WHAT IF THEY WERE PRIESTS?

As the military junta in Burma puts the final nails in the pro-democracy movement an interesting question comes to mind. What would have been the world’s reaction, particularly in the West, if instead of monks, 6,000 priests were arrested? What would have been the reaction if 6,000 ministers were arrested? Or, what might have been the reaction if 6,000 Muslim clerics were arrested?

An October 7th AP report indicated that Burmese military authorities arrested 78 more democracy advocates on Sunday. Military authorities say that they have only arrested 1,000 and are only detaining 135 monks. Outside sources put the numbers at closer to 6,000. Adding insult to injury there are reports on the junta forcing civilians to march in support of the government claiming that dissidents are only a small minority that have been labeled by the Burmese government as terrorists.

While foreign governments have condemned the actions of the ruling junta in Burma, little has been done to offer support to the pro-democracy movement. The EU has widened some sanctions and the U.S. is pushing the UN for more sanctions but it is widely known that both China and Russia will veto such a move. It is easy to talk tough when you know there is little chance you will actually have to act.

Reports out of Burma today indicate that pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will remain under house arrest which she has been for the 12 out of the last 18 years. The state controlled New Light of Myanmar claims that when a new state constitution is completed, all of the demands of the protesters will be within reach. An AAP story notes that work on reform has been “in Process” for the past 14 years and drafts of the new constitution leaves almost all authority in the hands of the commander-in-chief. There is very little light at the end of that tunnel.

Back to my opening question: would Western nations be so complacent and placid if the images come from Rangoon showed thousands of priests or ministers being beaten, shot at, hosed with water canons and arrested? If Catholic monasteries were emptied of their clergy and secreted off to some unknown and horrid prison, would there merely be talk of sanctions? What would Muslim nations do if they saw the U.S. arresting thousands of their clerics and closing mosques? Buddhist monks are probably the most peaceful group of people on the planet. They walk their talk. They seek not power and fight for the rights of all. Where are the churches when people cry out for freedom? What would happen if hundreds of thousands of priest, ministers and clerics defended upon the borders of Burma in support of their Buddhist brethren? What would happen if Burmese troops opened fire upon them? Interesting questions, but ones we will probably never have to answer!

SIGN A PETITION FOR BURMA?

Just hours after the departure of a U.N. envoy, Myanmar's junta continued a violent crackdown on its own people.

We need to act now to protect monks, activists and innocent civilians from further abuses. Reportedly, more than 10 people have been killed, and thousands of pro-democracy protesters have been detained. "It is an emergency," said Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the U.N. human rights investigator for Myanmar.

Myanmar has an appalling human rights record. Thousands of political prisoners are detained in deteriorating prison conditions and the use of child soldiers, forced labor, and torture are common.

The recent violence has shown the world the extent of Myanmar’s brutal crimes. Urge the United Nations to take urgent steps to get Myanmar’s junta to stop the crackdown.

Sign this petition and stand with the people of Burma.

I support the people of Burma.

After weeks of peaceful demonstrations, the military government has launched a violent crackdown, and I am deeply concerned about the well being of monks and civilians.

As stated by the UN Human Rights specialist on Myanmar, "this is an emergency" and we need to act now to stop these atrocities. The demonstrators in Myanmar have the right to peacefully express their opinion and the Government of Myanmar has a duty to fully respect this right.

I stand with the people of Burma and demand that the UN Security Council takes urgent steps to get the Myanmar military government to stop the violent crackdown on Buddhist monks and civilians and to address the peaceful political protests without violence.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. Please act now before violence against innocent civilians escalates even further.
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BURMA, "CRY FOR ME!"

The sounds of silence regarding Burma are deafening. Facing certain violence, the Buddhist monks of Burma took to the streets to peacefully demand change in a country that has been ruled for forty-five years by the iron hand of military dictatorship. While it is true that many nations “urged restraint” on the part of the military junta leader General Than Shwe, the basic call for help by the oppressed of Burma have fallen on deaf ears.

Just as the world ignored the early call of the Kurds in Iraq in the time of Hussein, the same deaf ear has been turned to the people of Burma. Lip service aside, there is nothing that the world will do to help the Buddhist monks. If one did not know better, you might think that Burma had oil reserves. But wait, they do have oil reserves and China and India are competing for its control.

A September 29th article by Time/CNN (Simon Robinson) reported that India’s silence on the struggles of its neighbors may well be oil related. Why is the largest democracy in the world and in that region not using its leverage to help end the violence in Burma? The article indicates that the Burmese junta is helping India defeat insurgents in the northeast part of that country. Further, India is seeking to exploit large oil and gas reserves in and around Burma. Having recently lost out in a pipeline contract to China, it is of little wonder that India does not want to upset the military dictatorship in Burma.

It seems that throughout history, the world has been willing to tolerate military rulers if they have control over significant natural resources. The U.S. has long supported such dictatorships in Latin America because such regimes brought relative stability American economic interests. Since it is obvious that both China and India have the corner on the Burma resource market, it is clear that the U.S. has little to loose in condemning the violent actions that have been taken against the monks.

The Buddhist rebellion in Burma is fading. Faced with guns, clubs and water cannons, the peaceful monks are no match for the powerful military. The streets are going empty as soldiers block streets, take over monasteries and silence opposition. By the time the UN envoy actually gets to talk to the military ruler of Burma, the issue will have faded into a footnote in history. One more struggle, one more cry for freedom has gone unheeded all in the name of money and oil. On this day, cry for Burma and its people.