With all ISPs and computers in Burma being government-registered, there is now just one blogger left in the country to report on protest developments, atrocities against the population, and ruptures within the Burmese military. Marshall Kirkpatrick presents a comprehensive roundup of the latest media developments in his piece, Lone Remaining Burmese Blogger.
News from within the country has all but evaporated. Latest reports from within the regime indicate that thousands have already been killed and their bodies dumped.
The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."
Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men. He has now reached the border with Thailand.
It seems that a fugitive by the name of Niknayman is now being hunted down as part of this horrific clampdown because of his blogging, but is still using a lightweight message service to keep up the last line of communication from inside Burma. Kirkpatrick has converted Niknayman's CBox messaging into an RSS Feed - and it's chilling.These entries were posted in the last few hours:
All Light Infantry Division (LID) commanders are detained in NayPyiTaw by Than Shwe. Only battalion commanders are left in the battalions. LID 33 Commander, Brigadier-General Min Zaw and LID 99 Commander, Brigadier-General Hla Tun Ooo are reportedly removed from the post for not accepting his order. The commanders are in favor of restraint while Than Shwe is in favor of opening fire on the protestors.
and now this
The undertakers from "Yay-Way" cemetry, reported that the SPDC cremates all the corpses as well as those injured protesters who are still alive. Now the world has seen the shooting of Japanese reporters and the floating body of a monk in the Hlaing river. Please let the world know and bring the military regime to the World Criminals Court.
Other people online are trying to update with whatever information comes to hand, and perhaps the most active remaining Burmese blogger outside of Burma is London-based Ko Htike. Kirkpatrick also points to comprehensive coverage of the blogging revolution that has proven vital to the Saffron Revolution.
Posted by a British journalist in Rangoon, it attempts to document personal accounts of fear and courage from within the phenomenon that has seen skinny geeks with digital cameras and internet access emerge not only as heroes, but perhaps essential to any hope the continuing slaughter might bring about regime change.
'World leaders' certainly aren't.
Posts
|