October 4, 2007
Monks Are Silenced, and for Now, Internet Is, Too
By SETH MYDANS
BANGKOK, Oct. 3 — It was about as simple and uncomplicated as shooting demonstrators in the streets. Embarrassed by smuggled video and photographs that showed their people rising up against them, the generals who run Myanmar simply switched off the Internet.
Until Friday television screens and newspapers abroad were flooded with scenes of tens of thousands of red-robed monks in the streets and of chaos and violence as…
by cabs985
by thono
from irrawaddy.org:
UN Chief Says Envoy's Trip to Burma Wasn't Success
By Edith M Lederer/AP Writer/United Nations
October 04, 2007—Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said his special envoy delivered "the strongest possible message" to Burma's military leaders about their bloody crackdown on democracy activists, but added that he couldn't call the trip "a success."
Ban said he would meet with the UN Security Council on Friday to discuss what to do about human rights abuses in Burma, calling the situation…
by anonymous
From Bangkok Post.. they are writing it as if the Monks were violent and that poor Thai business people might suffer.. what a joke!
Violence in Burma to affect Thai business
Violence in Burma caused by the military government's crackdown on mass street protests by monks and the people, if persistent, will have an impact on businesses owned by many groups of Thai investors in the country, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre.
The leading think tank reported should the unrest drag on, and…
by adama
I have a buddy coming to visit me in Myanmar.
He is arriving in Bkk in two weeks.
Can anyone tell me if the Myanmar Embassy in Bkk is still issuing tourist visas?
Thanks
by gumnaam
Monks flee crackdown as reports of brutality emerge
Ian MacKinnon, South-east Asia correspondent
Thursday October 4, 2007
The Guardian
Scores of Burmese monks were stranded in Rangoon's railway station yesterday while trying to flee the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests that has left thousands languishing in prison.
Bus drivers refused to take the russet-robed monks, fearing the security forces would cut off fuel supplies for their vehicles if they accepted the fares, even as the military…
by econboy
I've seen this question asked before but I wanted to post it again. I'll be travelling to the country in early November and with all of the recent turmoil I don't know if things have changed much in the city. I know others have recommended things such as the train loop around the city and Shwedagon Paya. Does anyone know if either of these activities is still possible, especially by a westerner?
Is there any other activity or place that someone can recommend? And how about the food? As a…
by lady traveler
Could you please post your reports here, so we can hear your story as to what happened as a foreign independent traveler.
by ono
Oct.1 From www.shanland.org:<BR><BR>People in eastern Shan State have been ordered to stage a pro-junta rally today in Kengtung, 160km north of Tachilek, opposite Maesai, following bloody killings in Rangoon last week, according to sources in Tachilek and Kengtung.
The announced object of the exercise is to support the constitutional guidelines reached at the recently concluded 14-year long National Convention. "I doubt if more than 1% of those attending the rally have seen them, let alone read…
by anonymous
I'm due in Myanmar for 4 weeks on 26 October. I have my visa, I have my flights (arranged a few months ago). I'll be travelling independently aiming at ensuring most of the money I spent goes directly to the local people.
Given the present violent crackdown and measures taken by the government there, I'm not sure now if I should cancel this trip or just go. I'm an experienced traveller (50+ countries), have been to places that were temporarily "unsettled" and got by OK staying away from trouble…
by cabs985
Another Option to Help the Burmese People
Please see below an e-mail that I received. This is from the Foundation for the People of Burma (based in the US). I have seen their work in Burma and support their efforts.
BURMA: YOU CAN HELP
October 1, 2007
The ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations in Burma initially led by tens of thousands
of Buddhist monks and nuns, now being brutally suppressed by the military, has created an urgent need for humanitarian aid. The military has isolated many monasteries…