Here is a video by Al Jazeera’s reporter Tony Birtley who went undercover in Burma to report exclusively on the people’s protests and resulting bloody crackdown by Burma’s military government, talking to the protesters, filming the bloody crackdown and gauging the mood of the nation.

As I watched the video, I could not believe my eyes seeing so many monks who were so calm and contended in their march showing protest against the military regime. I salute their actions demanding for democracy, which is really deserved by the Burmese people under the ruling of brutal regime for the past forty years in Burma. The monks really showed to the world that they are not just a bunch people sitting in Buddha temple reciting holy mantras, preaching and talking good karma, practicing celibacy etc. For me what they did on that video marching on the streets of Rangoon and demanding democracy for the people of their country is what really good karma is all about!

The worst thing is that how could the military regime impose such an violent act towards the defenseless monks? What karma could all this military people get for being such a bloody ruthless human being? Aren’t you too a Buddhist like those monks were? What crime did the unarmed monks did to deserve such a brutal treatment? Come On United Nations and please do something about this. Tomorrow, 24th October is the United Nations Day. Is it just going to be an high tea party and swiss roles celebration in U.N? Please don’t let any more monks to die or to be harassed in any prison! They don’t deserve this. The killing will continue as long as the U.N didn’t step up. Ha ha! There is bell rings on my head now! And what about you U.S of America? Are you just going to sit and watch all this nonsense? Come on U.S.A step up! Do something right for the first time in the history of America. You Americans love to stick your nose where nobody really wants it but right now in Burma some good people really needs your assistance. Please save the monks and Burma now!

thanks & regards

P/S: Is it Burma OR Iran which is going to be United State’s next mission? Just wondering who had the more natural gas resources?

Im forwarding an email by uscampaignforburma.org for your info about action plans on Burma for Wednesday, October 24th,the United Nations Day.

This Wednesday, October 24th, is an important day for Burma. It is: 1) United Nations Day, 2) The day when Aung San Suu Kyi will have been under house arrest for a total of 12 years, and 3) One month since the uprisings in Burma were at their peak.

We will be marking this day with a host of actions around the world.

- Several organizations are working together to organize in 12 cities around the world. At 12 noon, demonstrators dressed in white (as political prisoners are forced to wear inside Burma) will gather in front of Chinese embassies. Please let us know if you want to participate in the demonstration in Washington, DC.

- A group of Burmese monks and exiles have been marching from Albany, NY to the United Nations in a peace walk. On Wednesday, please join with them as they continue their march from the Burmese regime’s Mission in New York to the United Nations from 10-11 am. The Mission is located on 10E and 77th St. For more info, the cell phone for the peace walk is (518) 605-8506.

- For those of you who cannot participate in these actions we are asking you to ensure that the American public does not forget Burma. We are asking you on this day to reinvigorate public attention by writing an op-ed article for your local newspaper, write a post on your blog or facebook profile, host a teach in for your friends and neighbors, or for more suggestions or visit our action page.

The Burmese regime may be the jailer of Aung San Suu Kyi and thousands of other prisoners, but China holds the key to her release. The United Nations Security Council (of which China is a member) must act urgently as more and more people are being hunted down, arrested and tortured. China must not block Security Council action. We will show that we will not allow Burma’s regime to hide its abuses from the world.. The United Nations Security Council needs to pass a global arms embargo now!

-Thelma Young

August 08, 2008 will not only be the opening date of Beijing Olympic, but will also mark the 20Th anniversary of Pro-Democracy protest in Burma on 1988. The Chinese government stated that date 08.08.08 was chosen for a symbolic reason but the recent events in Burma and the China ties with the military government would emphasis more global attention on the suffering of Burmese people. “If China takes a strong stand on Burma now, it will be credited rather than criticized on 08-08-08,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia Advocacy of Human Rights Watch following a letter to President Hu Jintao on 17.10.2007. “Doing so isn’t just right; it’s also in China’s self-interest.”

China is one of Burma’s largest investors and suppliers of weaponry. Being so, the Chinese government should immediately take concrete steps to help end state repression in Burma stated Richardson. The letter basically urges Hu Jintao to take the eight steps to end the repression in Burma currently:

• Immediately place an embargo on all weapons transfers from China to Burma and suspend all military training, transport, assistance, and cooperation.
• Support or abstain from vetoing UN Security Council resolutions calling for sanctions or other collective action to address the crisis in Burma.
• In the absence of Security Council-imposed sanctions, China (along with other countries) should act to impose targeted sanctions to encourage the steps outlined above.
• Uphold the 1951 Refugee Convention and customary international law and allow anyone fleeing persecution in Burma to cross the border into China.
• Suspend involvement by state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec, both official Olympic partners, in proposed Burma-China oil and natural gas pipelines until the conditions specified above in relation to multilateral sanctions are met.
• Instruct Chinese firms, including stated-owned firms, with business ties to Burma to publicly and fully disclose all payments made to the Burmese military, directly or through the entities it controls.
• Continue to urge the Burmese military government to engage in dialogue with its critics, and end its repression of them. The Seven Step Road Map to Democracy, which is merely a cover for continued military rule, must be scrapped and replaced with a plan that has the genuine support of Burma’s political parties and ethnic groups.
• Urge the Burmese government to reconvene a truly representative and participatory national convention that operates through an open and transparent consultative process that could lead to a new constitutional settlement that genuinely reflects the views of all parties and leads to the creation of a civilian government.

In recent time, most of us knew about the crisis in Burma. Or am I the only stranger here? Let me elaborate a few things based on my limited knowledge about Burma and let us see what we as human generally and of course blogger specifically can do to mitigate the brutal killing and slaughtering happening in Burma. The South East Asia country has been ruled for the past 40 years by one of the most ruthless military regime. People of Burma has been devoid of democracy all this while under the ruling regime. The last major demand of the Burmese people for democracy was started by students back in August 1988. Still remember the so called 8888 Uprising? Students, soldiers, monks all joined the protest demanding for their right for democracy. But what happened? It’s come to a bloody end as the regime army killed thousands of protesters and since then the ruling regime held the country in an iron grip.

For the first time in 30 bloody years, the regime held a ‘free’ election in May 1990. Guys, do you remember Aung San Suu Kyi? Yes, that Nobel Laurette which I’m talking about. The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi won the election on May 1990. But sadly the ruling regime of the country annulled the result and do not step down. Goddamn SHIT! Aung San Suu Kyi was imprisoned later. Since then the protest against the military junta has been slowing down. The Iron Grip remains strong in Burma. But that was about to change now!

Recently, in August after the rise of fuel price the military junta also witnessing the rising of Burmese people as well. Started by the activist of NLD protesting against the fuel price hike sooner joined by ordinary people and Buddhist monks. It all started to become worst when the regime beats up several monks during a rally in Pakokku. The regime who were actually hoping the demonstration would slow down after the incident, but the monks seems not going to slow down! Monks in hundreds and even thousands were marching all over the country demanding an apology from the government ruled by the junta. BBC states that the protest was going so huge joined 150 nuns and further urging civilians to join in the protest. The more the merrier!

The Alliance of all Buddhist Monks, who were heading the protest had sworn that they will never stop until they had “wiped the military dictatorship from the land”. Can the monks do it all by themselves? How did the monks going to fight against the junta? Don’t expect that the monks will use some magic spell to ward off the machine guns shooting bullets against their chest. I doubt the monks can bring the long stolen democracy back to Burma. There is a Burmese saying tells that when the “three son’s” (i.e the soldiers, the monks and the students) of the nation joins hand, the military junta can be brought down to ground.

As we knew out the the three sons, the monks are already united and marching all over the country, the students has been quietly preaching for democracy ever since 1988. Now the youngest son, the soldiers, are they going to join their elder siblings and force the so called long forgotten democracy back in Burma? Or another dejavu as it was in 1988 when the junta crushed all the dreams of democracy. At last according to Guardian the British newspaper the third son is just around the corner to help his elder brothers.

Guardian reported that army Division 33 has refused to shoot at the people in Mandalay. The government then ordered Division 33 to move out of Mandalay but they refused to follow the order. The junta has sent Division 99 to replace Division 33, according to unconfirmed rumors, fighting has broken out between the two divisions. The Guardian also reports that disgruntled officers have formed a group called the Public Patriot Army Association and expressed their backing for demonstrators.

It is a promising development if an entire division has refused to shoot at the people, and is more willing to fight other army divisions than unarmed civilians. Hopefully, other divisions will follow the example of Division 33, and there will be no need for infighting in the junta army. If enough soldiers refuse to shoot, the military junta will have lost their only important means of staying in power, and the people will have won a strong and important ally. Only time will tell whether the three sons together will help to save their parents, Burma.

According to RWB, the Burmese junta has shut down Internet connections and phone lines, and the military are hounding the foreign journalists still working on the ground. At least one was forced to take refuge in an embassy or go underground. Several Burmese publications have closed after refusing to publish propaganda articles, and the ones still in print do not cover either the protests or the government crackdown.

27.09.2007 is a sad Wednesday for Burmese people. The military junta in Rangoon opens fire against the monks and protesters killing 3 people at least. Further, police raided Buddhist temples and detained almost 200 monks on the night itself. The most saddest thing is what happens to China? It’s one of the country in the world that the Burmese military junta actually listens to but sadly the Chinese together with Russia has blocked any suggestion of global sanctions against the Burmese regime at the UN security council emergency session September 26. WTF??

Despite the military junta’s violent crackdown on all forms of protests, the Burmese people keep fighting for their rights. Bravo! The junta is now focusing more on silencing the media and political opposition. Many journalists and writers are reported missing, their whereabouts unknown. While some of the monks who were arrested during the protests last week are now released, the government keep rounding up and arresting more monks, as well as journalists, writers and NLD politicians.

However, the brave Burmese people has not given up. The BBC reports that the Burmese are not just afraid but intensely angry, and that this is definitely not the end of the protests. Even when faced with very real threats of violence, torture and death, the Burmese people keep fighting for their rights. This time around they want their democracy and they will fight all the way.

Now it’s time for us to support and help Burmese people. Burma really needs you to support the monks and protesters. Those protesting out there might be brave and willing to sacrifice their life for their democracy. But that’s not the way this all demonstration and protest should end. The monks and protesters needs International support and this is where we blogger and fellow Internet community could came out and offer our hands! We can do it just within the reach of our fingertips.

Boycott Olympic 2008 in Beijing. China has the most power to halt the military junta generals reign of power. But sadly, China have used their permanent seat in the UN Security Council to block all resolutions mentioning sanctions against the junta. Hopefully, China should be sensitive to international pressure now, as the 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing. Let us take this opportunity to pressure China not to use their veto power to avoid mentioning sanctions against the military junta of Burma. Guys you all can do it at both these places . 1) China help Burma. and 2) China help Burma.

Amnesty International also do provides the text and and address for you to mail to if you are going to target direct at the military junta for releasing all the detained monks and protesters. You can do so here.

Please try to do any of this little help that we can do to save a nation who just needs freedom and democracy. I feel most of us here would also have the same thought like me. Let us all blogger and fellow Internet community join our hands together to be the fourth son of Burma. Let us try our best to give what the Burmese people really deserve.

thanks & regards