What do you know about Myanmar?
If you’re like most people- you probably do not know much about this brutal regime. This country, formerly named Burma, is one of the most closed societies in the world. Like North Korea, not much information gets in, and not much information gets out. The military junta in control of the country likes it that way.
That is why the protests this week are so significant even if the marchers went only 30 meters before being beatdown by the authorities. Not only are protests inside this regime very rare and small, but there is usually not much reported on them.
This week’s protests were different.
A man is detained by men in civilian cloths during a protest in Yangon on August 28, 2007. Defiant protests in military-ruled Myanmar against soaring fuel prices spread to the oil-producing northwest on Tuesday, where 300 people, including Buddhist monks, staged a protest march in Sittwe, a local source said. In Yangon, around 30 people staged a march through the north of the city, before stopped by men in civilian clothes, witnesses said. Five people were taken away. Picture taken on August 28, 2007. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. MANDATORY CREDIT. (REUTERS/Democratic Voice of Burma)
Well known democracy activist Su Su Nway was taken to the hospital in Myanmar today after a protest of around 200 democracy activists was violently broken up by undercover junta officials.
Activist Su Su Nway seen here was beaten by authorities and later taken to the hospital for treatment. (DVB)
It wasn’t long into the protest before the junta cracked down on Su Su Nway and the other brave protesters. (DVB)
The Democratic Voice of Burma reported:
Eyewitnesses said Su Su Nway was seen arguing with special police and government supporters as they arrested more than 10 other activists for taking part in the protest against high fuel prices. She was seen collapsing shortly afterwards.
“Su Su Nway has now been submitted to a hospital on Mahabandoola Garden street . . . One of the people who was with her at the protest took her in a car,” an eyewitnesses said.
It is unclear why the special police chose not to arrest Su Su Nway along with the other activists but bystanders said they saw the police brutally beating the arrested protestors as they were driven away in a truck.
Knowing first hand the the brutality of the military junta, these brave protesters held a rally anyway on August 22 against the high gas prices. (DVB)
MORE… Good for Jim Carrey who shined some light on the Myanmar crisis today. Carrey calls for people to support the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi. He also decries Burma’s military regime for recruiting more child soldiers than any other country in the world:
Hat Tip HotAir
See also:
US Campaign for Burma
Human Rights Action Center
Democratic Voice of Burma
UPDATE: President Bush condemned the arrests this week in Burma.
