards the assets of 14 individuals in power.

yeah...but will it really affect those 14 when they can just take what they want from those under them?
Money really means nothing when you have power.

Good point. It probably would be more effective to deploy our surplus US troops to police the nation.

Sorry - I know that was a smart-ass comment, but I\'m not sure what an appropriate response to the situation would be.

Public condemnation and sanctions are for the most part ineffectual gestures. Actual military action will of course be perceived as heavy-handed and intrusive.

Where is the happy medium? Multinational UN peacekeeping forces? We have seen how effective that is in African conflicts.

I was thinking the A-team.

 

[Sand Rat]

Originally posted by Dragon Forge Design

Yes large sources of Oil, Natural gas, Precious Gems and vast Teak forrests. Their number on client is China. So since China likes things the way it is.. were probably not going to see a change. The Generals who led the coup and control Burma live on vast wealth while the majority of the country live in Poverty and a forced to work useually with pay for the government. Its pretty much a country of 50 million slaves.

The news tonight was reporting that one of the Generals daughters was married recently and that her wedding cost 50 million dollars.

Ah well then as long as the Chinese don\'t have a problem with it I really don\'t see what the problem is. (Man we really need a tongue in the cheek smiley lol)

 

[DaN]

Free Burma!!!

[size=-1]And while we\'re at it... Free Tibet!!![/size]


[size=-2]And...[/size]

 

[treide]

Originally posted by Evil Dave

I was thinking the A-team.

Heck, just strap Chuck Norris to a rocket and shoot him over there. He\'ll sort them out.

 

[3rd Eye]

I\'ve got a friend who\'s family were forced to flee Burma the last time things blew up, it\'s sad to see it happening all over again.
As for interfering, forget it, the world is way to afraid of upsetting China and as heartless as it may sound this is something best left to the Burmes people. Yes the military have big guns but if they think the system is about to topple the generals will quickly start to think about there future positions.
As for surplus U.S troops what good would three men do lol

 

[No Such Agency]

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/261527

Seems the stratagery is to be:

1. lock the monks in their monasteries, out of the way
2. threaten to do Very Bad Things to anyone else who keeps protesting

Apparently Aung San Su Kyi has been transferred from her house-arrest to a hut on the grounds of a notoriously grim and abusive prison, as an additional threat to the pro-democracy movement. All she did to deserve this was appear at her gates to receive a blessing from the monks. So sad.

If this angers you, you can send an Amnesty International letter to help the people of Burma.

 

[hakoMike]

There was a Burmese fellow interviewed on NPR last night about events there. He was a student activist last time this happened.

The interviewer asked if he had tried to contact his parents (in Myanmar) since this happened, and he replied that attempting to call them would put them in danger. According to him, the military is also going door to door and collecting any \"houseguests\" at gunpoint. I can\'t even imagine.

If anyone has read Amy Tan\'s latest book \"Saving Fish From Drowning,\" a lot of it takes place in Burma. Not her best, but if it\'s in any way accurate about the regime there then it must be a terrifying place to live.