October 1, 2007

THE TREE OF LIBERTY HAS TO BE WATERED, NOT SPRINKLED:

'6,000 held' as Burma smashes revolution (ETHAN MCNERN AND AUNG HLA TUN, 10/02/07, The Scotsman)

BURMESE authorities are holding about 6,000 anti-government protesters at four sites, including the notorious Insein prison and a racecourse, a dissident group, the Democratic Voice of Burma, said yesterday.

DVB, which has continued to broadcast TV and radio into Burma from its Norwegian base in Oslo, added that at least 138 people were killed in last week's protests.

"Our own estimate is about 6,000 people detained, not killed, but detained," including about 2,400 monks, said DVB's chief editor, Aye Chan Naing. He said they were being held in at least four places: the Insein prison; a pharmaceutical factory; a technical institute and a disused racecourse.

Ominously, it was reported many would be sent to prisons in the far north of the country.

Monks appear to be paying a heavy price for spearheading the demonstrations. An Asian diplomat said all the arrested monks were defrocked and made to wear civilian clothes. Some were likely to face long jail terms, the diplomat said.


The stark truth is that they've not paid a high enough price to shame the West into action.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 1, 2007 7:31 PM
Comments

Those at Tianman have paid quite a price two decades ago. Those who killed them are making billions now.

Lesson: Nothing short of an invasion works. The West are too greedy, too hypocritical, to matter much to the dictators.

Posted by: ic at October 1, 2007 9:26 PM

The number of deaths that would be necessary to get the American left or Europe on board with intervention would be quite large. I'd put the over under at 150,000. It's shameful really.

Posted by: Patrick H at October 1, 2007 9:35 PM

They don't matter. The Anglosphere, Germany and France are all right wing governments.

Posted by: oj at October 1, 2007 10:53 PM

What percentage of the Chinese population fought at Tiananmen?

Posted by: oj at October 1, 2007 10:54 PM

ic,

It's both worse and better than you think.

All we would really have to do is shut down trade (temporarily) with China. Close the US to their goods until their population riots/revolts.

There is no need to go to war. Just trade war.

The sad thing is we are too cowardly to do even that.

Posted by: Bruno at October 1, 2007 10:55 PM

Close the US to their goods until their population riots/revolts.

There'd be riots in the US long before there'd be any in China.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 1, 2007 11:11 PM

Actually, one of the reasons they are so weak is because the jobs they do anyone can. The manufacturing would just move.

Posted by: oj at October 2, 2007 6:04 AM

Kids want their happy meal toys and the junk they buy at the school store.

Posted by: Dave W at October 2, 2007 11:38 AM

All you need is 50 cruise missiles and one carrier group. Kill the junta, smash the new capital and hit a couple of army bases. Job done.

Posted by: Bob at October 2, 2007 11:54 AM
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