From the heart of ordinary citizens

30 September 2007

Recently, I have been on phone calls with friends from Burma. At one time, a group of my friends were stuck in a room in downtown area where the protests were on-going. As they talked to me, they told me emotionally that they could see people being shot down by soldiers, being dragged away, being hit upon by iron-batons. They revealed to me how helpless they felt about seeing all these actions and not being able to help them. They asked me repeatedly: Where are UN forces? Where are international forces?

For many ordinary people in Burma, their only glimpse of hope to stop the military regime's act of atrocities, is the intervention by the international community. They keep praying that UN or international forces will miraculously appear in Yangon where people are being killed and evidence of corpses are being removed by burning them.

As the days go by and more atrocities continue to occur, with their intensity becoming more extreme, my friends in Burma stop asking me the questions about UN forces. I begin to feel their sense of frustration. There they are, innocent group of citizens, who are up against the brutal regime who has far more power than them in terms of arms and capacity. In their (Burmese people) hearts, they know that this is probably their last chance for any form of change in Burma. Afterall, it has been almost 20 years since the last 1988 uprising! In fact, Burma was plunged into many decades of suppression, corruption, and poverty since General Nay Win took over power. For them, it is NOW or NEVER.

Burmese people like me, who are outside of Burma, somewhat feel that sanctions by western countries show a form of support for Burma's freedom and raise international awareness about happenings in Burma. However, for people in Burma, those sanctions do nothing to stop the killings there. I echo their sentiments too.

Why do you think that my fellow Burmese people risked their lives to send out the video footages, pictures to outside world and had phone interviews with foreign media? One simple reason is because they want to convey the information about their situation to international community through the media. We, bloggers, also try to do our part in transferring the information as quickly as possible to the world. Even after knowing and seeing all these happenings (raiding of monastries, torturing of monks, killing of innocent people) in Burma, will the international community still continue to sing the tune of non-intervention and sanctions-policy?

Hence, I sincerely implore to the international community to take some serious action before more damage is done (i.e. more lives are lost).

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Raw but heartfelt

This is a poem I received from someone in student army, ABSDF which is based in Thailand border. The poem is amateurish. The use of language may be raw. However, it portrays the true feelings and experiences of those people who have left their families and comfortable lives behind to pursue the path of freedom for Burma.

For many of them, their motto is that action speaks louder than words.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The guns without bullets, what can they do.
so we must go to the bullet-stores.
to destroy the handmake bombs
then you can get the goal .

(taikkha)

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"Shall China be Our No. 1 Enemy" Or "Our Declaration War on China"

This is the declaration by overseas 8888 students activists.
[SOURCE]

We are the 8888 student activists overseas who have been relentlessly seeking for the freedom of Burma from the military rule in Burma, side by side with the 8888 generation in Burma since 1988. As you have already known, Burma has become the most important trouble spot in Asia quite sometime. That was why the Burma's crisis drew the attention of the UNSC to do something about it. And, the US and EU's effort to take action against the regime in Burma under the mandate of UNSC was vetoed by China and Russia on Jan 12, 2007.

Nowadays, we have been calling on you to render full and strong support in our cause – restoration of freedom and democracy in Burma – by co-sponsoring with the US for an urgent agenda in the Security Council but we don't see any profound and immediate assistance in this matter from your Regime. Moreover, China and Russia gave a green light to a slaughter of the monks and activists at the last meeting of the U.N. Security Council emergency meeting by simply saying "just an internal affair". As a result, we have no alternative route to gain your sympathy as a fellow Buddhist country or intervention as a good neighbor but declare a war by any all means possible in non-violent ways.

Chinese government always insists that Burma crisis was not a threat to international peace and security, and it is just its own internal affairs. How dare you to say such a thing like that when the whole world has deplored such horrible crimes against the Buddhist Monks, who are in their peaceful procession chanting the hymns about love, forgiveness and reconciliation. What the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a blunt warning to Burma's generals, noting, as he put it," the age of impunity is dead" is absolutely true. We Burmese dissidents and people all over the world have no more vulnerability. Our patience for China is wearing thin. After we defeat China, Russia is to be next if Russia also fails to comply accordingly.

Here is our demand. Chinese Government must play a leading role to stop killing spree in Burma and support UNSC intervention to Burma. The ultimatum for China to join the world's body will be 72 hours starting from September 29, 2007 9:00 am to October 2, 9:00 am US Eastern Time. If China fails to meet our demands, we have decided to wage you the following global campaigns.
1. Boycott 2008 Olympic campaign
2. Boycott China's products.

Please visit our campaign at this link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc2za8K1RUs

We, all Burmese around the world will organize global action against China allied with Tibetans Dissidents, all religious organizations, any government organizations including all Chinese and Russian friends around the world to participate with us.

Victor Naing (88 Generation)

Date: September 29, 2007

P.S. All Oversea Burmese must show the China that we Burmese are how much smart and sharp and unite when we need to do so.

CCs:
H.E. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary-General, United Nations, New York
UNSC MEMBERS NATIONS
EU MEMBERS NATIONS
ASEAN MEMBER NATIONS
ALL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
USCB US CAMPAIGN FOR BURMA
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR TIBET
DASSK and National League for Democracy (Burma)
National Coalition Government of Union of Burma (Washington, DC)
National Council of Union of Burma (Thai-Burma border)
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
Mr. George W. Bush, President of United State of America
All Burmese Citizens in exile

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Burmese Tempo

29 September 2007

Burmese Tempo

Tears and cries make you proud.
As loud as you can ever imagine.
Gun fires and the bullet shells
We don’t want our people to be spelled.

Who can save our own country life?
Run and run until you’ve exhausted
But your courage has conquered the regime
Where they are now living desperately.

This is not the bullets world
Where we trade life with the guns.
This is not the scarlet world
Where they take the steps with blood.

Saffron robes has marched into the city.
They bring courage and inspiration to the glory.
I can’t imagine how long they still have to march.
But I am certain the country is watched.

Every bullets and batons made our hearts hard.
And the world has now stood up.
How I wish my country to retain peace.
Where the people would live with dignity.
Dancing Peacock

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United we stand, divided we fall


We are just the ordinary people struggling and working for our family’s needs everyday. We stage our protests out of our courage to fight against the dictatorship. We are not well-funded, well-supported nor well-organized. Against all the odds and all the bullets from the soldiers rifles, there are monks, students and people out there in Burma marching and sacrificing their lives for what they believe and what they have been longing for - free Burma where everyone is free from fear, free from dictatorship, free to think, free to express one’s belief, free to do a business and free to have a control over one’s own life.


Support from every single Burmese

We still have Burmese watching TVs and playing games when the protestors are dying on the streets of Burma.

We need support from every single Burmese. You may be a student or housewife but you can’t say you are not interested in politics. Burmese politics is not only for the Burmese politicians but also the business of every Burmese because it has the direct effects on you and your family. Let’s leave the most shameful and unjust happenings in Burma, we have a very simple example of how dictatorship has direct impacts on every Burmese daily life. Most of us are working or studying in foreign countries away from our beloved friends and family. We have to be separated from our beloved ones because of the situations in Burma. That’s just one of the direct impacts of Burmese dictatorship on our daily lives.


United we stand, divided we fall

Since the Burmese independence, we have tens of political unions, associations and armed-forces. So, why are we still under the dictatorship? The problem is that all those political unions and armed-forces are not united. When Shan politicians are struggling for the independent Shan state, KNU is in war with the Burmese army for the freedom of Karen. When ABSDF is struggling outside Burma, NLD is protesting against the junta inside Burma. Now, we have ABMA (All Burma Monks Alliance) and we will have more in the future but we all are fighting against one organization led by dictator. We have more than enough political organizations. All we need is to work as one. United we stand, divided we fall!.


Success of being united

Since the start of our martyr monks protests against the junta last week, we have protestors on the streets, celebrities walking along the monks, donors from overseas, prayers all over world, bloggers sitting in front of computers and updating news every single minute and the informers risking their lives at the gun-points of the riot polices. As a result, the whole world is watching Burma and the junta is deeply threatened and scared of losing their power now.

1) This campaign is for every single people living in Burma, born in Burma or who loves Burma. All Burmese are obligated to support the protests for the free Burma as it’s for the sake of every single Burmese. We need fighters, prayers, monks, organizers, writers, celebrities, hawkers, engineers, students, teachers, workers and every one to reach our dreamland, free Burma.

2) United we stand, divided we fall.

3) Please be united and do discuss closely, plan and fight against the dictatorship as we are fighting against an armed-forces which is well-funded, well-structured, well-trained and led by a group of people who have lost their common sense of justice in the lure for the power and wealth.


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WAKE UP, UN!

According the eye-witnesses spoken to a friend of mine on the phone right now, almost all the monasteries in Rangoon are being raided by the military troops tonight. The fate of the monks who have been and are going to be arrested is unknown.

This is what happened when UN failed to provide timely help to Rwanda in 1994. We do not want the ugly history to repeat.

(Extract from wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide)

The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutu sympathizers in Rwanda and was the largest atrocity during the Rwandan Civil War. This genocide was mostly carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups, the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi, during about 100 days from April 6 through mid-July, 1994. At least 500,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus died in the genocide.[1] Some estimates put the death toll between 800,000 and 1,000,000.[2]

In the wake of the Rwandan Genocide, the international community, and the United Nations in particular, drew severe criticism for its inaction. Despite international news coverage of the violence as it unfolded, most countries, including France, Belgium, and the United States, declined to prevent or stop the massacres. Canada continued to lead the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda, United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). Despite specific warnings and requests from UNAMIR's commanding officers in Rwanda, before and during the genocide, the UN Security Council refused to send additional support, declined UNAMIR's request for authorization to intervene, and even scaled back UNAMIR's forces and authority.

Written on 28 September 2007 Friday

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Flying Bullets, Dying Protestors

People are suffering and living on fear of being arrested and tortured. Monks are beaten, killed and arrested in a Buddhist country of Burma. What are you waiting for, United Nation?

Peaceful protestors led by Monks desperately urge for national reconciliation, dialogue and democracy. Instead, they got bullets flying all over their heads and they are dying under the repressive regimes. Does it sound like watching war movie? No, it is not a movie. It's what happening right now in Burma. Official Burmese media reported 9 were killed including a Japanese reporter. And guess what the response over this extreme terrorist stance? UN is closely watching over the event. The junta might not hear those words as they are busy firing warning shots directly into the crowd.


A friend in Burma told me their lives are in grave danger. And he asked me last night over google talk when UN Security Council would take action to stop killings in Burma. I have no answer frankly. Burmese junta had killed thousands of civilians back in 1988. How many are they going to kill? The answer belongs to China and Russia, two of five permanent members of UN Security Council. They must take full responsibility if millions are killed in Burma like in Rwanda and Sudan.

US & UK vs China & Russia?
Please, this is not the time to power-play.

I urge anyone who loves freedom to help the people of Burma. Please save Burma out of devil's guns!

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