Locking up bloggers

Last month, in Yangon, one of Burma's best known bloggers and the owner of three Internet cafes in Yangon, Nay Myo Latt, was taken into custody by the military junta. His arrest is believed to be due to his writing about the suppression of freedoms following last fall's violent crack down of pro-democracy demonstrations. I say "believed to be" only because it can not be officially determined but it's not hard to know that is probably why. His site also said that he was interested in art and music. I am sure that could also get you arrested in Burma.

Burmese authorities have been cracking down on the countries bloggers since last September's demonstrations. They have blocked the website www.blogger.com, which I use, and have slowed down internet transmission speeds. Another method the regime uses to disrupt bloggers' is to sabotage their sites. Blog sites have been sabotaged with insults and pornographic material added.

The first blog site to have posted pictures of the demonstrations last September was www.moezack.blogspot.com. Sadly, the regime closed it down. If you visit the site now there is nothing but a headline that reads, Today Burma.

Despite international sanctions from the U.S. and Europe, there is little evidence that the junta is easing its repressive rule or moving closer to reconciliation with pro-democracy forces led by Suu Kyi.

Burma needs pressure not only from the U.S. and Europe but also its neighbors. For that to happen pressure is going to need to be put on its neighbors by the U.S. and Europe. For example Singapore, which is a popular vacation spot of the regime and their families, and also one of Burma's wealthiest business tycoons, Tay Za. Tay Za's son attends an international school there and gets to enjoy an extremely wealthy lifestyle. While back in his homeland of Burma his peers suffer from a very poor quality of education which is severely restricted in opportunity. Teachers are not even allowed formal training until they have been teaching for five years.
So, if Singapore would impose the same sanctions on the Burmese leaders and businessmen that the U.S. and Europe do maybe something could start to change for the Burmese people.

In January through a member of her political party, Aung San Suu Kyi cautioned the public with this statement, “hope for the best and prepare for the worst”. She is unsatisfied with the progress of her meetings with a representative of Myanmar's military junta.

Below is a portion of an article published on the website signonsandiego.com. I included it because I wanted to point out that I have read the same thing over and over on countless websites reporting on Burma's situation. My comments follow...

** The United States expressed disappointment at the lack of a time frame for reconciliation talks.
“We are pleased to have heard from Aung San Suu Kyi herself,” White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said. “We're disappointed to hear, however, that there has been no progress on a meaningful time-bound dialogue.
“The regime has refused to offer any time frame for commencement of a dialogue,” he said.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is under house arrest, said Aung Kyi insists political change must wait until the government completes its “roadmap to democracy,” a position she described as “totally wrong,” Nyan Win said.
The seven-stage roadmap is supposed to lead to free elections at an unspecified point in the future. A military-led national convention laid down guidelines for a new constitution, which is being written by a committee hand-picked by the government.**

It really is tiring to read the same thing over and over without hearing some kind of anger or at least educated statement from someone about how insane the situation truly is in Burma. To simply express disappointment for the lack of a time frame for meaningful reconciliation talks is just naive. There isn't going to be a reconciliation. They are a regime. They locked up all of the people that won the elections in 1990 so that they could take control. Considering the seriousness of the situation in Burma there could have been a more intelligent statement made by Tony Fratto.

As far as the seven-stage roadmap to democracy is concerned, it's not going to happen, it was started in 1993 and apparently only stage one is completed. They have been stalling to remain in power. The stages are supposed to lead to free elections. Again, they had those in 1990 and no one that won took office, they were locked up.
Than Shwe now calls for the country’s cooperation in building a “discipline-flourishing democratic state”. What is that supposed to mean?!

Finally, the country is locking up bloggers. Can anyone really think Burma is on their way to a reconciliation?