Humanitarian Aid for Burma

As a consequence of my failure to blog for a week, I haven't been posting on the situation in Burma. If you want to make a difference in this oppressed country, visit Ten Percent and see what you can do.

Burma - Another Reason to Hate Chevron

As if the situation in Ecuador wasn't enough. This from The Guardian:

A human rights watchdog group on Tuesday accused Chevron Corp of complicity in human rights abuses along a natural gas pipeline in Myanmar in which it holds a stake and said Chevron could be sued.

EarthRights International claimed in a report issued on Tuesday that Myanmar's army has in recent years committed serious abuses including rape and murder while providing security for the pipeline that moves gas from the Yadana gas field, located offshore in the Andaman Sea.

The group also said the army has forced Burmese citizens to build sentry posts, perform security duties along the pipeline and maintain roads.

"The people of Burma are making the pipeline go through their own physical energy, their blood, their sweat and their tears," Katie Redford, U.S. office director of EarthRights, said in an interview.

"That's what 'Human Energy' means in Burma," Redford said, referring to Chevron's current advertising campaign, which aims to improve the company's image on environmental and social issues.

Mmm, another human rights abuse for William Haynes to get his teeth into. Still, he has plenty of experience, doesn't he?

You can read more about the report on the Yadana pipeline here.

Email UN Secretary To Put Pressure on Burma

Taken from The Burma Campaign:

Ban Ki-moon – Go To Burma!

Email UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon now calling on him to go to Burma.

On Monday 10th March the UN Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, left Burma empty handed after the regime rejected every proposal he made for restoring democracy in Burma.

It was the 35th visit to Burma by a UN envoy in the past 18 years, and there has not been a single reform to show for any of them. In fact, the human rights situation has got much worse.

It is time the UN woke up to the fact that this regime has been lying to UN envoys for almost two decades. It does not want reform and it is not interested in democracy.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon should take over the process. He should have the backing of a binding Security Council resolution, which under international law will force the regime to reform.

[Email template here]

Burma - Rebel Leader Murdered

From the BBC:

The secretary general of Burma's largest rebel group, the Karen National Union, has been killed.
Pado Mahn Shar, who was in his sixties, was shot at his home in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, his family said.

He was targetted by two men in a pick-up truck, while sitting on the veranda of his home. He died instantly.

The KNU and its military wing, the Karen National Liberation Army, have spent nearly 60 years fighting the Burmese government.

From The Burma Campaign:

Statement from the children of Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan
14 Feb 2008

We are very sad to lose a great father and a great leader.

We were lucky to have a father who was caring and full of love. He gave us guidance and support, and taught us tolerance and to stand against injustice. He could not give us wealth or luxury, but ensured that we had an education and the opportunity to fulfill our potential

He was always humble, yet a strong and brave leader. He dedicated his life to the struggle, and always put the welfare of his people and his country before himself. His example of determination and self-sacrifice to win our freedom won him the love and respect of not just the Karen people, but also the Burmese democracy movement and of freedom loving people around the world.

He will be remembered by many not only as an inspirational leader, but also on a personal level for the many acts of kindness he performed for those who needed help.

We are proud to be his children, as all Karen people and all people who long for freedom in Burma are proud of him.

Our father may be dead, but we will remember him. He taught us that it was our duty to work for the Karen people, and as his children we will continue his dedicated work towards true freedom for our people and peace in our country.

His determination for freedom and democracy lives on within us and within the Karen people. He did not live to see freedom for our people, but his dream will be fulfilled. The Karen, and all the people of Burma, will be free.

We will be establishing a foundation in memory of our father. For the time being, donations can be made online at http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/

Saw Say Say
Nant Bwa Bwa Phan
Nant Zoya Phan
Slone Phan


A brief biography of Padoh Mahn Sha

Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan was born in Rangoon on 5th July 1943.
He graduated from Rangoon University in 1966 with a degree in history.
He joined the Karen National Union (KNU) in 1963. In 1964 he became a member of the KNU Central Committee, and was elected Joint General Secretary in 1995. He was elected General Secretary in 2000, and is also a member of the Secretariat of the National Council of the Union of Burma, the umbrella organisation representing organisations in the Burmese democracy movement.

Padoh Mahn Sha married Nant Kyin Shwe in 1976. She passed away on 31st July 2004. He is survived by four children, two sons and two daughters; Saw Say Say, Nant Bwa Bwa Phan, Nant Zoya Phan, Slone Phan.

Total in Burma

Some time ago, I blogged about a leaflet that formed Total's response to the calls to pull out of Burma. Well, here it is in all it's glory:

Front

Back

(Apologies for the delay. We found ourselves in receipt of a scanner over xmas so I thought I should make use of it.)

Bloody Guardian, Why Do You Spite Me So??

Sometimes The Guardian seems intent on spiting me. I write a letter to The Guardian complaining about a full page advertisement for Total (who are part of the problem in Burma) and I get completely ignored. John bloody Pilger writes a letter about an advertising feature on Burma and he gets published. I mean, what's he got that I haven't?? If only I was a well respected film maker and journalist. Aaahhh, one can dream......

Total - We're The Good Guys.....Honest Guv'

Apologies if this is already common knowledge, but I have been catching up on the news this last week after a hectic few days. Whilst popping into my local, friendly Total garage today, I came across a leaflet outlining its justification for remaining in Burma. The leaflet was predictably full of false sentiment and one passage in particular caught my eye:

'Our presence in Burma brings responsibility, but a decision to leave the country would entail similar responsibilities. If TOTAL left Burma, we would be replaced immediately by other operators who may not apply the same social or ethical standards. There would be no real impact on the State's revenues or on the political debate, but there would certainly be a negative impact on the Burmese people. As long as we believe our operations on the Yadana project contribute to the welfare of the people of Burma, TOTAL is committed to staying and demonstrating that our presence is more beneficial than our absence.'

Yes, all those other oil companies are nasty wicked people, we are good and kind and pure. Mmmmmmm.

The leaflet also draws attention to their website: http://burma.total.com. The website itself is a perfect example of corporate propaganda. Some of it needs to be seen to be believed. The image of Total as an altruistic, benevolent organisation is, frankly, absurd in the extreme. They are in business to make profit, all other considerations are secondary, least of all human rights.

Avaaz on Total Oil and Burma

Far from the headlines, the crisis in Burma continues--fueled, in part, by international oil corporations like Total Oil and Chevron/Texaco. These corporations don't just fund the junta; they lobby on its behalf in capital cities around the world. These are the same companies many of us fuel up with. That means our pressure as consumers has the power to force change—and it's our responsibility to act.

Will you pledge to join the global boycott of Chevron and Total? The boycott will last until the companies withdraw from Burma, or until the Burmese junta begins a genuine democratic transition and frees all political prisoners--including Aung San Suu Kyi. We'll deliver all the pledges and comments straight to the top management of Chevron and Total. You can see what brands to avoid in your country and take the pledge, at:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate

French oil giant Total (which also owns ELF and FINA) and U.S.-based Chevron (which also owns Texaco, Caltex an Unocal) have been operating the Yadana natural gas pipeline in southern Burma since the early '90s.The junta takes in an estimated $450 million a year from the Yadana project alone--and uses that money to maintain its brutal control, while most people in Burma live in dire poverty. To keep their profits flowing, Chevron and Total lobby hard in the U.S. and Europe against government measures to support a democratic transition in Burma.

For companies like this, it's all about the bottom line. We must show them that if they keep backing the Burmese dictatorship, they will lose their customers--by the tens of thousands, the hundreds of thousands, even by the millions.

With enough pressure in the pocket book, we could actually get these companies to switch sides--using their enormous leverage with the Burmese regime to push for the democratic reforms necessary to call off the boycott. It just requires more loss from the boycott than profit from the junta.

Could that happen? Yes--if we act together. That's why we're raising a call for an international boycott of Total and Chevron. The pledge: to refuse to buy fuel from any Total, Chevron, ELF, FINA, Texaco or Caltex station in our home countries and wherever we travel. The boycott will last until the Burmese junta begins a genuine democratic transition and frees all political prisoners--including Aung San Suu Kyi --or until these companies exit Burma completely.

To make sure our voice is heard, we'll deliver all the boycott pledges and comments straight to the senior corporate management of Chevron and Total Oil. You can add your name to the boycott pledge today, at:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate

We've all witnessed the rise of global corporations whose power crosses national boundaries. But today, Chevron and Total are going to witness the rise of something greater: global people power. Today, as consumers and wold citizens, we stand up together to demand justice for the people of Burma – and our voices will be heard.

With hope,

Ricken, Paul, Pascal, Graziela, Galit, Ben, Milena, Sarah, Iain - the whole Avaaz team

P.S. Chevron and Total often try to hide behind the argument that their presence benefits the Burmese population. But the call to target Chevron and Total comes directly from the people of Burma themselves:

"Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime."

-- Aung San Suu Kyi
Nobel Peace Prize winner and last elected leader of Burma

UK and US Back Musharraf in Private

No surprise given that President Musharraf is the good dictator favoured by the West. It has emerged in The Guardian today that there is a fair chance that the US and the UK gave Musharraf clearance to announce emergency rule. From The Guardian:

A Musharraf aide told the Guardian that the Pakistani president had "satisfied" objections raised by Mr Brown during the conversation. "There was pressure from the US and Britain in the beginning. But later on, when the government gave them the detail that elections will be held on time, and the president will take off his uniform, they did not have any objections," the official said, on condition of anonymity. A Foreign Office official insisted "no consent was implied or given".

Of course, the Foreign Office are hardly likely to admit this, but the truth is that the West relies rather heavily on Musharraf, particularly in relation to the so-called 'War on Terror' and the war in Afghanistan.

Despite claims in The Guardian that the West has issued an ultimatum to Musharraf, officials in the US are taking a slightly different stance. One senior official responsible for policy matters regarding Pakistan has claimed:

"The problem is we have a war in Afghanistan, and Pakistan is a coalition partner. We have troops on the ground in Afghanistan, and it's hard to have a good outcome there if Pakistan is not cooperating."

He also added:

“I think Musharraf has rolled the dice. He believes that the odds are in his favor, that the public is going to accept this and that the public response to this is containable without a lot of violence. But it’s a risk and we don’t know what the public reaction will be.”

And there is the problem for the US and the UK. they have invested a great deal in Musharraf in their attempts to deal with the situation in the northwest of Pakistan and are unlikely to do anything unless things escalate. Behind closed doors that US and UK will be hoping that is not another Burma, because they don't want to have to take any action in Pakistan, or face increased public pressure to do so. No, they will sit tight, keep their fingers crossed and ride this one out. After all, Musharraf is the good dictator

Three Thousand People Detained by Military Junta in Burma As Media Go Elsewhere.....

Reports are suggesting that the figure for detainees in Burma is way above the original estimate given by Amnesty International. According to the Herald Sun:

State media also gave a sharply higher figure for the number of people who were detained in connection with the protests, saying 2927 had been locked up around the country and 468 remained behind bars.

Earlier state media had indicated about 2100 people had been arrested.

The newspaper said security forces were continuing to make arrests, despite a statement last week by the UN Security Council demanding the release of all political prisoners.

"Some are still (being) called in for questioning, and those who should be released will be released,'' the paper said.

That this has happened with barely a murmur is totally unacceptable. Real pressure needs to be put on the Burmese dictatorship to ensure that these people are released without charge immediately. As the Burmese uprising drops from the national consciousness, people will continue to suffer at the hands of this despicable regime. That there are no cameras recording the abuses does not mean that it is not still happening.

Amnesty International Needs your Help To Pressurise the Military Regime in Burma

Amnesty International is calling on people to pressurise the Burmese military junta in the wake of the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations. As Amnesty points out, the military regime has been responsible for countless human rights violations over the years, including:

* The holding of more than 1,160 political prisoners in deteriorating prison conditions. Detainees include most senior opposition figures

*The use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, especially during interrogation and pre-trial detention

*The use of child soldiers and forced labour

*Laws that criminalise the peaceful expression of political dissent

*People frequently being arrested without warrant and held incommunicado

*Judicial proceedings against political detainees that fall short of international fair trial standards

*Defendants being denied the right to legal counsel and prosecutors relying on
confessions extracted through torture

Amnesty has also created a template email/letter that can be sent to Burma's Foreign Minister urging for the release of any prisoners taken as a result of the demonstrations. To find out more, click here.

Burma - Hotels Feeling The Heat

After constant pressure by activists across the globe, the pressure is really starting to tell on those that support the military junta in Burma. This from The Guardian:

Last month's pro-democracy protests in Burma and the junta's ruthless and bloody crackdown have hit tourism hard, with some hotels slashing prices by 80% to try to attract visitors, industry insiders said.

"There has been a steep drop in foreign arrivals - both businessmen and tourists - since the protests reached a climax in the last week of September," a manager at a Rangoon-based travel agency said yesterday. Most hotels had more than halved their rates, the manager said, but occupancy levels were below break-even point, a reflection of the outrage at last month's crackdown on monks and civilians in which at least 10 people were killed.

According to the Myanmar Times, a semi-official business weekly, the Savoy Hotel has axed its prices to just $20 (£9.80) a night, compared with a normal high season rate of $110.

"Business has been very bad. Most of us have been out of a job for weeks," said one English-speaking tour guide. "It is not just because of the seasonal factor. We had a lot of cancellations. "

Even before the unrest tourism was in a parlous state, partly due to activists' calls for a boycott in order to keep tourist dollars out of the generals' pockets. Burma says it had 192,000 tourists in the year to March. By contrast, neighbouring Thailand expects about 13 million visitors this year, and even war-scarred Cambodia is aiming for 2 million.

Airlines have also been hit by the crisis. Domestic flight schedules had to be altered because of curfews imposed on Rangoon and Mandalay, and even unaffected flights are half-empty. A businessman who flew in from Singapore last week on an Air Bagan Airbus capable of carrying more than 200 passengers said there were only two dozen people on board.

If there is an hope that the military regime will collapse, the current trends need to be continued. Many of these companies hide behind their claims of helping the poor in Burma. However, given the amount of money that this generates for the junta, they are equally complicit in the murderous actions of this military regime. Only with the continuation of this pressure can the people of Burma truly be freed.

John Howard - Condemns Burma Whilst Australian Federal Police Train their Burmese Counterparts

Yet another example of the sheer opportunism at the heart of Howard's posturing. From ZNet:

The current protests and crackdown has created more hypocritical condemnations and “targeted” sanctions (targeted so as not to harm Western corporations). Australian Prime Minister John Howard and foreign minister Alexander Downer have made global headlines with their colourful condemnations of the Burmese junta — described by Howard as “loathsome” — while at the same time the Burmese security forces receive training in “criminal intelligence” from the Australian Federal Police at the Australian-run Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. This is ostensibly to fight the illegal drugs trade. However, the Burmese military are major participants in this trade.

The Canberra Times reported on September 28 that John Kaye, president of the Australian Coalition for Democracy in Burma, said: “One thing we can do immediately is to withdraw the Australian Federal Police who are currently training police in Burma.” “We can downgrade the military delegation in Australia [at the embassy] from Burma”, he told the paper.

A September 26 statement by the Asian Centre for Human Rights argued that it is “the hypocrisy in Asia-Pacific which endured the military regime in Myanmar [Burma]. Foreign Minister of Australia, Alexander Downer already made it clear that Australia will not impose economic sanctions on Burma.

“The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has done little to address the present situation. ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong merely stated that ASEAN hoped that ‘the situation remains peaceful’. The ASEAN failed to issue a public statement condemning the Burmese junta for using force on the peaceful protestors, including the monks.”

On September 25, Greens Senator Bob Brown, calling for the suspension of military training and trade with the Burmese regime, noted: “Alexander Downer’s fear that the military will subject the pro-democracy protest leaders to ‘very harsh treatment’ is in absurd contrast with the Howard government’s twin policies of training the Burmese military and keeping open unrestricted trade. Mr Downer is all description of the Burmese events and no action.”

Alex Bainbridge, a Sydney-based anti-war activist and Senate candidate for the Socialist Alliance, argued that “The Australian government should immediately withdraw its ambassador in protest and halt all cooperation with military regime in Burma … the Australian government should halt the training provided by the Australian Federal Police for the repressive Burmese police force.”

While the Howard government rails against the Burmese junta’s repressiveness this does not mean that its victims are recognised as fleeing persecution. Seven refugees from the Muslim Rohingya community, Burma’s most oppressed minority, have been held by Australia in Nauru since September 2006.

So, whilst noisily attacking the Burmese regime, Howard's government trains the police and locks up those that are trying to flee persecution in Burma. There's words for leaders like John Howard - Hypocritical c....

Direct Action at Ten Percent

While I have been poncing around writing emails in response to the events in Burma, good old RickB has been out there campaigning at a Total garage with other protesters. You can see what they got up to here:

And read all about it here. Nice one.

Burma Regime Wants 'Surrender' According to The Burma Campaign UK

With thanks to RickB for this one:

The Burma Campaign UK is concerned by media reports that there has been some kind of breakthrough in Burma because Senior General Than Shwe has agreed to talks. There has been no breakthrough. Than Shwe has repeated a demand made to UN Envoys since 1992. That is, that the National League for Democracy must agree to stop calling for human rights and democracy, and stop calling for international support, as preconditions before they start talking.

“We have been here before,” said Mark Farmaner, Acting Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “The regime is still refusing to enter into genuine dialogue, Gambari’s mission has failed. We have to break out of this cycle. Ban Ki-moon must go to Burma and deliver a strong message to the regime that further delay is unacceptable. There must be deadlines set for the regime to enter into talks and begin reform, after which there will be consequences. He should have the backing of the United Nations Security Council in delivering this message.”

UN Envoy Ibrahim Gambari is expected to brief the United Nations Security Council today. There has been a dramatic escalation in human rights abuses in Burma since his first visit to the country in 2006, including a military offensive against civilian ethnic minorities in eastern Burma, and the recent brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in Rangoon.

“The invitation to Gambari to return to Burma in November is a classic delaying tactic by Than Shwe.” said Mark Farmaner. “He wants to string out the process as long as possible, hoping that by then the world’s attention will be elsewhere. Than Shwe is a specialist in psychological warfare, and has been using these skills to dupe the international community for many years.”

Time to stop playing their games and get serious. Millions of people are relying on us. Don't let them down.

Free Burma

Find out what you can do to put an end to the military dictatorship in Burma, visit The Burma Cammpaign UK and start writing emails to the companies that support the regime.

[image taken from Free Burma!]

The Karen - Ethnically Cleansed in Burma Thanks To Corporate Investment

There have been many interesting posts about the ongoing situation in Burma, what with the images of peaceful monks being slaughtered by over zealous soldiers eager to please their military leaders. One story that has bubbled under the surface is the case of the systematic cleansing of ethnic minorities along the Burmese/Thai border. One of the main victims of this growing genocide has been the Karen.

The Karen (self-titled Pwa Ka Nyaw Po and also known in Thailand as the Kariang) originate from Tibet and have had tempestuous relations with the Burmese throughout their history. In 1947, the KNU ( Karen National Union) was formed. The KNU was involved in an insurgency against the Burmese military junta throughout the 1980s leading, ultimately, to the 8888 uprising which was brutally crushed by the Burmese regime, leading to deaths numbering in the thousands. After the uprising, the junta cracked down on the KNU and its numbers dropped from 40,000 to 4,000. Even now they are suffering the consequences for their call for freedom.

Along the border with Thailand, the Karen (along with other groups) have been murdered, raped, forced into labour and had their houses burnt down. In short, a genocide is taking place. Only now, with the spotlight on Burma, has the grim reality of life in Burma as an ethnic minority become apparent. The following is taken from The Guardian:

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - While international attention has focused on the protests for democracy in Myanmar's cities, a hidden war has decimated generations of the country's powerless ethnic minorities, who have faced brutality for decades.

The Karen, the Shan and other minority groups who live along the Myanmar-Thai border have been attacked, raped and killed by government soldiers. Their thatched-roofed, bamboo homes have been torched. Men have been seized into forced labor for the army, while women, children and the elderly either hide out in nearby jungles until the soldiers leave or flee over the mountains to crowded, makeshift refugee camps.

``Many, many thousands of Karen have died in those 60 years,'' Karen National Union secretary general Mahn Sha said this week of his people's struggle for autonomy since 1947.

The military junta has denied reports of atrocities and says the ethnic rebels are "terrorists'' [note the use of the word] trying to overthrow the government.

The Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma, has more than 100 subtribes. Myanmar's diverse minority groups make up nearly a third of the country's 54 million population.

About two-thirds of the country belong to the Burman ethnic majority, which is also known as the Myanmar. The other ethnic groups include the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, the Mon, the Arakan or Rakhine, and the Kachin.

The plight of the Karen emphasises the impact that Western investment has in the region. Those companies that have been operating in Burma (the teak suppliers, the travel industry etc) have effectively been paying for these human rights abuses. Every bullet fired into every man/woman/child is paid for by the corporations operating in the region. Every rape that is committed is the direct responsibility of the corporations that invest there. Every village that is burnt to the ground is done so with the support of those very corporations that claim to have a conscience. How else can they explain why they are happy to give the Burmese government the money to indulge their military in such a way? I don't really know how these people can sleep at night knowing that they are financing murder and rape. May it rest heavy on their souls.

Brutality hunting Burma's last bloggers: reports of mass slaughter, live cremations

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.

Corporate Pressure Yielding Results in Burma

First, some good news regarding Burma. It would appear that some of the pressure on companies who invest in Burma is starting to pay off. This from the Burma Campaign website:

UK Timber firms start to pull out of Burma

30 Sep 2007

The Burma Campaign UK today warmly welcomed announcements by Timbmet and K J Howells and Son that they will no longer sell teak from Burma. Timber exports are a major source of revenue for the regime in Burma.

Both companies have featured on a ‘Dirty List’ of companies directly or indirectly funding the regime in Burma. http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/dirty_list.php

In an email to the Burma Campaign, K J Howells stated: “In light of the recent brutal treatment of the Burmese people by the military, we have made the decision to end all ties with suppliers of Burmese products, and will not place any further orders until a democratic government is put in place. I have contacted my primary supplier, who has also announced their withdrawal of ties with Burma, and we are now together looking at alternative sources.”

“We warmly welcome the withdrawal of these companies,” said Mark Farmaner, Acting Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “Companies buying teak from the regime are helping to pay for the bullets being used on the streets of Burma. We call on all timber companies to stop selling Burmese teak.”

Timbmet will phase out imports of Burma teak by the end of the year. K J Howells will make no further purchases of Burmese teak. Both companies have been removed from the ‘Dirty List’.

For more information contact Mark Farmaner on 02073244713.

Good news indeed. Perhaps other timber firms that invest in Burma might like to take this into account. I would strongly recommend emailing other timber merchants who rely on Burmese timber and informing them of the stance some of their competitors have taken. It might just increase the pressure.

It has also emerged that there will be an International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th October. To find out how you can play a part, visit the 'Free Burma!' site here. So far, 463 people have signed up to take part in the action. Get the message out there. Tell as many people as possible about the situation in Burma. The monks need our support and we need to keep the pressure up on our establishment to ensure that they keep the pressure on the military junta.

chant with me "More Monks, Less Fuckwits"

This is straight from Al Jazeera. They spoke by phone with a Buddhist monk called Uppekha, who is part of the All Burma Buddhist Monks Alliance.

Uppekha said he had expected more help from the UN and emphasised that all the protests had been peaceful.
He said: "We have a chance to create our own rights. We have a chance to create our own freedom.
"We are peaceful demonstrators but the government is taking this violent crackdown. We are suffering violence from a military junta.
"We dont understand why the UN aren't helping us. They are just talking, talking, blowing in the wind."

When a monk suggests military, martial, or international action to support gunned down peaceful protests... it's gotta mean something. I just think it's disgusting that the "world leaders" are congratulating themselves on cutting military and financial aid to Burma's military regime. The media are also singing this song - when there really should be more questions about why these bastards didn't have their lines of weapon supply and access to foreign assets cut long ago.

And it does seem kind of sick that "democracy" can be delivered by missile, bomb, dictum, and invasion... but not by request or obvious necessity.

Al Jazeera also reports on the cutting of access to Burmese blogs and provides hyperlinks for easy direct access to what remains up online. Al Jazeera has compiled a wide array of background and update pieces and they can all be explored via any of these links.


And thank God for Australia's strong grip on context. The fact that protesters were allegedly beaten up today by police outside the Burmese embassy in Canberra does not say anything specific about Australian reverence for the military junta. But it does highlight how inappropriate the reflexive clamping down on peaceful protest really is. That Australian protesters in Australia were beaten up for protesting against a government that has been killing its own critics simply provides a striking back drop. The complete picture points toward the natural endpoint of the excessive laws forced through in the last 5 years, with a tip of the hat to the consequent problem of overzealous policing.



Still, at least common sense has prevailed somewhere. Because there is nothin more logical than invading an allegedly despot nation to take away their non-existent weapons, realizing you fucked up, and then selling their unstable government $2.3 billion worth of armaments so you can come back and do it all again, gee - i don't know, maybe next week?

A Department of Defense official speaking anonymously said "well that clinches it. This time next week, we're going to be bombing the shit out of Irony."