Interesting goings-on in Yangon:

http://tinyurl.com/2l6cg5

The monks are very much putting their lives at stake to forward this cause, and we can only hope some positive change will come of it. I wish them the best - change is long overdue.

I have been watching this with interest. It is certainly true, as baaj notes, that the monks are really putting their lives on the line.

Thanks Craig for the link. We can all pray for positive change to start to grow.

Aloha!

I nearly posted about this a couple of days ago, but thought better of it. Press coverage of Burma is still very prominent here in the UK. As I have said before, allmost every day. Interesting to note that the US is the only country taking meaningful action. Here is a link to one aspect of UK coverage
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle2976660.ece

To further add to the argument that people are starting to pay attention, this editorial appeared in our local Connecticut paper (The Hartford Courant):

http://tinyurl.com/2348zr

You certainly get more in-depth coverage of the issue in the UK than we do here in the US. (though that's true for more global news in general)

When I visited Myanmar in 1996, I witnessed acts of police brutality and round-ups of civilians to be used for conscripted labor forces to build the country's roads, pipelines, etc. The irony was that this all occurred on a busy street in Yangon during 'visit Myanmar year' At that time, the government was so much in its own reality, and all of these atrocities were so commonplace, that they were carried out in plain sight with no fear of retribution.

I really hope these demonstrations are the beginning of the end for that terrible regime.

This latest development is even more interesting.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bur...881722285.html

Thanks, dogster - great link.

Thanks for the link. I'm really hoping that this time the protests will have some effect.

Today was the 6th day of protests with 20,000 in attendance. Probably not a good time to be a Westerner visiting Myanmar.

http://tinyurl.com/34t4k2

Well Craig, I'll be able to give you a first hand report in three weeks. I'll be there October 17th. The question is: will the monks?

The crowds seem to be growing each day. One hopes they succeed -- it's exciting to think change might be one the way. It's tempered by dread. News reports stress the difficulties the junta faces in containing the monks. Would the Burmese tolerate violence against them?

These low-life tyrants need to go. Hope the monks make it happen.

Latest report: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7011655.stm

I'm still hoping this results in peaceful change, but with the government moving troops into Yangon (I note the BBC still calls it Rangoon) it's starting to look bad.

I wish I were there -- as an old school 60s civil rights and anti war demonstrator,I wish I could be there to help them try to get the thugs out of power. Seems like a very scary but enormously exciting time to be in Burma.

Reuters just reported that the American president is going to make Burma a central focus of his speech to the UN this week. Articles indicate that China may even be trying to put pressure on the junta behind the scenes. Let's hope that all of this can lead to positive change for the Burmese people.

I can't think that a lecture from Bush on democracy is going to have the slightest effect on the junta. Nor refusing them visas for the US. China, however, could have an impact.

Another key trading partner that can have a great influence with Myanmar is Thailand but we have a non interference policy with our neighbour, in another word - no cojones!

It's amazing to me what is going on right next to where I am, I just heard that firefighters were told by the military to put insecticide into their watertanks, and that they would spray protestors with insecticide. It's too late for the military, if they wanted to stop this protest, they should have stop it on day 1. They didn't and the protest is too big. I hope that democracy is the end result, but of course, that will take many years. http://hobosinlovemedia.com