Letters to the Editor
-
The Buddhist way of Non-Interference
I only hope if the overthrow of the Myanmar Bureaucracy takes place, that Christian Democratic Police enlisted by George Bush do not come to mess up this country as they have done in so many other places thoughout Presidents Bush reign.
-
a lot depends on china's attitude
and judging by the way they have treated the buddhists of tibet, and the tiananmen democracy seekers, i don't have any hope.
-
Too bad Burma doesn't have oil.
If Burma had oil, freedom might be marching there, heh heh.
This morning NPR reported that the junta forces have grabbed and removed thousands of the monks. Where they are now, and what is happening to them, is not that hard to imagine.
Funny how the civilized world can stand by and let this happen again and again and again.
-
Sri Lanka is 70% Buddhist
And that country practically invented suicide bombing on a vast scale.
-
i think, squiggles, that the sri lankan suicide bombers
were the tamil, who are hindu. the buddhists of vietnam committed suicide to protest their treatment by the diem (catholic) gov't. but that wasn't bombing, it was burning and they only killed themselves. there must be that famous picture on the net, with this calm buddhist totally on flame. hard to imagine such, who knows what, consciousness.
-
A lesson for dictators
The lesson here is that if dictators want to really control their people, they have to control the people's church and its leaders as well.
Good for the monks - what took them so long?
-
who said Burma doesn't have oil?
It may not have much oil now but it's one of the oldest oil exporting countries. There may still be plenty left if anyone invests in off shore exploration along the coast. However, it has plenty of natural gas. Read the quoted text below excerpted from here. http://www.nautilus.org/~rmit/forum-reports/0630a-kolas-tonnesson.html
In 2004, Burma exported natural gas (through the Yadana pipeline) to Thailand for nearly US$1 billion, which is claimed to be at least twice as much as Burma could have earned from trade with the USA and the EU if they had not applied sanctions. [36] The oil and gas sector continued to grow in 2005, owing to Chinese, Thai, South Korean and Indian investments. Thailand's imports from Burma, mainly consisting of gas from Yadana and Yetagun, rose by more than 50% that year. [37] Gas is now by far the most important source of income for Burma, and one-third of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Burma is in the oil and gas sector. The combined FDI in Burmese oil and gas since 1988 is approximately US$2.5 billion, 33% of all of Burma's FDI. [38] From the newly discovered Shwe field alone, the Korean Daewoo International has predicted at least US$86 million in net profit annually for 20 years from 2010, while Burma is projected to earn a minimum of US$800 million a year, and potentially up to US$3 billion. [39]
In short, no matter what kind of sanctions EU and US are imposing on Burma, its government does not care since they are getting the money from the neighboring countries with no respect for human rights. China, Thai, South Korea and India should be the countries that need pressure from the western powerhouses. They might actually get affected by the damage of economic sanctions. Burma has found a way to survive without economic transactions with the west.
Calling Japan to stop its humanitarian aid isn't going to help anyone either.
-
Why does this article only have seven letters and the Cary Tennis column on unclean women have 125?
Why does this article only have seven letters and the Cary Tennis column on "unclean women" have 125? The fate of these protesters is one of the most important news stories in the world right now. I am shocked by the lack of interest by readers.
-
you are EXACTLY right, SnowPhoenix
i should have put on my China post, sudan (not just tibet and tiananmen)
-
yes, Mike_in_NM, you discovered something about the salon readership
if burma/myanmar had jews it would be a different story. (by the way, burma has 6 times the population(42 million) of israel and 32 times the area(261,227). crazy isn't it? )
-
Mr. Sugarman
What do Jews or Israel have to do with the difference in the number of letters going to each article?
Answer carefully; a foot is a hard thing to dislodge from a mouth.
-
you can't figure it out? DJ?
if it had been jews or israel or bush or some sex thing, it would have gotten many many letters. i just picked one that interested me. the area and population figures were to show how irrational it is. are you just *playing* dumb?
-
i didn't answer carefully, so i'll have another go at it
what inspired YOU to write?
-
I'm trying to figure you out.
Are you an anti-semite, or a kneejerk Israel supporter?
-
I'm trying to figure you out.
Are you an anti-semite, or a kneejerk Israel supporter?
-
more about the daily hand outs
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7014173.stm
BBC News has excellent coverage and very up to date information on the demonstrations. And very moving pictures.
-
BBC Coverage & Cary Tennis
Here is another article at the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7015212.stm
I admit I don't know much about this country, what used to be called Burma. But I very much hope the bravery of the monks and the people protesting brings change... and that the junta realizes it is facing a powerful public uprising.
Maybe this time, in a country that has had several uprisings, this one will succeed through the added strength and impact of the monks.
This in the BBC article is both beautiful and terrible:
"Monks marching to the home of Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly urged civilians not to join them and not to resort to violence.
But elsewhere witnesses said civilians were shielding the marching monks by forming a human chain around them."
I think it's much easier to write a letter responding to Cary Tennis than it is to respond to a growing crisis "far away." What can we do here in the US? I don't mean to be fatalistic. I really want to know.
There are so many times I've read of something horrible happening in the world and wanted to help, or stop violence, and wished I could be powerful enough to make a difference.
I know, this sounds maudlin probably, but all of this information streaming at us from around the world is both a blessing and a curse. I am glad for the knowledge of how people can stand up and risk their lives for others... but how awful that they must.
Maybe the best I can say is that reading news like this will inspire more courage and compassion as readers go about their daily lives.