while we talk about what in my opinion is the slightly isolated "jena six" thing, in Burma there is a potential catastrophe about to explode.

For those who haven't heard about the story here is the brief lowdown:

Burmese dictatorship opens fire

Read the linked stories too.

I feel something must be done by the international community before it is too late and this evil military regime kills tens of thousands. They killed 3,000 on a previous protest in 1988, so i'm sure they would do it again.
They've already killed a Japanese Journalist in all of this too.

dire :(

It is potentially catastrophic as you say, and i think will probably prove to be a watershed in the countries history.
I think putting pressure on China is all we can do realistically, we cannot intervene militarily.
It's interesting the Buddhist monks who are non aggressive, can still have so much power act as catalysts for political change.

Myanmar

(Burma)

If you live in Myanmar...
there is a huge gap between your rights and daily reality

You can be...

forced into unpaid labour
Many people are forced into unpaid labour – mainly by the army – to build roads, military camps and other infrastructural projects. Those made to porter for the army have to carry heavy loads, and are often beaten and kicked if they do not keep pace with everyone else. Forced labour is illegal under Myanmar law, yet it continues to be required by the army. Those particularly affected are members of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, who make up more than one third of the population.

forced to leave your home
Hundreds of thousands of civilians from ethnic minority communities have been forced to leave their villages, as part of a strategy to cut off support to armed opposition groups. Whole villages have been razed, obliterating people’s homes and possessions. Hundreds of thousands have fled to other countries, escaping forced relocation and other abuses. Many have been victims of other human rights violations by the government, including extrajudicial executions and the confiscation of their land.

denied citizenship, even if your family has lived there for generations
Many Rohingya are not recognized as citizens by the government. A Bengali-speaking, Muslim ethnic minority group, the Rohingya have lived in western Myanmar for centuries. Yet many cannot travel or marry without getting official permission, and are not allowed to own property.

locked up for years for writing a poem or acting on behalf of political prisoners
Thousands of government critics have been imprisoned for peaceful activities, like writing histories or poems, or taking other action to defend human rights. Calling for the release of political prisoners or urging the authorities or the UN to address human rights violations can also lead to a jail sentence. Conditions in prison are appalling and many people die there, often as a direct result of their treatment. Repressive laws and official abuse of the justice system have allowed thousands to be imprisoned for political reasons. Prisoners of conscience are serving prison sentences of up to 106 years solely for peacefully exercising their basic rights.

locked up for years without knowing why or ever going to court
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s political opposition, the National League for Democracy, has been under house arrest for more than 10 years intermittently since 1989. She is held under a law which allows the authorities to detain people at home or in prison without ever charging them or bringing them to trial. Although the National League for Democracy won more than 80 per cent of parliamentary seats in the 1990 elections, power has not been transferred to them. This law has been used to hold other members of the political opposition already imprisoned for their peaceful political activities even after their sentences have expired.

tortured, even to death, by the police or army
Torture and ill-treatment are commonplace. Criminal suspects, political prisoners, ethnic minority farmers and former members of the government have been subjected to brutal treatment by both the army and police to extract information or to punish them. Unknown numbers of people have died as a result of their torture. In areas where armed groups opposing the government operate, dead bodies have been found showing marks of torture.


You cannot complain
If you do, you may be tortured and imprisoned

Scores of people have been imprisoned for speaking out about practices like forced labour, torture, heinous prison conditions, arbitrary imprisonment and restrictions on political party members. Justice is often denied to those, including lawyers and others, who act on behalf of people whose rights have been abused. Meanwhile, government authorities enjoy wide impunity for serious human rights violations.

The authorities consistently reject reports of human rights violations – whether from Myanmar citizens, or international officials like the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar – as politically motivated propaganda.

DOWN WITH THE BURMESE MILITARY JUNTA! BOYCOTT CHINA'S 2008 GENOCIDE OLYMPICS*!!!

*For China's government's support of the Burmese authoritarian government.

The reaction of China's government would be comic if it weren't so sad. Restraint on both sides please...

Oh yeah, like the restraint they showed in Tiananmen Square.

I'd love an Olympic boycott - but it just would not look too clever from the invaders of Iraq & Afghanistan.

Although it is yet to be fully investigated, it looks like that Nagai (the Japanese Journalist) was intentionally shot...

(warning: the video contains some graphic content):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUUQi1ooEAs

This is outrageous, the camera in his hand made it clear enough that Nagai was a journalist.

It is terrible Sam. :( Sadly many countries in the wrold stil get away with this stuff. It is wrong, and we should help - I personally believe it is every decent moral citizen's duty to help those suffereing form violations fo their human rights. I do however shudder every time someone liek Bush starts goin on about liberating the free in the name of democracy, as generally it's in the name of economic gain or image enhancement, and the easier ti is to liberate the more likely such leaders will intervene playing the big hero. It' snot worn to play the hero, it's wrong to by a hypocrite and have slefish questionable motives.

No one did much about Tianamen Square did they? Everyone licks China's ass and they've gien one fo the worst human rights violators and pollutors on the planet the Olympics. :rolleyes: When we had wars in the former Yugosalvia, I seem to recal people nto getting involved as it was 'their"war and they di dnto want to imterfere or impose their will on others - yeah right ! roflmao No bloody oil more like and too dangerous. :rolleyes:

My thoughts exactly BS :clap: :clap: :clap:

:clap: :clap: :clap: You tell 'em JC!

I think it is very important for people to liberate themselves without external help. As tough as it seems, a free country can only really be free if its population fight for it. We have had our kings, emperors and tsars here in Europe and revolutions more or less violent have been essential in giving us this invaluable freedom. Any external help is often doing more harm than good and takes away the responsibility from the oppressed ones. I know the forces might be unbalanced, and more bloodshed might come but that is often the price to pay for freedom.

Thomas Jefferson said 'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots and tyrants'
and i agree with the broad thrust of your post that ultimately this must be solved internally, but some pressure on the Chinese must surely help, what we may be able to offer is moral support, with the Olympics coming up we may just have some small leverage we can exert on the Chinese.

Yes but as Barry writes further up, I don't think the invaders of Afghanistan and Iraq are much in a position to exert moral values upon others. And not many earthly powers can. Besides we do not know what really is best. Tiananmen might be seen as the perfect example of a big oppressing regime upon its people but had those students achieved destabilise the Communist regime maybe much more bloodshed would have occurred. Nothing guarantees that the new leaders would have been all rosy. We know what wanna-be powerful men can do. They are roughly all the same! I think China has done the transition from a strictly communist regime to freer market with some success. It’s difficult to please 1.2 billion people!!!. Maybe we need to be a bit more patient. The USSR liberation, despite the help of Gorbachov, one of the greatest politicians of all time imo, has resulted so far in more violence, and still ongoing wars with atomic weapons scattered everywhere.

I am certainly not for the oppression of the Burmese, but I am much more worried at what’s happening in the Middle East frankly.

watching the news last night, it appears that the 'rebellious monks' have all 'disappeared' also mobile phone networks and internet access have been taken down by the authorities...