The Beginning Of The End In Myanmar

Global Politics, Current Events |

By MAJOR TOM | September 28, 2007

In 1986, The Philippine EDSA Revolution had achieved its most immediate aims with only one casualty involved and was called bloodless that way. It was referred to by many as a modern-day miracle because of such circumstance. But in Myanmar, 9 people have already been killed by strafing soldiers, including a 50 year old Japanese reporter that took a bullet in the chest, and was caught by a panning camera lying on the grown, his face towards the sky, and probably seeing how death could become in order that others may be free.

Bloody and ruthless. That’s how this purge by the military in Myanmar should be described in the most apt manner. And I felt that it was also so cowardly where the insecurity of the military regime there had become finally patent that it had resorted to such form of beastly conduct. It is becoming more and more clear now how the military junta there is merely a semblance of a legitimate government, a pretender for authority, for it doesn’t even have a code of conduct in resolving this kind of urgency, resorting immediately to ultimate violence (shooting into the crowd indiscriminately), not exerting best effort to moderate the situation by utilizing less deadlier means, like the use of water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

It was nowhere shown that the shooting of protesters by soldiers stationed to guard premises there had resulted from heat of the moment situation, erupting untowardly, like when the situation had reached a certain level of raucousness that force had to be used. The soldiers just shot at the protesting crowd, without any immediate harm to be thwarted. It should have been primordial that before violence would be exerted by the authorities, it should have been determined to be ultimately necessary, in the presence of clear and imminent danger and with the purpose of thwarting of a harm imagined to be greater than the violence exerted. This crudeness in the use of force merely offers evidence that in Myanmar, the rule of law is not such a very clear idea. And this must be why the Jakarta Post had termed the purge there as “Murder In Myanmar”.

ASEAN should go the extra mile and suspend Myanmar’s recognition into the regional group for such rogue conduct of the military junta there must have no place in a group like ASEAN, one that was formed in order to promote sympathy among nations involved, as well as to its populace as a whole.

In fact, every nation in the world should take away recognition of the military junta there as the legitimate government of Myanmar. The people yearn loudly for freedom and to be wise, the generals should take heed of this in the most efficient manner. When the populace there chooses to chart another direction, away from the wave of hatred and repression that the military had been sowing there through the years, then the generals there becomes merely a bunch of bullies intending to rule the people solely through the use of force, and not one legitimate government for and in behalf of the people.

Let us see how much of the populace really clamor for a different direction in Myanmar. If every soul there sees with repulsion the military junta that governs them by iron hands, then this mass uprising, sometimes called by others as “The Saffron Revolution” should become the beginning of the end for the ruthless military regime there.

19 Comments »

1. Schumey says; September 28, 2007 @ 9:55 pm

   Its high time the countries of the world cut ties with any nation led by despots. This is the only way to stop the flow of trade which these leaders use to enrich themselves.

   ASEAN should cut its ties to Myanmar. As long as we recognize their leaders, oppression will never stop..

2. bw says; September 28, 2007 @ 11:56 pm

   High time for ASEAN leaders to react to these barbaric acts of shooting at people indsicriminatey. Not sure if Myanmar is member of the UN but it ought to be admonished very sternly through economic sanctions if it does not stop killing people wantonly.

3. Major Tom says; September 29, 2007 @ 5:51 am

   To Schumey: America as well as the United Nations have done that to Iraq and N.Korea so why not Myanmar. The sanctions now are merely against SLORC officials and not the country as a whole, perhaps so s not to jeopardize the whole nation's economy, like how the sanctions had devastated Iraq's before, where the people suffered so much poverty despite it being an oil-rich counttry.

   But these sanctions are so minimal. It ought to be overwhelming in order to bring change and exert sufficient prssure on Myanmar's military leadership.

4. Major Tom says; September 29, 2007 @ 5:57 am

   To BW: The last time I heard TV news about this issue, the military there had stopped shooting at people and instead were throwing tear gasses into the crowd. Perhaps, the global reaction on the shooting had strongly gave warning to the generals there.

   It is not that we intervene with internal matters of a nation like Myanmar, a nation struggling to free itself from a hard past and misery, but it seems clear to me that there is so much aberration in Myanmar to ever recogize it as a nation governmed by a civilized government. It had been led for years by a military junta and by this time, some changes should have occured, towards a more permanent and regular form of government, be it democratic or communist. But the military junta remains in a very weird setup and to me, as long as this setup remains, ASEAN should not accept it as a member with good standing, even the United Nations.

   And besides, stories of forced labor and ethnic repression is not what a civilized nation ought to do.

5. vic says; September 29, 2007 @ 8:30 am

   It is proven time and time again that the Military can not Govern, no matter the intentions. Mix it with egos and hunger for power with guns, then the only result would be violence and chaos. Lest we forget, the Philippine Government is also run quasi military behind its civilian government and it could go the Myanmar way if the People become complacent and allow the corruptions and conspiracies between the government and the military persist.

6. Manila Bay Watch says; September 30, 2007 @ 2:06 am

   I wish Zimbabweans would do the same thing against Mugabe. We are all concerned today about Myanmar but believe me, Zimbabwe has gone down the drain so fast and is sinking fast too. From being the basket case in the southern part of the Africa continent, the country cannot now feed its people... on the verge of self-destruction. This Mugabe is infinitely worse than those generals in Myanmar put together!

7. Major Tom says; September 30, 2007 @ 7:41 am

   To vic: That's what I am saying. The military junta may be so inept to run the government there, even more now that the monks have voiced out their protestation. I mean it is not necessarily goes that a military junta is complete a futile form of governance, in fact Pakistan is being led by one under General Musharaff but it is getting by. Thailand is once in a while under military rule and it's progressing by the day.

   In Myanmar, reports have shown how military brutality there reminds one of Pol Pot days in Cambodia---of forced labor and ethnic violent repression. A huge number of Myanmar soldiers are collated through the recruitment of very young boys, with no families of their onw (whatever this means) and trained to have no conscience and to kill vehemently without regard to human side of conflicts.

8. Major Tom says; September 30, 2007 @ 7:46 am

   To Manila Baywatch: I've read how the currency there devaluates so fast, by the day, that money there could become useless in due time.

9. Ferdz says; September 30, 2007 @ 6:51 pm

   This is sad to hear for such country. Balak ko pa naman puntahan yan next year. haha.

   Anyways I remember the so called EDSA 3 here when and armed guard didn't fire his pistol despite being surrounded by rioting protestors. Maswerte pa rin tayo. I agree with what you said, that kind of government that would respond with brutality should not be recognized. It's really a sad that it has come to that. I hope the people there would find a way to take that military government down.

10. myepinoy says; September 30, 2007 @ 8:31 pm

    In light of these developments, it has become evident that ASEAN is just a feel good community of nations whose leaders are cowards, unjust and no respect for people.

    Also, when big money is involved, everything seemed to be alright as in the case of China, Russia and India, the major stake holders in Myanmar.

11. Sidney says; September 30, 2007 @ 10:12 pm

    America as well as the United Nations have done that to Iraq and N.Korea so why not Myanmar.

    There are no big oil reserves in Myanmar... China is protecting Myanmar because it gets cheap oil from there. I guess India also has some economic advantages...
    I don't think many world leaders have a soul! It is all about the money, the power and their vested interests.
    Chinese, Russians & Americans... I put them all in the same league!

12. Major Tom says; September 30, 2007 @ 11:25 pm

    To Ferdz: Even in full-blown war, rules of engagements are observed. It's clear that the generals there have no consideration of these, acting so much unlike a modern state that it purports to be.

13. Major Tom says; September 30, 2007 @ 11:29 pm

    To myepinoy: That's what I've read. China and India are actually funding the military junta there mainly because they are interested in its still robust natural resources, probably forest products. It's sad that the people of Myanmar are being governmed by what seem to be a gang of bandits trying to make money out of its produce.

14. Major Tom says; September 30, 2007 @ 11:36 pm

    To Sydney: The last update I checked, the United States had intensified sanctions against 14 Myanmar officials there, including their financial supporters. But I wonder if it'd be effective at all since it only involves individuals and not general sanctions.

    EU has also declared increased sanctions on the military regime as it had already been sanctioning them since 1998.

    Maybe ASEAN should do the most possible thing to do, suspend or expel Myanmar from it's ranks, that way the generals there would get the right message and not be spoiled and very self-confident.

15. pining says; October 1, 2007 @ 9:20 pm

    I've read somewhere that Ang San Suu Kyi (not sure if I spelled that right) can make a difference or may play a big role to stop the bloody war... well I hope.

16. Major Tom says; October 2, 2007 @ 12:37 pm

    To pining: As of now, she remains silent and uninterfereing to the current woes there. This is perhaps because of the gag the military put on her. I can't believe that a Nobel Prize laureate can be repressed this way and the world just look on.

17. Toe says; October 2, 2007 @ 4:18 pm

    I think that the multinationals and countries such as China, Japan, and the neighboring countries like Cambodia are not yet ready to cut ties with Myanmar. They are too rich in natural resources.

18. Manila Bay Watch says; October 2, 2007 @ 9:32 pm

    To be quite honest, what I'm more worried about is the dwindling population of whales.

19. Manila Bay Watch says; October 2, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

    Ooops, I think I posted my comment in the wrong thread. I meant to do it under 'Sharks'.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>