Burma still on fire by Claudia Sonea

On August 18 in Myanmar or unofficially Burma a mass protest started due to the government that raised the price of gas and diesel oil by 500% because of a budget deficit resulted from a salary hike for civil servants and that the capital city was moved to Pyinmana, now called Naypyidaw. The leader Min Ko Naing (with the nom de guerre Conqueror of Kings) is now imprisoned in Insein Prison after being severely tortured among others protestants. The monks of Burma, coordinated by an underground organization, stepped in and on 19 September 2007, several hundred (possibly 2000 or more) monks staged a protest march in the city of Sittwe, Rangoon and in many other cities. In order to ease the international and intern pressure the military junta that rules the country for more than four decades, made a donation of 8,000 dollars in cash and huge amounts of rice, cooking oil, toothpaste and medicine to fifty monasteries and a nunnery in northern Yangon, according to the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper that is under government's orders. The Buddhist monks, who were violently beaten and arrested, supposedly accepted the gifts. Furthermore in Buddhism religion if the gifts are rejected that means excommunication and by accepting them the soldiers were brought back into the faith. During the weekend many of the imprisoned people were freed and allowed to go back to their houses and 400 out of 533 monks detained were released. Moreover Junta chief Senior General Than Shwe accepted a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, although posing conditions among which the one that she stops instigating the monks. The UN Council weighed a non-biding statement signed by US, France and Great Britain that criticizes the violent repression of the military junta and urges them to cease all repressive measures and to free the political prisoners and other detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi. UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari on his recent mission to defuse the crisis was allowed to meet with the democratic leader. No actions can be held against the dictators due to the resistance that China and Russia might oppose. Until the crisis is solved, there are many things to put in order, especially the situation created by the death of a Japanese reporter shot by the troops during September demonstrations. Japan is one of the country's largest donors and although Myanmar denies the allegations, until further results, Japan had threatened to cut back all financial aid. Don't go away, more to come.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071008/twl-myanmar-unrest-696b303_1.html

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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