The article says, “It is unclear whether even Aung San Suu Kyi – who, like Thein Sein, is ethnic Burmese – can convince the ethnic armies to give up their struggle against Burma’s military.”
Really? That’s the challenge? To convince the people trying to survive in the face of relentless army brutality, to “give up their struggle?”
That’s not “Making sense of Burma today,” that’s bloody nonsense.
There’s a school of thought – I’m still not sure where I stand on it – that the president had been wanting to suspend the dam for some time before the official announcement was made on Sept 30. A conscious decision was made to allow “artists and CSOs” to make a lot of noise in the preceding month or so, as it meant the government would score more points and win more support when the suspension was announced.
Plausible? Maybe we’re looking for conspiracies where we shouldn’t be. From the inside, the process did look quite organic.
1) Min #19,
Please educate yourself first before commenting on Rohingya issue. Now your arrogant writing makes you bigot and ignorant. There are countless of other minorities: Karen, Mon, Shan, Kachine, Chin, etc who DO NOT speak Burmese. Please study the real history before saying it is ‘fake’.
2) ACA $25,
Dude, do yourself a favor by being honest (to yourself first). It does not matter British colonizer listed us as ‘Rohingya’ or not. There were hundreds of thousands of people who believed in Islamic Faith (true). Britishers might have named them as “Muslims”, “Musalman”, or ‘Muslim of Arakan’ or whatever….that’s the truth.
Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, the term ‘Rohingya’ is a new word invented around the 50’s, so what’s wrong with that? I see in your writing you use “Akyab”, but it’s been changed to “Sittwe”, “Arakan” to “Rakhine”, “Burma” to “Myanmar”, “Rangoon” to “Yangon”…..and “Mug or Mogh” to “Rakhaing”, “Talaing” to “Mon”, etc. You meant to say that everybody but us can change the name?
3) Moe Aung #26,
Here we go: Cox’s Bazar used to be OLD Arakan, but none of the non-Buddhists are Arakanese within that Kingdom?. And all the Buddhists are NOT Indo-Aryan stock, but MONGOLOID!!!..
Bangali Borua (Buddhist), Chakma (still speak the same language as we do but Buddhist), and anyone else for that matter who confesses Buddhism is AUTOMATICALLY Arakanese or Burmese???? While all the non-Buddhist (Hindus and Muslims) lived in the Arakan Kingdom for thousands of years are NOT Arakanese. If this is not religious bigotry then what is?
4)Min Shwe #30,
I”m not ashame of who I am and I’m NOT a Bengali or Chittagonian dude….I”m a ROHINGYA. Look at the history you write on rakapura website where your name is Mug or Mogh…why you call yourself as Rakhine? Are you ashame of yourself?
5) Muhhamad #36
A short advice for you…..don’t convert yourself to alien religion before understanding what it is. Don’t you feel shame to convert to alien religion that you can’t even stand? Pity on you.
6) Zon #37
So, it’s all about skin huh? You might be a chinese dude….all the ethnics including Bama are darker-skinned (most of them). Racist card is ugly. Don’t play it.
7) mong pru #40 (a wrong name to start with)
Your muhhamad is not right. He converted. Don’t u hate him?
How would anyone react when you are deemed a heathen and ought to be either converted or culled? If turkeys vote for Christmas, pigs might also fly. Remember Newton’s Third Law of Motion? What about “as you sow so shall you reap”?
So Pol Pot is now Buddhist. That’s one gigantic twist you performed in conniving at smearing a religion. Truth is religion can be just a great big red herring as in Northern Ireland. It’s really about territory, control of resources, blood feuds, tit for tat, above all class divisions that transcend race and religion as everywhere else in the world.
Look no further than Obama getting a tremendous amount of flak because he’s a ‘Saudi Islamic plant’ etc. even after he successfully and incredibly overcame the colour bar having made it into the right kind of social/class circles.
I forgot to mention that if we allow millions of illegal immigrants
as true blue natives of Arakan, then we are facilitating vote banks
like in India. Demography will be changed in favour of illegal aliens
and Arakan will become alike Kosovo, a present for greater Albania.
Jemaah Islamiyah is Al Qaeda’s subsidy for South East Asia. If we
lose Arakan, the coastal state, Burma will serve as a land bridge for
an Islamic caliphate, that will spread from Indonesia to Bosnia in
Europe.
Indonesia -> Malaysia -> Southern Thailand -> ** Burma ** ->
->Bangladesh -> Kashmir -> Afganistan -> old silk route nations
->Turkey (Constinople, the capital city of western Roman empire
as it was called but today converted to Istanbul by expansionist
and Imperial Turks) to Bosnia.
So the Burma is the missing link for AQ and JI master plan. Burma
seems to be a prized target in Wahabi or Salafi’s global domination plan and BBC is just a high class whore.
I look forward to reading your upcoming article with Desmond Ball.
While issues involving Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, political and economic reform hold the attention of the international community, it is Burma’s ongoing civil war – and in particular the Tatmadaw’s brutal tactics against civilian populations – that is sowing the seeds of continued conflict into the future. It was good to see that this article paid this issue some attention.
It is interesting to see that while there is a seemingly endless debate about the nature of change in Burma that there seems to be little questioning of whether or not it will lead to an ending of Burma’s civil war. Some groups, such as the KNU, have already made it quite clear that they do not consider these reforms to have gone far enough.
While armed opposition groups such as the KNU, KIA, KNPP, SSA-N etc continue to see civilians abused and mistreated by the Tatmadaw and its BGF proxies (looking at you DKBA) I think that it is highly unlikely that the reforms that have been promised, and already somewhat delivered, will be enough for them to end their armed struggle.
Until the Naypiydaw regime actual starts negotiating with its armed opposition, and not simply buying off its leadership (DKBA, UWSA etc), I do not think we can consider the regime to have experienced any change of heart – either in terms of desiring real reform or abandoning its crude Bamar ethno-supremacist attitude towards the countries other ethnic groups.
Anyone need an interpreter-translator and tour guide in Palembang? Contact Fares; + 62 831 7735 3556 (or 0831 7735 3556 from any local operator in Indonesia). Email “fares dot chandra at gmail dot com”.
Thai royalists, British Monarchists (of Charles II), nor Saudi Sultanists, all suckers are the same shit, they do it for favours,
they suck the king or Sultan or whatever shit they are called.
Do not try to divert the topic. Do not play a girlish games. It
does not work here. It just shows your 9 months old brain.
Pol Pot is a French educated communist. He went to a Lycee
like Ahmed Shah Masud who went to a Lycee in old Afgan,
General Masud, the lion of Afganistan was killed by Talibans.
Pol Pot, being a communist he is an internationalist. That was
why he murdered his own people. Nationalists and Patriots will never do that. BTW, the communism and Islam has common denominators such as Zakat (redistribution of wealth), the zeal
to spread the dogma or faith, and internationalism.
But this issue is nothing to do with religion, race, Here patriots
are condemning BBC for its sneakiness and slyness and sloppy
apologies. I am sick of BBC. All my remaining respects for it is
gone.
Michael, John and Dieter and others
You are adviced to study more about history and current situation before you comment it. This is nothing about religion but about illegal migrants alongside the borderline. If you feel pity for them, I don’t mind you may invite them to your land and settle for their dwelling. Our small country cannot bear them.
Wed, 15/09/2010 – 13:00 | by prachatai
The National Library of Thailand has notified the police to take legal action against Same Sky magazine because it has not been registered and its content may constitute lèse majesté. The editor insists on publishing, and thanks the National Library for helping advertise his magazine.
On 13 Sept, Wilawan Sapphansan, Director of the National Library of Thailand, notified the Police Special Branch to take legal action against the magazine for not having been registered under the 2007 Print Registration Act and for its content, which might constitute lèse majesté.
I really wonder what Buddha would make of the “Buddhist” countries, their “Buddhist” leaders and their “Buddhist” populations in Year 2554? Is this Buddha’s legacy, what remains of his admirable endeavors? Was there some”fatal flaw” in his teachings that has helped to create these present circumstances?
The Sri Lankan Buddhists just finished with their near genocidal war against the despised Tamils.
The ruling group in a totally impoverished Bhutan recently completing their cleansing from Bhutan of the ethnic Nepalese who for hundreds of comprised over 10% of the Bhutan population.
The Buddhist Generals & “Big Men” of Burma endlessly plundering and raping the wealth and people of Burma (who themselves apparently dream only of themselves one day plundering, raping and “doing in” their fellow citizens/residents, especially those of the “Muslim persuasion”).
The little Buddhist power clique that rules and owns Laos, banking their suitcases full of “tea money” from Beijing in Bangkok and Singapore while 50% of the entire Laos population lives hand-to-mouth with no cash income whatsoever (now there’s the real “Sufficiency Economy” that the Buddhist Royalist in Thailand dream about).
And speaking of the Buddhist Royalists who own and operate the structure known as “Thailand”, apparently they think it is perfectly OK for their carefully nurtured Buddhist Karma to order Army snipers onto Bangkok’s rooftops to shoot 100’s of unarmed Buddhist citizens of Thailand whose only wish was for their votes to be counted instead of constantly thrown out.
Leaving I guess only Cambodia, whose murderous extreme Buddhist leader, Pol Pot, nearly succeeded in putting the entire population (aside from the several million who had to be exterminated for not subordinating their individual self and ego to “Ankor”) into a utopian property-less 100% “Sufficiency Economy”.
The correspondent misses the mood amongst non-Bamar activists in the country. Two messages that are being consistently repeated, and represent another piece of the mosaic:
1. We do not want her to tell the President that she can mediate between us and the government. We want her to tell him to talk to us.
2. First the Chinese claimed our headwaters (confluence). Now the Bama have claimed them. The struggle has changed little.
The reasons behind the dam decision have yet to emerge. Certainly the artists and CSO’s helped to build a platform for the President’s announcement, but it’s unlikely they brought it about as is suggested by the narrative now being constructed. Maybe when we know the price, it will be a little clearer.
I am really troubled by the mounting level of anti-Muslim attitudes in Burma. So, it seems clear from reading this post and comments that almost everybody in Burma hates Muslims there, Rohingya or not. And it is so funny to see that Buddhists (I don’t mean Bamar Buddhists only) in Burma are now so courageous and calling for extermination of Muslims in Burma. But what is mot disappointing is that Buddhists in Burma did not have any courage at all when the military was beating and killing their Buddhist monks in 2007. They always worship the monks as one of the five noble persons. But they proved they were cowards when the military beat and killed Buddhist monks! Now they are so brave that they are calling for exterminating Muslims! Very funny cowards Burmese Buddhists are!
#11 Shane Tarr. The winnings were not from the “official” prize pool.
I guess you could say, yet another case of Thai people “doing for themselves”.
Let us hope the aftermath is not a repeat of 1995, where good intentions and some words from HM during his birthday speech that year, were largely lost in the whirl of Thai politics and corruption.
So far, with how this is being played out among the politicians and civil servants, that seems unlikely. But, one can live in hope.
Since 1995, the industrial investment has risen enormously, as have middle class McMansion homes in the flood path (I am not talking about our humble abode here). Hopefully this will bring some very powerful influences into the game.
Thailand has become a vital part of the international manufacturing food chain.
As reported, among other things, there will be major shortages with the supply of autos and computer hard drives (25-30% of the world’s production has been knocked out ).
In turn, the immediate effect on ordinary Thais, who have no work right now and the consequences to any government who ignores their plight, or gives token lip service to their needs, as seems to always happen, could finally initiate a real people’s movement in the country. But, on that I also fear, it could be “same,same, not much different”. Although, the anger is rising in this very red shirt district, against the local PT member, who in turn is also a rather prominent red shirt, for his seeming inaction and lack of real care. That was the “word on the canal” yesterday, when my wife trekked out to do some shopping. So maybe the silver lining is a real awakening of Thai people…one can but hope here, too.
Paraphrasing someone who commented in the NYT this week, “Thailand might have escaped, the full ramifications this could have on its industrial income. It’s doubtful it could get away with it a second time”.
Rahmat #34,
The predominant migration of Rakhines from Chittagong division happened before and after Myanmar became independent. This was no different than the Mohajirs moving to Pakistan from India and the Hindus from Pakistan to India. Panwa (current Ramu) lost the majority of its Rakhine population, leaving behind glorious temples – thankfully the Maramagri’s (Barua Buddhists) are taking good care of it. Chittagong itself is a Rakhine word, name established when the Rakhine kingdom expanded to the banks of Karnaphuli River. So, we had large Rakhine communities in British India in the areas which are now Chittagong/Cox’s Bazar.
You mention the term Rakhine not used during the British Period because they used the term Arakanese for us (and Mohamedans for the Muslims, did not see the term Rohingya, see Sittwe Gazette). I applaud your father’s service as an educator to the society in Maungdaw. But I really wonder if your parent’s generation ever used the term Rohingya.
I understand your logic about your people being in Rakhine prior to the establishment of Bangladesh, which only became independent in 1971. But that does not negate your identity. Bengalis, past and present, are still Bengalis.
I applaud Mr. Muhhamad’s comment. He is there and trying to make ends meet. Your politically and emotionally charged Rohingya banter does not help him.
Misunderstood Hill Tribe Priorities: Inefficient Transportation and Insufficient
Agricultural Water
There is an evident disinterest in some of the ESDPs, as their developmental goals
involve abandoning some of the Lahu traditions. In the Royal Project Foundation’s
opinion, these programs offer valuable opportunities to develop skills and improve the
standard of living at Bann Khob Dong. However, the residents of Bann Khob Dong
value different objectives. They believe that one of the greatest needs in the village is
improvement of the road, as it is it impassibly muddy during the rainy season. Although
the villagers claim that the road inhibits travel during medical emergencies, such as
childbirth, it is not known how many people are actually affected by this difficulty, and
the ESDPs have not seen the road as a priority.
vOne of the greatest needs in both villages is improved irrigation. While the Royal
Projects have done all that they can to address the water shortage problem, they have not
addressed the larger issue of poverty that stems from the water shortage. Thus, the
ESDPs have not completely understood or addressed all of the needs of either village.
Muhammad is right. rohingya is a political word used as a tool to twist the history and demography of Rakhine State. This is unacceptable except for those people who are godfathers of rohingyanism in bangladesh and in the wide world.
bengalis have lived in rakhine state and also burma for a long time and peacefully without causing or suffering any kind of discrimination. but the greed for easy arab petrodollar, and also twisting of facts by an islamic country in the neighbourhood, has created and nourished rohingyanism. and sadly enough some of the vested interest groups among the democratic west including bbc have helped grow it to a dimension big enough to cause uproar, race hate, and even future turmoil of any kind.
anti rohingya sentiment is growing … only because of vested colonialist interest is there … fuelled by bbc and some extremist christian associations based in british soil (i even don’t want to name them).
socalled rohingyas should know if they want to live peacefully in burma they must, and i repeat, they must understand know to live peacefully with other people of burma. previously it was ne win’s despotic regime these socalled socalled people blamed. now the entire democratic community in burma has raised voices and concerns against them.
rohingyas are not benefitting from this let alone reaching their hallucinatory goal. by inventing stories the leaders of rohingyanism are building large homes and establishing big business houses. but they are putting their own kind into peril inside burma.
i’ve also seen a lot of bangladeshi muslim bengalis in the west who are using the name of rohingya and getting political asylum int he west. the west, if it does not get up from stupor now, is going to wake up to the harsh reality in no time.
as democracy loving and nonracist and nonreligious bigots, the citizens of burma have always extended their freindly hands to all people from the world. but it does not mean these good natured people will tolerate the invention of fictitious names for creating a racist islamist enclave anywhere inside burma, let alone rakhine state.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Making sense of Burma today
The article says, “It is unclear whether even Aung San Suu Kyi – who, like Thein Sein, is ethnic Burmese – can convince the ethnic armies to give up their struggle against Burma’s military.”
Really? That’s the challenge? To convince the people trying to survive in the face of relentless army brutality, to “give up their struggle?”
That’s not “Making sense of Burma today,” that’s bloody nonsense.
Making sense of Burma today
There’s a school of thought – I’m still not sure where I stand on it – that the president had been wanting to suspend the dam for some time before the official announcement was made on Sept 30. A conscious decision was made to allow “artists and CSOs” to make a lot of noise in the preceding month or so, as it meant the government would score more points and win more support when the suspension was announced.
Plausible? Maybe we’re looking for conspiracies where we shouldn’t be. From the inside, the process did look quite organic.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
1) Min #19,
Please educate yourself first before commenting on Rohingya issue. Now your arrogant writing makes you bigot and ignorant. There are countless of other minorities: Karen, Mon, Shan, Kachine, Chin, etc who DO NOT speak Burmese. Please study the real history before saying it is ‘fake’.
2) ACA $25,
Dude, do yourself a favor by being honest (to yourself first). It does not matter British colonizer listed us as ‘Rohingya’ or not. There were hundreds of thousands of people who believed in Islamic Faith (true). Britishers might have named them as “Muslims”, “Musalman”, or ‘Muslim of Arakan’ or whatever….that’s the truth.
Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, the term ‘Rohingya’ is a new word invented around the 50’s, so what’s wrong with that? I see in your writing you use “Akyab”, but it’s been changed to “Sittwe”, “Arakan” to “Rakhine”, “Burma” to “Myanmar”, “Rangoon” to “Yangon”…..and “Mug or Mogh” to “Rakhaing”, “Talaing” to “Mon”, etc. You meant to say that everybody but us can change the name?
3) Moe Aung #26,
Here we go: Cox’s Bazar used to be OLD Arakan, but none of the non-Buddhists are Arakanese within that Kingdom?. And all the Buddhists are NOT Indo-Aryan stock, but MONGOLOID!!!..
Bangali Borua (Buddhist), Chakma (still speak the same language as we do but Buddhist), and anyone else for that matter who confesses Buddhism is AUTOMATICALLY Arakanese or Burmese???? While all the non-Buddhist (Hindus and Muslims) lived in the Arakan Kingdom for thousands of years are NOT Arakanese. If this is not religious bigotry then what is?
4)Min Shwe #30,
I”m not ashame of who I am and I’m NOT a Bengali or Chittagonian dude….I”m a ROHINGYA. Look at the history you write on rakapura website where your name is Mug or Mogh…why you call yourself as Rakhine? Are you ashame of yourself?
5) Muhhamad #36
A short advice for you…..don’t convert yourself to alien religion before understanding what it is. Don’t you feel shame to convert to alien religion that you can’t even stand? Pity on you.
6) Zon #37
So, it’s all about skin huh? You might be a chinese dude….all the ethnics including Bama are darker-skinned (most of them). Racist card is ugly. Don’t play it.
7) mong pru #40 (a wrong name to start with)
Your muhhamad is not right. He converted. Don’t u hate him?
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Michael John,
How would anyone react when you are deemed a heathen and ought to be either converted or culled? If turkeys vote for Christmas, pigs might also fly. Remember Newton’s Third Law of Motion? What about “as you sow so shall you reap”?
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Dieter,
So Pol Pot is now Buddhist. That’s one gigantic twist you performed in conniving at smearing a religion. Truth is religion can be just a great big red herring as in Northern Ireland. It’s really about territory, control of resources, blood feuds, tit for tat, above all class divisions that transcend race and religion as everywhere else in the world.
Look no further than Obama getting a tremendous amount of flak because he’s a ‘Saudi Islamic plant’ etc. even after he successfully and incredibly overcame the colour bar having made it into the right kind of social/class circles.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
I forgot to mention that if we allow millions of illegal immigrants
as true blue natives of Arakan, then we are facilitating vote banks
like in India. Demography will be changed in favour of illegal aliens
and Arakan will become alike Kosovo, a present for greater Albania.
Jemaah Islamiyah is Al Qaeda’s subsidy for South East Asia. If we
lose Arakan, the coastal state, Burma will serve as a land bridge for
an Islamic caliphate, that will spread from Indonesia to Bosnia in
Europe.
Indonesia -> Malaysia -> Southern Thailand -> ** Burma ** ->
->Bangladesh -> Kashmir -> Afganistan -> old silk route nations
->Turkey (Constinople, the capital city of western Roman empire
as it was called but today converted to Istanbul by expansionist
and Imperial Turks) to Bosnia.
So the Burma is the missing link for AQ and JI master plan. Burma
seems to be a prized target in Wahabi or Salafi’s global domination plan and BBC is just a high class whore.
Making sense of Burma today
I look forward to reading your upcoming article with Desmond Ball.
While issues involving Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, political and economic reform hold the attention of the international community, it is Burma’s ongoing civil war – and in particular the Tatmadaw’s brutal tactics against civilian populations – that is sowing the seeds of continued conflict into the future. It was good to see that this article paid this issue some attention.
It is interesting to see that while there is a seemingly endless debate about the nature of change in Burma that there seems to be little questioning of whether or not it will lead to an ending of Burma’s civil war. Some groups, such as the KNU, have already made it quite clear that they do not consider these reforms to have gone far enough.
While armed opposition groups such as the KNU, KIA, KNPP, SSA-N etc continue to see civilians abused and mistreated by the Tatmadaw and its BGF proxies (looking at you DKBA) I think that it is highly unlikely that the reforms that have been promised, and already somewhat delivered, will be enough for them to end their armed struggle.
Until the Naypiydaw regime actual starts negotiating with its armed opposition, and not simply buying off its leadership (DKBA, UWSA etc), I do not think we can consider the regime to have experienced any change of heart – either in terms of desiring real reform or abandoning its crude Bamar ethno-supremacist attitude towards the countries other ethnic groups.
More than a mess: The 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia
Hi,
Anyone need an interpreter-translator and tour guide in Palembang? Contact Fares; + 62 831 7735 3556 (or 0831 7735 3556 from any local operator in Indonesia). Email “fares dot chandra at gmail dot com”.
Thanx and see ya.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
@Dieter
Thai royalists, British Monarchists (of Charles II), nor Saudi Sultanists, all suckers are the same shit, they do it for favours,
they suck the king or Sultan or whatever shit they are called.
Do not try to divert the topic. Do not play a girlish games. It
does not work here. It just shows your 9 months old brain.
Pol Pot is a French educated communist. He went to a Lycee
like Ahmed Shah Masud who went to a Lycee in old Afgan,
General Masud, the lion of Afganistan was killed by Talibans.
Pol Pot, being a communist he is an internationalist. That was
why he murdered his own people. Nationalists and Patriots will never do that. BTW, the communism and Islam has common denominators such as Zakat (redistribution of wealth), the zeal
to spread the dogma or faith, and internationalism.
But this issue is nothing to do with religion, race, Here patriots
are condemning BBC for its sneakiness and slyness and sloppy
apologies. I am sick of BBC. All my remaining respects for it is
gone.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Michael, John and Dieter and others
You are adviced to study more about history and current situation before you comment it. This is nothing about religion but about illegal migrants alongside the borderline. If you feel pity for them, I don’t mind you may invite them to your land and settle for their dwelling. Our small country cannot bear them.
EM balls – a flood hoax?
If they are worried about polution why don’t they use the paddle floats invented by HMK.?
What’s going on with the Thai Printing Act?
Look what I found:
http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2034
FYI, ‘Same Sky’ is/was a red-shirt publication.
On 13 Sept, Wilawan Sapphansan, Director of the National Library of Thailand, notified the Police Special Branch to take legal action against the magazine for not having been registered under the 2007 Print Registration Act and for its content, which might constitute lèse majesté.
Notice the date on that.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
I really wonder what Buddha would make of the “Buddhist” countries, their “Buddhist” leaders and their “Buddhist” populations in Year 2554? Is this Buddha’s legacy, what remains of his admirable endeavors? Was there some”fatal flaw” in his teachings that has helped to create these present circumstances?
The Sri Lankan Buddhists just finished with their near genocidal war against the despised Tamils.
The ruling group in a totally impoverished Bhutan recently completing their cleansing from Bhutan of the ethnic Nepalese who for hundreds of comprised over 10% of the Bhutan population.
The Buddhist Generals & “Big Men” of Burma endlessly plundering and raping the wealth and people of Burma (who themselves apparently dream only of themselves one day plundering, raping and “doing in” their fellow citizens/residents, especially those of the “Muslim persuasion”).
The little Buddhist power clique that rules and owns Laos, banking their suitcases full of “tea money” from Beijing in Bangkok and Singapore while 50% of the entire Laos population lives hand-to-mouth with no cash income whatsoever (now there’s the real “Sufficiency Economy” that the Buddhist Royalist in Thailand dream about).
And speaking of the Buddhist Royalists who own and operate the structure known as “Thailand”, apparently they think it is perfectly OK for their carefully nurtured Buddhist Karma to order Army snipers onto Bangkok’s rooftops to shoot 100’s of unarmed Buddhist citizens of Thailand whose only wish was for their votes to be counted instead of constantly thrown out.
Leaving I guess only Cambodia, whose murderous extreme Buddhist leader, Pol Pot, nearly succeeded in putting the entire population (aside from the several million who had to be exterminated for not subordinating their individual self and ego to “Ankor”) into a utopian property-less 100% “Sufficiency Economy”.
Making sense of Burma today
Great reference – thx.
The correspondent misses the mood amongst non-Bamar activists in the country. Two messages that are being consistently repeated, and represent another piece of the mosaic:
1. We do not want her to tell the President that she can mediate between us and the government. We want her to tell him to talk to us.
2. First the Chinese claimed our headwaters (confluence). Now the Bama have claimed them. The struggle has changed little.
The reasons behind the dam decision have yet to emerge. Certainly the artists and CSO’s helped to build a platform for the President’s announcement, but it’s unlikely they brought it about as is suggested by the narrative now being constructed. Maybe when we know the price, it will be a little clearer.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
I am really troubled by the mounting level of anti-Muslim attitudes in Burma. So, it seems clear from reading this post and comments that almost everybody in Burma hates Muslims there, Rohingya or not. And it is so funny to see that Buddhists (I don’t mean Bamar Buddhists only) in Burma are now so courageous and calling for extermination of Muslims in Burma. But what is mot disappointing is that Buddhists in Burma did not have any courage at all when the military was beating and killing their Buddhist monks in 2007. They always worship the monks as one of the five noble persons. But they proved they were cowards when the military beat and killed Buddhist monks! Now they are so brave that they are calling for exterminating Muslims! Very funny cowards Burmese Buddhists are!
The toll of flooding on lives and politics
#11 Shane Tarr. The winnings were not from the “official” prize pool.
I guess you could say, yet another case of Thai people “doing for themselves”.
Let us hope the aftermath is not a repeat of 1995, where good intentions and some words from HM during his birthday speech that year, were largely lost in the whirl of Thai politics and corruption.
So far, with how this is being played out among the politicians and civil servants, that seems unlikely. But, one can live in hope.
Since 1995, the industrial investment has risen enormously, as have middle class McMansion homes in the flood path (I am not talking about our humble abode here). Hopefully this will bring some very powerful influences into the game.
Thailand has become a vital part of the international manufacturing food chain.
As reported, among other things, there will be major shortages with the supply of autos and computer hard drives (25-30% of the world’s production has been knocked out ).
In turn, the immediate effect on ordinary Thais, who have no work right now and the consequences to any government who ignores their plight, or gives token lip service to their needs, as seems to always happen, could finally initiate a real people’s movement in the country. But, on that I also fear, it could be “same,same, not much different”. Although, the anger is rising in this very red shirt district, against the local PT member, who in turn is also a rather prominent red shirt, for his seeming inaction and lack of real care. That was the “word on the canal” yesterday, when my wife trekked out to do some shopping. So maybe the silver lining is a real awakening of Thai people…one can but hope here, too.
Paraphrasing someone who commented in the NYT this week, “Thailand might have escaped, the full ramifications this could have on its industrial income. It’s doubtful it could get away with it a second time”.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Rahmat #34,
The predominant migration of Rakhines from Chittagong division happened before and after Myanmar became independent. This was no different than the Mohajirs moving to Pakistan from India and the Hindus from Pakistan to India. Panwa (current Ramu) lost the majority of its Rakhine population, leaving behind glorious temples – thankfully the Maramagri’s (Barua Buddhists) are taking good care of it. Chittagong itself is a Rakhine word, name established when the Rakhine kingdom expanded to the banks of Karnaphuli River. So, we had large Rakhine communities in British India in the areas which are now Chittagong/Cox’s Bazar.
You mention the term Rakhine not used during the British Period because they used the term Arakanese for us (and Mohamedans for the Muslims, did not see the term Rohingya, see Sittwe Gazette). I applaud your father’s service as an educator to the society in Maungdaw. But I really wonder if your parent’s generation ever used the term Rohingya.
I understand your logic about your people being in Rakhine prior to the establishment of Bangladesh, which only became independent in 1971. But that does not negate your identity. Bengalis, past and present, are still Bengalis.
I applaud Mr. Muhhamad’s comment. He is there and trying to make ends meet. Your politically and emotionally charged Rohingya banter does not help him.
Royal politics and the floods
Misunderstood Hill Tribe Priorities: Inefficient Transportation and Insufficient
Agricultural Water
There is an evident disinterest in some of the ESDPs, as their developmental goals
involve abandoning some of the Lahu traditions. In the Royal Project Foundation’s
opinion, these programs offer valuable opportunities to develop skills and improve the
standard of living at Bann Khob Dong. However, the residents of Bann Khob Dong
value different objectives. They believe that one of the greatest needs in the village is
improvement of the road, as it is it impassibly muddy during the rainy season. Although
the villagers claim that the road inhibits travel during medical emergencies, such as
childbirth, it is not known how many people are actually affected by this difficulty, and
the ESDPs have not seen the road as a priority.
vOne of the greatest needs in both villages is improved irrigation. While the Royal
Projects have done all that they can to address the water shortage problem, they have not
addressed the larger issue of poverty that stems from the water shortage. Thus, the
ESDPs have not completely understood or addressed all of the needs of either village.
http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-031605-095614/unrestricted/Angkhang_IQP_2005.pdf
EM balls – a flood hoax?
EM Balls at least are cheaper than GT200 bomb detectors and probably at least as effective dollarwise as an Aria blimp fighting southern insurgency.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Rahmat
Muhammad is right. rohingya is a political word used as a tool to twist the history and demography of Rakhine State. This is unacceptable except for those people who are godfathers of rohingyanism in bangladesh and in the wide world.
bengalis have lived in rakhine state and also burma for a long time and peacefully without causing or suffering any kind of discrimination. but the greed for easy arab petrodollar, and also twisting of facts by an islamic country in the neighbourhood, has created and nourished rohingyanism. and sadly enough some of the vested interest groups among the democratic west including bbc have helped grow it to a dimension big enough to cause uproar, race hate, and even future turmoil of any kind.
anti rohingya sentiment is growing … only because of vested colonialist interest is there … fuelled by bbc and some extremist christian associations based in british soil (i even don’t want to name them).
socalled rohingyas should know if they want to live peacefully in burma they must, and i repeat, they must understand know to live peacefully with other people of burma. previously it was ne win’s despotic regime these socalled socalled people blamed. now the entire democratic community in burma has raised voices and concerns against them.
rohingyas are not benefitting from this let alone reaching their hallucinatory goal. by inventing stories the leaders of rohingyanism are building large homes and establishing big business houses. but they are putting their own kind into peril inside burma.
i’ve also seen a lot of bangladeshi muslim bengalis in the west who are using the name of rohingya and getting political asylum int he west. the west, if it does not get up from stupor now, is going to wake up to the harsh reality in no time.
as democracy loving and nonracist and nonreligious bigots, the citizens of burma have always extended their freindly hands to all people from the world. but it does not mean these good natured people will tolerate the invention of fictitious names for creating a racist islamist enclave anywhere inside burma, let alone rakhine state.
thanks