Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Burma and the Blog

Photo: Ko Htike - Monks Protest
You may well ask, why an entry about the Burmese Democracy movement on a local San Juan Island arts blog? Because Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has asked us to use our liberty to promote theirs and I could not refuse her request. If bloggers in Burma are risking their lives to get this information out. The least I can do is post it.

It has been reported that Aung San Suu Kyi has been removed from house arrest and taken to prison. Since Wednesday morning more than 10 peaceful protesters, including 6 Buddhist monks and 1 Japanese citizen have been shot or beaten to death. About 500 monks and hundreds of other non-violent protesters, some democracy party leaders, have been arrested. Numbers can not be confirmed and could be much higher.

Stephanie Holmes of the BBC News reports that, "Burma's bloggers are using the Internet to beat censorship, and tell the world what is happening under the military junta's veil of secrecy. Thanks in part to bloggers, this time the outside world is acutely aware of what is happening on the streets of Rangoon, Mandalay and Pakokku and is hungry for more information."

Photo: Ko Htike - Monks & People Meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

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