Burma

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by alister, Oct 3, 2006.

  1. alister

    alister Huh?

    Did anyone else see Channel 4's "Dispatches" documentary on Burma last night (2 Oct 2006)?

    See:

    http://www.channel4.com/news/microsites/D/dispatches2006/burma/index.html

    Sure, this stuff goes on all over the world, but this just shook me up. Take a look at:

    http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/

    If you saw the documentary, or read the links and feel you want to do something, donate, get on line, do anything. There are links to other country's organisations on the above site.

    E-mail Number 10 with "Burma" in your title

    http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page821.asp

    Anyone who saw the images of small kids forced to work for the military regime, or picking through litter to survive in the cities will be as upset as I am. If the world can invade a country on the basis of supposed "WMDs" then say it was a human rights issue, I'm sure we should be able to intervene in a regime that relies on UK and US trade to sustain an Army that is only at war with its own people.

    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2006
  2. Moosey

    Moosey invariably, a moose Supporter

    Yes, I did see it and was disgusted that we're not doing as much as we can to stop this kind of thing. Good work dude!
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2006
  3. Devoken

    Devoken On the Path-Off the Rails

    Thanks for posting this stuff, I work on cases of human rights abuse from all around the world through Amnesty International, but Burma is particularly close to my heart because I have some contacts there and have done a lot of work with Burmese refugees in my country through the New Zealand Burma Support Group. I am hoping to travel to the refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border in February with a small group of former 'residents' to make a documentary about the thousands of people who live in limbo there. Many refugees there are now second generation; they were born in the camps and are now in their 20s.

    The most heartbreaking thing for me however are the child soldiers; Burma has at least 70,000 active child soldiers, which accounts for almost one third of the confirmed world total.
     
  4. Humblebee

    Humblebee PaciFIST's evil twin

    Time to bring this thread back to life after everything that's happened in Burma recently.
    How can the military beat the Buddhists like they did.
     
  5. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    Its pretty bad, but what makes it worse is that China could have stopped it happening with a single phone call but they didn't and that there is a debate over economic sanctions, who the hell needs a debate when it comes to things like this. Shooting that Japanese photographer will hopefully cause the Junta over there a whole load of trouble though. They have few trading partners in the world but the Japanese are one of them and they take their citizens being murdered very seriously indeed.
     
  6. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    The regime can do it because its their country, sorry, but that's all their is to it.

    Britain, even if we had the military power to go in, can't afford to go in because of our own citizens. Iraq had similar problems before we invaded, yet it wasn't until the excuse of WMDs was fabricated (note that is wasn't fabricated by us exactly, we were just caught by the same fake stuff as certain highly placed Iraqis who thought they had WMDs) that we could go in. Not to mention that oil prices had to get unreasonable enough to upset the Americans before we could count on their support.

    But as outraged as people get by treatment of the Burmese, the moment we did go in and do something about it the government would suddenly be villains for using military force to oust an 'enemy' regime, and the press, and the public who encouraged them to go in, would crucify them all over again.

    So yes, be as outraged about it as you want. Just keep in mind how you felt when we do something and the press start telling you that we're the bad guys really.
     
  7. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    well thats a ridiculous way to look at it

    there is absolutely no question of military action from the west, not a chance, regime change in Burma would not be brought about by military action but by political pressure from its few remaining trading partners,

    again, where have you heard rumours of military action in Burma? Theres no way its going to happen.

     
  8. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Not so much. That's why most places get away with it. I wasn't saying it justify's it, I was simply saying that they get away with it because they are not ruled over by another sovereign power, one which actually has morals.

    Because that's always so successful.

    I haven't, and I agree there's no way its going to happen. Unfortunately I don't see change through exterior political pressure happening either, not without making things much, much worse for a long time before they get better.
     
  9. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    The question for me would be where do you draw the line?

    The world has many an oppressed people, and the British government isnt in a position to save the world imo.

    Maybe if they put more time and effort into doing things to benefit all of us in the long run, instead of coming up with stupid manifestos to win elections, then they could put more into making the world a better place.
     
  10. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    If they don't come up with stupid manifestos to win elections, they don't get into power, meaning that they can't do things to benefit us in the long run. Not entirely their fault, after all, we're the ones who vote for the wrong reasons.
     
  11. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    Thing is these stupid manifestos don’t seem to be working at the moment, you only have to look at David Cameron to see that the drivel he and his party has come up with isn’t fooling anyone.

    Only thing is we are doomed either way with the two main parties.

    I dont know why they are two separate parties anyway, neither of them are really conservative or Labour anymore, they are both just highbred and are practically the same, so why bother with any nonsense and bickering. They might as well save on time and resources and merge for christ sake!
     
  12. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Well as someone once said to me when I used to sound like you.

    If you don't like it, put yourself up for election and change it.
     
  13. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    Thats the thing, i should be able, in a democracy, to vote to change it.

    But what is there to vote for change? nothing.
     
  14. LilBunnyRabbit

    LilBunnyRabbit Old One

    Uh, no. There's no rule in a democracy about being able to vote for change.

    What there is, is a rule that you can stand up and make your voice heard. And you can. All you have to do is put more effort in than going and ticking a box on a form. The big problem is that everyone who supposedly wants change, wants someone else to do it for them. Things don't work like that.

    Besides, since when were we a democracy? We're a constitutional monarchy. America's a republic.
     
  15. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    Yeah, screw you, buddy.






    Oh wow, can this be a transparent reference to the war in Iraq? Oh it is? And was that a totally different war fought under totally different circumstances? Why, it was! And was there any popular support for the war in Iraq? Why, I don't believe there was!

    Oh, sorry, the press tell me what to think? I didn't realise that!

    That being over with, bear in mind that arrest in Burma means torture. They've just arrested hundreds of monks. MONKS. God knows I have no respect whatsoever for religion, but I think even I'd balk at the idea of that kind of sacrilege.
     
  16. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    If i thought i could make a difference i would do something.

    I would be living in dream land if i thought that i could change anything, the current political system wouldn't allow it.

    Your right, we dont live in a democracy which backs up my points.
     
  17. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    Well screw you too then. Evil can only arise because good men do nothing. If we've learned anything at all since 1945 it's that governments, corporations and authorities in general DO respond to pressure. Look at what the monks are doing- would the burmese child army be shooting at them if the governemnt wasn't at all worried?
    The problem is, they're doing it all ****-about-face. They've started off at stage 3 of mao's stages of political warfare. Now they've made their point the burmese people need to go back to stage 1.
     
  18. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much

    Thats another thing, who would i get to stand with me?

    You maybe?, but most British people are too scared to raise their voice in fear of being ridiculed or called “extremist”.

    All i ask is that the main parties spend more time working policies together, for the long run and security of us all, rather than coming up with bull crap to win elections.

    If they were two massive differing parties, i could understand...but they are mostly the same so why bother.
     
  19. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    I think there would be a surprising number of people who'd come round to your cause. In polling booth terms, you wouldn't be a force to be reckoned with; people are too locked in to this two-party rule frame of reference. So you'd have to compensate with a truly MASSIVE profile.
    Hmmmmmmmmm. We say that a lot, but imagine how much worse things could be if the tories did get in. I for one do NOT want the main parties to work together- I want the people I voted for in the cabinet, not the enemy.
     
  20. Hiroji

    Hiroji laugh often, love much


    Lol you might have a point! :D
     

Share This Page