Burma: 'net cut as brutal crackdown worsens
Kathryn Cramer says,
CNN is reporting that Myanmar has cut Internet access and also reports "Unconfirmed reports of bodies in the streets, protesters shot." and "New video appears to show point blank shooting of protester in Yangon."As a clarification, and no surprise here: officials in the military regime controlling Burma (Myanmar) still have internet access, regular folks do not.
BB reader Dave Hecht adds
The NYT's Lede blog has pretty extensive coverage of Burmese military junta's shutdown of public internet and other communications channels. We must be living in the future if to stop a revolution, the government needs to shutdown the Internet. The Times page has links to blogs, some of which are still up, some which are ominously blacked out. Link.Image above from the photostream of Jim Rees, who explains:
With Burma in the news lately I thought I'd post this photo of this sign that greeted me when I visited in 1989, a year after the coup that brought the current military leadership to power. This is on the Thai side of the border just outside Mae Sai.Here's a recent BBC report about Burmese bloggers, and press freedom inside Burma (hint -- there isn't any): Link.At that time the new Burmese government, short of cash and not wanting anyone to observe conditions inside the country, was asking over $500 just to get in. This part of northern Burma was not really under government control, it was a stronghold for the KNU. You could sneak over the border from Thailand and get a brief look at the other side, but this was officially discouraged and there were stories of people being kidnapped or thrown in jail. I didn't go very far.
That story points to London-based blogger Ko Htike, who has been posting reports on behalf of people inside Burma. Htike's blog is mostly in Burmese, but with some English and lots of pictures, including the image re-posted here, below.
Update: BB reader John Gale points out that this appears to be Japanese reporter Kenji Nagai. "The report over on BBC suggests that he was targeted and possibly shot at point blank range because he was holding a camera."
Here, on Htike's blog, photographs and first-person testimony from a man who identifies himself as a Singaporean working in Burma. The post includes graphic images of injuries he says he received at the hands of soldiers who were attacking protesters. Snip:
Marilyn Terrell says,My wife found the "40mm riot control munnition" empty cartridge that the soldiers shoot at me. I would like the embassy and media to know the actions of this army. We are just ordinary citizen going to work and they just shot at us for no reason. Imagine what they would do to the protesters!
Ethical Traveler is offering people a place to post their messages and photos of support for the monks in Burma: Link.Below, an image from ethicaltraveler.org of a solidarity gathering earlier today in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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The last three days the news from Burma (via Bangkok) has been more about the technology of reporting, than the overall situation there. My ex is supposed to go to Burma in January. Yikes. Hopefully, they won't even let her across the border from Thailand. Kinda sucks that the U.S. can't get away with much moral finger wagging. The footage out of there looks like MacArthur Park (with real bullets instead of rubber).
This Youtube video clearly shows that the Japanese journalist was shot deliberately, point blank:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LymH0aPenBM
I wonder if the government actually believes that cutting internet will prevent the rest of the world from finding out what is happening within the Myanmar borders. Do they really think that cutting easy real-time access means no access at all?
So why hasn't the US attempted to export Democracy to Burma, since the whole plan is to extend the reach of freedom and Democracy? These people want change so bad they are in the streets protesting at grave danger to themselves and all the world does is cover the story.
I know short notice. But if you are in the Washington DC area: DC Area Solidarity with Burma
March at 4pm today from Burmese to Chinese embassies.
BBC TV reported that Japan is sending their deputy foreign minister to investigate the death of the photog. A Burmese journalist they were interviewing in the studio said he had reports from the ground that hundreds are being killed today and the BBC also had reports of impromptu prison camps being set up, which the guy confirmed. Yikes. Looking for links...
"Reports from Rangoon suggest soldiers are mutinying. It is unclear the numbers involved. Reports cite heavy shooting in the former Burmese capital...
"Soldiers in Mandalay...are also reported to have refused orders to act against protesters..."
http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/2007/09/army-mutiny-rep.html
When I was in Burma 2 years ago there was effectively no internet access then. We found it in just a few places and at prices that only foreigners could afford. I don't understand why this is news, read any guide book, there wasn't much access to the net before this.