We are on our own – citizens in Burma by risa
I saw signs of poverty everywhere in Rangoon – children with distended stomachs, people scavenging through rubbish and families buying coal to cook on open fires, owing to the intermittent and expensive electricity supply.
Outside the major cities, the situation is far worse.
Foreigners are rarely allowed into the northern and eastern states, but reports from refugees who have left these areas suggest conditions are on a par with the worst parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
Unsurprisingly, the main thing most Burmese people want is an improvement in their standard of living.
As a result, many Burmese are sceptical of sanctions, saying they have already made the country poor and will only make the situation worse if they are tightened further.
“Sanctions don’t work – they’re not the solution,” one elderly man said to me in a Rangoon teashop, as we discussed Burma’s future.Walking around the city, watching the Japanese and Chinese cars go by, and looking at the plethora of Chinese and Indian goods on sale, it is easy to see how he has drawn this conclusion.
The US and EU sanctions that are already in place have undoubtedly affected Burma’s overall economy, but they do not seem to have done much harm to the rich military generals, who are busy making deals with the rest of Asia.
Let down?
While they might not favour sanctions, the people of Burma definitely want the international community’s help in other ways.
Many of those who telephoned the UN during the crackdown asked why no-one was sending a peacekeeping force.
I was faced with a similar question when I was in Burma last year. “Why have the US and the UK invaded Iraq, and not done the same here?” one man asked me at the time.
After the events of recent weeks, some Burmese people feel let down by the outside world.
“The international community did nothing to stop a three-day killing spree,” one woman said. “That was when I realised we were on our own.”
source.
and another reliable source for more Burma news (because lord knows it’s difficult to find on front pages now)
And you know, sometimes I agree with a Bush, Laura this time:
“Gen. Than Shwe and his deputies are a friendless regime,” Bush said. “They should step aside to make way for a unified Burma [Myanmar] governed by legitimate leaders.
(…)
In Wednesday’s commentary, Bush called on Myanmar’s military leaders to release Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders so they can meet with and plan for a transition to democracy.
“Meanwhile, the world watches — and waits,” Bush warns.
“We know that Gen. Than Shwe and his deputies have the advantage of violent force. But Ms. Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders have moral legitimacy, the support of the Burmese people and the support of the world.
“The regime’s position grows weaker by the day. The generals’ choice is clear: The time for a free Burma is now.”
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