Between a cyclone in Burma, and today's earthquake in China's Sichuan Province, at least 40,000 people have been killed, according to the reports.
I can't even fathom how horrible it must be - especially for the survivors who have lost their loved ones, and in case of Burma, are not getting the help they desperately need in order to survive, due to government restrictions on aid workers' entry into the country. The importance of a good, responsive government, working for the people as opposed to itself, cannot be emphasized enough.
The Sichuan quake appears to be 7.9 on the Richter scale, about what the 1906 San Francisco quake is estimated to have measured. This reminds me that it can happen to me anytime, too.
My thoughts are with the victims of these horrible disasters.
Showing posts with label Burma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burma. Show all posts
12 May 2008
27 September 2007
Protests in Burma
In Burma (now known as Myanmar, though the change is not recognized by the US or the UK), Buddhist monks led a peaceful protest, triggered by the military government's doubling of fuel prices. The government responded with violence, with nine people, including monks and a Japanese reporter, reported dead.
This is Burma's largest pro-democracy protest since 1988, when thousands were gunned down by the government. The rightful leader of the nation, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains under house arrest.
China's "non-interference" policy in foreign affairs, and its appetite for Burmese natural gas, are helping the Burmese military government stay afloat. China is also guilty of propping up the Sudanese government, despite its atrocities in Darfur.
W is imposing sanctions on the Burmese government, though it's too little, too late. He was quoted as calling the governments of Iran, Syria, and North Korea "barbaric," at a recent UN speech as well, but he is taking no actions against his buddies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, who are just as barbaric and oppressive. And it goes without saying that W has shown absolutely no interest in Darfur. What's truly obscene is that W has encouraged the offshoring of American jobs to China, under the guise of "free trade," with the sole purpose of destroying the American middle class and the labor movement. The Chinese, flush with American dollars, are financing the Sudanese and the Burmese - let's remember that.
BBC
This is Burma's largest pro-democracy protest since 1988, when thousands were gunned down by the government. The rightful leader of the nation, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains under house arrest.
China's "non-interference" policy in foreign affairs, and its appetite for Burmese natural gas, are helping the Burmese military government stay afloat. China is also guilty of propping up the Sudanese government, despite its atrocities in Darfur.
W is imposing sanctions on the Burmese government, though it's too little, too late. He was quoted as calling the governments of Iran, Syria, and North Korea "barbaric," at a recent UN speech as well, but he is taking no actions against his buddies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, who are just as barbaric and oppressive. And it goes without saying that W has shown absolutely no interest in Darfur. What's truly obscene is that W has encouraged the offshoring of American jobs to China, under the guise of "free trade," with the sole purpose of destroying the American middle class and the labor movement. The Chinese, flush with American dollars, are financing the Sudanese and the Burmese - let's remember that.
BBC
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