Over the weekend, thousands of activists marched overseas to protest the shocking and disturbing mistreatment of Monks in recent weeks by the Military junta in power in Myanmar.
The conflicts originally began a couple of weeks ago when Monks - engaged in peaceable assembly, protesting the rise of fuel prices - were beaten and dragged off to prison to face criminal charges for allegedly causing a disturbance in the region formally known as Burma.
When I initially reported the issues, an unnamed spokesperson for the Military junta, assured the media that a higher authority had issued a command not to "arrest" or interrupt the religious leaders' peaceful marches in the streets.
Shortly after my post appeared - within twenty-four hours, in fact - information leaked out on the Internet that there was a violent confrontation in the streets, in which a handful of Monks were killed, and others were dragged off to face prison terms of up to six years.
As the news reports travelled with lightning speed around the globe, again...the junta assured concerned onlookers - world leaders, the media, the UN - that the situation was under control, a curfew had been enforced, and that there was peace in the streets.
Again, the pap amounted to lies and deception.
The next day, disturbing reports emanated from within Myanmar's borders, confirming that - with photos of protesters in hand - the guards proceeded to frantically turn houses upside-down in search of participants in the protest marches, so they could be hauled off to jail.
In my own post, I recommended that citizens of the world contact their respective leaders, or government officals, and urge immediate action.
Seeking to do "my part", I e-mailed my "post" to my own Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, in Ottawa (Canada); with additional copies to the PM in England, the Head of State in Japan, and our own President here in the U.S., George W. Bush.
Within twenty-four hours, a representative of the Prime Minister's office in Canada responded with assurances that my protest had been turned over to the Minister of Foreign Policy for review and appropriate action.
In addition, I received a heartfelt thanks from the Head of State in Japan, thanking me for my communication.
Likewise, Prime Minister Brown's office promptly responded with an e-mail.
A few days later, Gordon Brown announced to the press,
"The anger of the world has been expressed about the outrages that have taken place against the people of Burma."
And, he noted that he called for new European Union sanctions against the junta, including a ban on future investment in the country.
At this juncture, the Military agreed to meet with a UN Representative, confessing their aim to avoid unwanted sanctions.
In fact, the junta expressed a willingness to work with the UN envoy...but once again, their dishonesty was laid thread bare for the world to see.
Photos of more violence, and reports of more atrocities within Myanmar's borders, leaked out...so, in a deceitful effort to curb the negative press coverage, the Military "pulled the plug" on the Internet.
Now, there is a pot hole - a black hole, if you like - on the Internet Information Superhighway!
The world had been watching, and in view of the Internet leaks, the junta had to quash the source of their troubles.
If the power of the World Wide Web was not apparent to some, the truth now rings out loud and clear! The internet is a potent tool, an omnipresent instrument of communication, that just may be able to topple governments!
In the final analysis, at this stage of the game, demands must be made; no one on high or in any low place, can let up.
The marches at the end of this past week were intended to send the message to the junta that the "world is still watching".
"Burma is not a human rights emergency of today, last week, or last month," said Amnesty Secretary-General Irene Khan,
"It is a human rights emergency that the world has chosen to ignore to forget for the last twenty years. We will not forget this time around; we will not let the people of Burma down."
In a recent press conference, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that the United States would introduce a resolution demanding sanctions if Myanmar did not cooperate with the the U.N. envoy recently involved in talks to mediate the issues.
He noted in particular that he was,
"...greatly disturbed to see that the regime resumed unlawful detention of citizens just hours after the U.N. envoys' departure."
While China and Russia appear to be reluctant to align themselves with the military's detractors, the U.S. plans to apply pressure in the form of new measures - such as the freezing of the U.S. assets of 14 senior officials and a U.S. travel ban that would apply to more than 200 officials and their family members.
Meanwhile, Monks toss flower petals in the river Thames, and chant,
"free Burma, free Burma"
I pray there is an accord on the horizon, and a transition to peaceful shores that is swift, problem-free, and without any further violence.
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