I have been enthralled by the pictures coming out of Burma this week. There is something very emotional about the images of these monks standing up to the military regime that’s running the country. I just find it amazing that these people are willing to put their lives on the line for a political belief. How many of us in the Western world would do the same? It’s easy to get complacent when you’ve got enough food and housing and big cars and televisions. I guess I just can not imagine facing down armed troops of a regime with a brutal reputation.

The pictures from Burma (or Myanmar as the junta renamed it) are more powerful than anything that I could say, so on this Political Friday I will try and reduce the number of words and increase the number of pictures. However, I did not understand what set this off, so I did a little research. If you are better informed than me (the most likely scenario) then just look at the pictures.

What set off the protests was a government decision in August to increase the price of gasoline and diesel resulting in some small protests. The Buddhist monks got angry when the government used force to break up these fuel protests and came out in numbers demanding an apology from the government. The monks hands are crystal clean, however, as they did take some government officials hostage briefly. Nonetheless, the government was not inclined to offer amends, the monks numbers have been growing throughout the month as well as steadily growing numbers of the general public. It has gone beyond the apology issue now, with the monks promising to wipe the country clean of the ruling junta.

That is what lead up to the happenings of this week – thousands of monks and pro-democracy protesters marching through the streets, the police firing on protesters and raiding monasteries and the death of a Japanese photographer as well as up to a dozens protesters. The most recent news as I write has soldiers charging protesters, more monks being arrested and communications to the outside world being cut. Things are likely to get worse before they get better for pro-democracy forces in Burma. My hope is that the monks and their supporters are successful in ousting the junta, not only for their own sake but as a wonderful example of how regime change and spreading democracy should work.

I hope it’s not flippant to quote Bruce Springsteen at this point.

“May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love…”

Sources and Photos:

BBC News

CNN

The New York Times

Work of the Poet

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