Brutality of Myanmar's military junta surfaces anew

By Nelson Alcantara l Special to eTN
Myanmar's military junta's disregard for human life was once again proven this week, as it unwaveringly used deadly force to disperse and intimidate peaceful protesters that included Buddhist monks.

By Thursday's crack down, nine people had been killed, including a Japanese photographer, and 11 demonstrators and 31 soldiers had been wounded, prompting world leaders and various other international organizations to condemn the unruly actions by Myanmar's military junta.

US President George W. Bush led the international condemnation. He called on China, Myanmar's top trading partner, to press for Myanmar's authorities to stop using force. The US also imposed economic sanctions on 14 identified Myanmar government officials.

For its part, China has pressed on Myanmar to exercise restraint. "As a neighbor, China is extremely concerned about the situation in Myanmar," China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a news briefing in Beijing. "China hopes that all parties in Myanmar exercise restraint and properly handle the current issue so as to ensure the situation there does not escalate and get complicated."

Meanwhile, embarrassed by the developments in Myanmar, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers who are in New York for a meeting, took the Burmese representative to task over the violence, according to published reports. Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo said ASEAN politicians had met and “expressed their revulsion" to Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win over reports that the demonstrations are being suppressed by violent force and that there’s been a number of fatalities.

In a speech to the United Nations, Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, on the other hand, said, “Thailand… finds as unacceptable the commission of violence and bodily harm to Buddhist monks and other demonstrators” in the city of Rangoon.

“We strongly urge Myanmar to exercise utmost restraint and seek a political solution and resume its efforts at national reconciliation with all parties concerned, and work towards a peaceful transition to democracy,” Prime Minister Chulanont said, calling on the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

In Bali, Indonesia, where the Pacific Asia Travel Association is currently staging its annual travel mart, some representatives from Myanmar have had to return home fearing for the safety of their families.

Also joining in condemning Myanmar's action is the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The group yesterday urged Myanmar authorities to end the violent attacks on demonstrators and journalists covering the events there following the killing of one Japanese photographer and reports of another media death and intimidation of local and foreign media.

The group also expressed its concern for the safety of another journalist, a German photographer who is reportedly also a victim of a shooting by security forces.

"Once again we see that it is journalists who are in the front line facing violence from unrestrained security forces dealing with peaceful protest," said AW. It is essential that the Burmese authorities lower the temperature and allow journalists and peaceful demonstrators to exercise their right to work safely and protest peacefully.

Japanese agency APF News has confirmed the death of Kenji Nagai, who was working for the agency. The Bangkok Post reported that a German photographer covering the demonstration was also killed by security forces.

According to the BBC, a hotel in which foreign journalists have been staying in Rangoon has been surrounded and ransacked.

Further, the IFJ said it is also concerned by reports that the Burmese military junta ordered Rangoon-based journals and newspapers to publish a declaration denouncing the protests. According to the Burma Media Association, the Burmese junta’s director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division, Major Tint Swe, instructed all Burmese print media at a meeting last Sunday to publish a declaration stating they were not interested in the ongoing protest.

Authorities have issued a night-time curfew and a ban on public gatherings of more than five people, measures which will be enforced for 60 days.

The protest against the military junta is the biggest since the nation-wide pro-democracy uprising of 1988 led by students, which ended in bloodshed as the military killed as many as 3000 protesters.

(with wire inputs)

September 28, 2007   Posted in: Burma