Htun Aung Gyaw
The Burmese generals have no passion on their own citizens and only they see them as their slaves not as human beings. International actors have to understand that there is no time for them to wait for the permission from the generals if they understand how they treated their own citizens from the beginning of the military rule since 1962.
The recent cyclone crisis proved that the generals never value the lives of its own citizens. If the foreign governments do not act on time, a lot of lives will ruin together with a wind. The raining season has arrived. Cyclone victims do not have shelter, food, and clean water. Men made disaster will take over natural disaster soon and we will witness this tragedy if we do not act on time. Below are the historical facts that prove the above statement.
The Beginning of the Men Made Disaster: The Birth of Military Rule
After the Burmese military staged a coup on March 2, 1962, not only Burmese people but also the world witness the series of unthinkable actions that no sane person could imagine to do such a heinous crime against to its own country men, women and children. However, it did happen in Burma again and again under the military rule
In the past, the Burmese generals took an oath that they would gave their lives to gain independence from British colonial rule. Independence from Britain was short live; the same people who promised to free Burma enslave its own people and became bullies. They only care how to maintain the political power and exploit Burma rich natural resources for their own greed not for the country, not for the people and not for the soldiers who served them.
Below are the historical facts which will shock the whole world and people will understand how cruel and cunning the generals are and who do not have loyalty, dignity, honesty and sympathy and love of their people.
Reaction to Activists who against the military rule
1. The first experience we have was when university students demonstrated against the regime after three months of military coup on July 4 and more than 100 student’s activists were short dead inside the university compound on July 7, 1962. The next day on July 8, 1962, the regime blown up the historical Student Union building, the intention of the action was to eliminate the student movement once and for all. It was an extreme measure conducted by the regime. The generals worried that if the building existed, students have a chance to organize and discuss about politics inside the building and against their authority. From this day to the present Students, workers, farmers do not have the rights to form their own organization legally.
2. Student leader Tin Maung Oo who led the two demonstrations on December 5, 1974 and June 6, 1975 was secretly hanged inside the notorious prison Insein, no announcement was made public and refused to give confirmation to his parents about his dead. His parents were sentenced to five years for being parents who did not discipline their son.
3. On March 16 1988, anti government demonstrators were cornered in down town Rangoon and put into prison trucks by forced like sardines. When the trucks arrived at the prison gate, 41 people were found dead of suffocation.
4. Nation wide demonstrations erupted in 1988 known as four eight movement (8.8.88) was sabotaged by poisoning food and drinking water and attacking demonstrators led to riots and blood shed which gave the military to stage a coup and killed more that 10,000 unarmed demonstrators.
5. On Friday May 30, 2003 Depeyin massacre known as “Black Friday”, occurred. 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters starting an organizational trip to upper Burma was ambushed near a village called Kyi Ywa, in Depeyin township and government sponsor thugs beaten to death more than 70 of her supporters on the spot and later account 282 dead. Luckily , she was escaped un-harm but the government put her under house arrest and captured her followers who escaped from murder. No one was arrested for the mass killing, ironically the victims were arrested and questioned by the police force. The regime refused to open the case about the killing.
6. 88 Generation Student leaders Min Ko Naing, Min Zayar, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe, and many of their leading members were captured in 1989 for their leadership role in 1988 uprising. They were released after 17 years in prison but recaptured again in September 2007 before the saffron revolution when they complained about the government abruptly raised four times of gas prices.
7. Ohn Than who staged a one man show demonstration in front of the city hall was sentenced to 20 years. Burmese Human Rights activists Htin Kyaw was badly beaten and detained for demanding the lowering of commodities
8. In 2007, from September 18 to 26, some 100,000 demonstrators, led by Buddhist monks staged the biggest protests known as “Saffron Revolution” in Burma since 1988 uprising. Again their peaceful demonstrations, which demanded for lower gas and food prices were short live. The military destroyed monasteries, and killed more than hundred of monks and people, captured thousands.
9. This year on May 3, 2008, the Cyclone Nergis hit Burma’s capital and delta region very hard, killing 100,000 and left millions homeless. The generals refused the international aid agencies to help Burmese cyclone victims who lives are in danger. They care about their political power not the people. When people are dying, they are busy concentrating on their referendum, which will favor the military dominant rule in Burma politics.
Robbing from its own citizens
1. The second experience was the currency problem. On May 17, 1964 announcement under Law No.7, the regime demonetization of all fifty and one hundred-kyat notes worth 1.2 billions kyats. People were robbed by their own government without compensation. Some suicide and some went insane.
2. On November 3, 1985 one hundred kyat notes were abolished and no longer allowed to use. Only not more than 5000 kyats were allowed to exchange with smaller notes, resulting robbing more than 1200 millions from people.
3. The regime print out 25, 35, 75 kyats notes which the world never see such kind of odd notes. But on September 5, 1987, Secretary of State Sein Lwin issued the order that 25, 35, 75 notes are no longer valid to use, wiping out 80% of the country circulation totaling 6500 millions kyats which made people outrage and reaching the boiling point of civil unrest.
4. On September 22, 1987, the Central Bank issued new odd notes again, 45 kyats and 90 kyats, which is difficult to calculate for citizens. Later the currency was withdrawn from public.
5. Foreign aids arrived in Burma were seen in the black market which items are means for the victims.
Ethnic Cleansing and Refugees
In Burma, there are seven major ethnic groups and many sub ethnic groups. The ethnic nationalities want the genuine Federal Union but the military refused their just demand. Ethnic rebellion against the Burmese government started right after Burma gain independence. After military coup in 1962, suppression against the ethnic nationalities is more severe. Women have been used as rape victims as a punishment, children are snapped on the street and forced to join the army as child soldiers. Villagers were forced to work as army slaves and were killed in the front line without compensation. The regime argued that it is a volunteer labor not a forced labor.
In Thai-Burma border, there are more than 100,000 refugees. More than a million people living in the jungle as displaced persons. On the India -Burma border, at least 50,000 refugees are living with fear from government cross border raids. More than 100,000 Muslim refugees are now living in Bangladesh-Burma border. Why people from Burma fled their own country and lived in refugee’s camps in neighboring countries? They want to live and survive, if they still living inside Burma, they will be raped, killed or forced to work as slaves for the army.
All those tragedies stem from military rule; it is a simple and honest answer.
Conclusion
The United Nations, the United States and the European Nations need to go inside Burma as humanitarian intervention as soon as possible. The generals do not care about the people and they will not give any green lights to the US and European disaster teams to help victims effectively. There is no time to wait for the general’s permission to save thousands of human lives before it is too late. Burmese people are suffered enough they do not deserve this kind of treatment.
On the other hand, the rank and files in the army are fed up with the government slow response. They too want to see the international aids for their fellow citizens but they do not dare to speak out for their safety. If the UN, especially the US troops intervene inside Burma, they are ready to join with the troops rather against them.
One Burmese commander said, “Our people have suffer enough including my relatives, we are only hoping for the foreign invasion, if it happen we will join them and restore the dignity of the true nationalist army who willing to serve for the people and willing to die for it”.
At the front line, many soldiers want to desert the army but they are afraid of being recaptured and slaughtered by their own troop. In addition, the Thais, India and Chinese government have Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Burmese regime that is the respected countries have a duty to send back the army deserters to the regime.
Many soldiers deserted the army and cross the border into Thailand and India but they were captured and sent back according to the agreement. Those who were sent back to Burma were brutally tortured and killed. If the US and UN persuade the Thais and Indian government (not China because it will be a waste of time) to set up a refugee camp for the army deserters, many rank and files will leave the army, not only one after another, the whole regiment will join the camp.
One merchant who open a store in Burma side of Thingan Nyi Naung said, “Many soldiers came to my store and buy food and drinks, when we know each other most of them told me that how they could go to the Thai side and find a job. They said they are forced to join the army and really want to run away. He said not only the soldiers but also the officers want to quit the army, if there is a way out”.
It seem Burmese army is not seem like loyalty to the top generals, they are waiting for the forces which have enough power to turn the table. If the President Bush dares to do it, he will be admired by the entire county and the Americans will give him a credit that he lost it in Iraq. Are UN and the United States willing to do it?
The Burmese generals have no passion on their own citizens and only they see them as their slaves not as human beings. International actors have to understand that there is no time for them to wait for the permission from the generals if they understand how they treated their own citizens from the beginning of the military rule since 1962.
The recent cyclone crisis proved that the generals never value the lives of its own citizens. If the foreign governments do not act on time, a lot of lives will ruin together with a wind. The raining season has arrived. Cyclone victims do not have shelter, food, and clean water. Men made disaster will take over natural disaster soon and we will witness this tragedy if we do not act on time. Below are the historical facts that prove the above statement.
The Beginning of the Men Made Disaster: The Birth of Military Rule
After the Burmese military staged a coup on March 2, 1962, not only Burmese people but also the world witness the series of unthinkable actions that no sane person could imagine to do such a heinous crime against to its own country men, women and children. However, it did happen in Burma again and again under the military rule
In the past, the Burmese generals took an oath that they would gave their lives to gain independence from British colonial rule. Independence from Britain was short live; the same people who promised to free Burma enslave its own people and became bullies. They only care how to maintain the political power and exploit Burma rich natural resources for their own greed not for the country, not for the people and not for the soldiers who served them.
Below are the historical facts which will shock the whole world and people will understand how cruel and cunning the generals are and who do not have loyalty, dignity, honesty and sympathy and love of their people.
Reaction to Activists who against the military rule
1. The first experience we have was when university students demonstrated against the regime after three months of military coup on July 4 and more than 100 student’s activists were short dead inside the university compound on July 7, 1962. The next day on July 8, 1962, the regime blown up the historical Student Union building, the intention of the action was to eliminate the student movement once and for all. It was an extreme measure conducted by the regime. The generals worried that if the building existed, students have a chance to organize and discuss about politics inside the building and against their authority. From this day to the present Students, workers, farmers do not have the rights to form their own organization legally.
2. Student leader Tin Maung Oo who led the two demonstrations on December 5, 1974 and June 6, 1975 was secretly hanged inside the notorious prison Insein, no announcement was made public and refused to give confirmation to his parents about his dead. His parents were sentenced to five years for being parents who did not discipline their son.
3. On March 16 1988, anti government demonstrators were cornered in down town Rangoon and put into prison trucks by forced like sardines. When the trucks arrived at the prison gate, 41 people were found dead of suffocation.
4. Nation wide demonstrations erupted in 1988 known as four eight movement (8.8.88) was sabotaged by poisoning food and drinking water and attacking demonstrators led to riots and blood shed which gave the military to stage a coup and killed more that 10,000 unarmed demonstrators.
5. On Friday May 30, 2003 Depeyin massacre known as “Black Friday”, occurred. 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters starting an organizational trip to upper Burma was ambushed near a village called Kyi Ywa, in Depeyin township and government sponsor thugs beaten to death more than 70 of her supporters on the spot and later account 282 dead. Luckily , she was escaped un-harm but the government put her under house arrest and captured her followers who escaped from murder. No one was arrested for the mass killing, ironically the victims were arrested and questioned by the police force. The regime refused to open the case about the killing.
6. 88 Generation Student leaders Min Ko Naing, Min Zayar, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe, and many of their leading members were captured in 1989 for their leadership role in 1988 uprising. They were released after 17 years in prison but recaptured again in September 2007 before the saffron revolution when they complained about the government abruptly raised four times of gas prices.
7. Ohn Than who staged a one man show demonstration in front of the city hall was sentenced to 20 years. Burmese Human Rights activists Htin Kyaw was badly beaten and detained for demanding the lowering of commodities
8. In 2007, from September 18 to 26, some 100,000 demonstrators, led by Buddhist monks staged the biggest protests known as “Saffron Revolution” in Burma since 1988 uprising. Again their peaceful demonstrations, which demanded for lower gas and food prices were short live. The military destroyed monasteries, and killed more than hundred of monks and people, captured thousands.
9. This year on May 3, 2008, the Cyclone Nergis hit Burma’s capital and delta region very hard, killing 100,000 and left millions homeless. The generals refused the international aid agencies to help Burmese cyclone victims who lives are in danger. They care about their political power not the people. When people are dying, they are busy concentrating on their referendum, which will favor the military dominant rule in Burma politics.
Robbing from its own citizens
1. The second experience was the currency problem. On May 17, 1964 announcement under Law No.7, the regime demonetization of all fifty and one hundred-kyat notes worth 1.2 billions kyats. People were robbed by their own government without compensation. Some suicide and some went insane.
2. On November 3, 1985 one hundred kyat notes were abolished and no longer allowed to use. Only not more than 5000 kyats were allowed to exchange with smaller notes, resulting robbing more than 1200 millions from people.
3. The regime print out 25, 35, 75 kyats notes which the world never see such kind of odd notes. But on September 5, 1987, Secretary of State Sein Lwin issued the order that 25, 35, 75 notes are no longer valid to use, wiping out 80% of the country circulation totaling 6500 millions kyats which made people outrage and reaching the boiling point of civil unrest.
4. On September 22, 1987, the Central Bank issued new odd notes again, 45 kyats and 90 kyats, which is difficult to calculate for citizens. Later the currency was withdrawn from public.
5. Foreign aids arrived in Burma were seen in the black market which items are means for the victims.
Ethnic Cleansing and Refugees
In Burma, there are seven major ethnic groups and many sub ethnic groups. The ethnic nationalities want the genuine Federal Union but the military refused their just demand. Ethnic rebellion against the Burmese government started right after Burma gain independence. After military coup in 1962, suppression against the ethnic nationalities is more severe. Women have been used as rape victims as a punishment, children are snapped on the street and forced to join the army as child soldiers. Villagers were forced to work as army slaves and were killed in the front line without compensation. The regime argued that it is a volunteer labor not a forced labor.
In Thai-Burma border, there are more than 100,000 refugees. More than a million people living in the jungle as displaced persons. On the India -Burma border, at least 50,000 refugees are living with fear from government cross border raids. More than 100,000 Muslim refugees are now living in Bangladesh-Burma border. Why people from Burma fled their own country and lived in refugee’s camps in neighboring countries? They want to live and survive, if they still living inside Burma, they will be raped, killed or forced to work as slaves for the army.
All those tragedies stem from military rule; it is a simple and honest answer.
Conclusion
The United Nations, the United States and the European Nations need to go inside Burma as humanitarian intervention as soon as possible. The generals do not care about the people and they will not give any green lights to the US and European disaster teams to help victims effectively. There is no time to wait for the general’s permission to save thousands of human lives before it is too late. Burmese people are suffered enough they do not deserve this kind of treatment.
On the other hand, the rank and files in the army are fed up with the government slow response. They too want to see the international aids for their fellow citizens but they do not dare to speak out for their safety. If the UN, especially the US troops intervene inside Burma, they are ready to join with the troops rather against them.
One Burmese commander said, “Our people have suffer enough including my relatives, we are only hoping for the foreign invasion, if it happen we will join them and restore the dignity of the true nationalist army who willing to serve for the people and willing to die for it”.
At the front line, many soldiers want to desert the army but they are afraid of being recaptured and slaughtered by their own troop. In addition, the Thais, India and Chinese government have Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Burmese regime that is the respected countries have a duty to send back the army deserters to the regime.
Many soldiers deserted the army and cross the border into Thailand and India but they were captured and sent back according to the agreement. Those who were sent back to Burma were brutally tortured and killed. If the US and UN persuade the Thais and Indian government (not China because it will be a waste of time) to set up a refugee camp for the army deserters, many rank and files will leave the army, not only one after another, the whole regiment will join the camp.
One merchant who open a store in Burma side of Thingan Nyi Naung said, “Many soldiers came to my store and buy food and drinks, when we know each other most of them told me that how they could go to the Thai side and find a job. They said they are forced to join the army and really want to run away. He said not only the soldiers but also the officers want to quit the army, if there is a way out”.
It seem Burmese army is not seem like loyalty to the top generals, they are waiting for the forces which have enough power to turn the table. If the President Bush dares to do it, he will be admired by the entire county and the Americans will give him a credit that he lost it in Iraq. Are UN and the United States willing to do it?
0 comments:
Post a Comment