We have your pictures. We?re going to come and get you.

Myanmar/Burma <a

href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/world/asia/03cnd-myanmar.html?ex=1349150400&en=6ab8e87e313a078b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

" >follow up</a>

i was going to laugh when i saw the sentence early this morning, but then my tears came out...what a big screwly f*ckup...

Related article <a href="http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=506" >here</a>

The "tears" comment isn't too far off for me, either.

 

My mother, who works for the UN, was in East Timor when it was first being secured after the civil war there about...8 years ago? If anyone remember, three UN peacekeepers - administrative staff, like my mother - got stuck in a building on the wrong side of the East/West Timor line. They holed up in a building, where one of the members actually e-mailed updates as people slowly broke down the doors. They were all killed.

 

My mother never got close to that kind of situation, but my sister and I made her promise to never got on a peacekeepig mission again.

 

allan

I'm still more pissed than sad right now. I could of been there by now. I believe they were still issuing visas all the way up til last Friday. I went Monday and the embassy were closed. Then every agent I talked to said no more Myanmar visa. What I would do there is another question all together though...

A somewhat postive article for a change:

<a href="http://bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=122294" >Army Major defects from Myanmar</a

Sorry. I think I screwed up the html somewhere.

I took another look at Alan Soon's street shots of Burma that he gave us a link to not long ago on this forum. Those pictures now have a different look to me--they're just as lovely, but moving in a way that they weren't the first time around.

The US intervenes in Iraq to 'bring democracy to the region' (so they say). But when it comes to Myanmar/Burma after almost 12 years of house arrest of the woman, Ms. Kyi, who won a democractic election there (86% vs. 14%) ... well that's another story. Go figure.

Myanmar has had military rule for 45 years of its independent existence. Before that they were occupied for a very long time.

 

If you look at the region, Bangladesh has been slipping in/out of elected governments, Thailand has had a major change recently. Malaysia/Singapore have had only one ruling party all the time.

China had always had only one ruling party. India- the state that borders Myanmar has a major insurgency problem for the past few decades.

 

The key thing that should happen now is peace and reconciliation between the ruling junta and the opposition.

india has a major insurgency problem? since when?

India has a hugh insurgency problem mostly in the east provinces much like the ultra violent south Thai insurgency that been going on for years. They just don't get reported as much (if at all) especially in the US. The violence of the Malay-Muslim majority radical insurgency in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat (and also parts of Songkla) against Buddhist monks is down right nasty in the deep Thai south. Beheadings are not uncommon.

hugh-->huge