Is the government of Myanmar purposfully letting it's people die?

[Duddy]

I thought this when I heard that they weren't letting international aid in to their country and that they weren't doing anything to save the people affected by the cyclone.

But I read the article on CNN right now about a second cyclone forming near them and that it is about to impact the Delta region again. Their state-controlled media has not ONCE reported it though to it's people and the only way people are finding out is through the internet and international broadcasts.

So, could they be killing of their citizens intentionally? If so, what's the purpose? Is there an overpopulation problem in that country?

 

[Vette73]

Its what happens when the military takes over.


Theres a reason why our forefathers put a civilian as the top commander of the miltary.

Look at JFK. All the military advisors were saying invade cuba, attack attack attack... he held fast and probable kept us out of WW3.

 

[mxyzptlk]

maybe they just don't give a shit. Someone on this board pointed out that the people dying are poor and thus aren't contributing anything to that nation's coffers. I heard on the radio that the junta were hoarding food aid received for themselves and handing out spoiled food to the people.. I'd say the answer has to be somewhere between they just don't care and they really are maliciously, intentionally harming their own people.

 

[shocksyde]

The second cyclone did not form. It is not a threat anymore.

 

[Vic]

Their govt is a severely f'ed up thing. A dystopia to rival NK. Here's one example. Where they moved their capital to the new city of Naypyidaw a few years ago, almost every factor in the construction of the new capital city was purposefully done with the intent of preventing any possible revolution of the government. From their govt's perspective, if a million Burmese die, and the govt maintains its absolute control, then it's mission accomplished.

 

[dphantom]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Its what happens when the military takes over.


Theres a reason why our forefathers put a civilian as the top commander of the miltary.

Look at JFK. All the military advisors were saying invade cuba, attack attack attack... he held fast and probable kept us out of WW3.

Untrue. Civilian governments can and are just as or even more oppressive.

The reason for civilian control is to provide more checks and balances to ensure adequate safeguards for our democracy.

Link

 

[rezinn]

You sure know a lot from reading CNN and seeing stuff on tv.

 

[yllus]

To some extent it makes their lives easier if there are fewer peons to keep down. Mostly they really simply don't care. This loss of life is a drop in the bucket over the full term of their rule.

Keep in mind that while all this going on, the generals in charge are carrying on about the country's new constitution and how wonderfully the vote for it has gone.

For the generals, referendum trumps relief

BANGKOK ? Even as a million homeless cyclone survivors fought for their lives, the cheerful young crooners on Myanmar's state television were urging the country to forget the catastrophe and march to the polling stations.

In heavy rotation on state television this weekend was a video of a group of smiling and dancing young women, singing a tune of praise to the military regime. "Let's go to cast a vote . . . with sincere thoughts for happy days," the women sang.

It was the first vote that the military had permitted in 18 years, and the regime was determined to control the outcome. At the polling stations, some voters discovered that their ballots had already been marked "yes" in support of the regime, according to a report yesterday in Irrawaddy magazine, published by Myanmar exiles in Thailand.

In the eyes of the aging generals who rule Myanmar, the referendum to legitimize the new military-dominated constitution was far more important than the emergency food and water supplies that would stave off death for the cyclone victims.

Military vehicles and soldiers were diverted from relief work to ensure that the referendum went smoothly. Government trucks - which could have been used for delivering aid - roamed the streets of some cities for days, blaring constant messages on loudspeakers telling people to vote.

Cyclone survivors were reportedly evicted from temporary shelters in schools to make room for polling stations. And the junta threatened to impose a three-year prison sentence on anyone who publicly criticized the referendum.

While the voting was postponed by two weeks in the disaster zone, the military refused to delay the referendum in most of the country. To nobody's surprise, the regime announced yesterday that the referendum was "held successfully" with "massive turnout of the citizens."

 

[Duddy]

Originally posted by: rezinn
You sure know a lot from reading CNN and seeing stuff on tv.

We are trying to discuss a government intentionally letting thousands of it's citizens die and the only thing you can contribute is a sarcastic comment about my intelligence?

It's like you just walked into this thread and farted.

And that's how we will remember you, as a big fart.

Goodbye big fart.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Duddy

Originally posted by: rezinn
You sure know a lot from reading CNN and seeing stuff on tv.

We are trying to discuss a government intentionally letting thousands of it's citizens die and the only thing you can contribute is a sarcastic comment about my intelligence?

It's like you just walked into this thread and farted.

And that's how we will remember you, as a big fart.

Goodbye big fart.

Sorry but that response was classic. I don't know if you borrowed it but it fit perfectly nonetheless. :thumbsup:

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: yllus
To some extent it makes their lives easier if there are fewer peons to keep down. Mostly they really simply don't care. This loss of life is a drop in the bucket over the full term of their rule.

Keep in mind that while all this going on, the generals in charge are carrying on about the country's new constitution and how wonderfully the vote for it has gone.

For the generals, referendum trumps relief

BANGKOK ? Even as a million homeless cyclone survivors fought for their lives, the cheerful young crooners on Myanmar's state television were urging the country to forget the catastrophe and march to the polling stations.

In heavy rotation on state television this weekend was a video of a group of smiling and dancing young women, singing a tune of praise to the military regime. "Let's go to cast a vote . . . with sincere thoughts for happy days," the women sang.

It was the first vote that the military had permitted in 18 years, and the regime was determined to control the outcome. At the polling stations, some voters discovered that their ballots had already been marked "yes" in support of the regime, according to a report yesterday in Irrawaddy magazine, published by Myanmar exiles in Thailand.

In the eyes of the aging generals who rule Myanmar, the referendum to legitimize the new military-dominated constitution was far more important than the emergency food and water supplies that would stave off death for the cyclone victims.

Military vehicles and soldiers were diverted from relief work to ensure that the referendum went smoothly. Government trucks - which could have been used for delivering aid - roamed the streets of some cities for days, blaring constant messages on loudspeakers telling people to vote.

Cyclone survivors were reportedly evicted from temporary shelters in schools to make room for polling stations. And the junta threatened to impose a three-year prison sentence on anyone who publicly criticized the referendum.

While the voting was postponed by two weeks in the disaster zone, the military refused to delay the referendum in most of the country. To nobody's surprise, the regime announced yesterday that the referendum was "held successfully" with "massive turnout of the citizens."

Words fail me at this moment...

:|

 

[JS80]

Less people to feed, plus if there are more survivors they will be asking government questions and higher risk of revolt. What the government is doing is absolutely deliberate.

 

[JS80]

Junta stealing aid.

 

[sandorski]

Maybe. Or they are merely trying to keep the Outside looking In or the Inside looking Out.

 

[AlienCraft]

Yes, they are.

 

[maddogchen]

I think they're more worried about staying in power than about their own people. They don't want any foreign help because of how paranoid they are:

A number of countries have offered to bring in aid and deliver it from the south, by ship, but the junta has refused. One of the generals? most enduring fears is a seaborne invasion by Western powers it calls ?foreign saboteurs.?

?These guys really believe we are planning an invasion,? Ms. Villarosa said. The United States said this week that several of its military ships were in the area and ready to provide help in Myanmar. ?If they hear that a large U.S. ship is off the coast, they don?t receive the message that it?s a genuine humanitarian effort,? she said.

Text

Its just sad, a really bad tragedy.

 

[woodie1]

As has been said above, they really don't care about anything but themselves.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

What would happen if things got so bad that -- wait I just remembered Darfur...that place is a mess and no government has decidedly intervened.

 

[maddogchen]

Originally posted by: gersson
What would happen if things got so bad that -- wait I just remembered Darfur...that place is a mess and no government has decidedly intervened.

Sudan and Myanmar, both governments that are aided by China who has used its Veto power to block any action against the two governments.

Last January China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Myanmar's human rights situation.

It also has repeatedly used, in the past, veto threats to block deployment of a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur. Only recently because of criticism of China ahead of its Olympics has it pressured the Sudannese government to allow the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. China also supplies weapons and helicopters to the Sudanese military which have been used in Darfur. China could do a lot more towards pressuring the Sudanese government to allow intervention in the crisis in Darfur but they are unwilling to.

How China's support of Sudan shields a regime called 'genocidal'

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I'm not real knowledgeable about Burma, but isn't it severely overpopulated? Perhaps some of the government leaders are Machiavellian and really wouldn't mind all that much if a cyclone helped reduce the population.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper

I'm not real knowledgeable about Burma, but isn't it severely overpopulated? Perhaps some of the government leaders are Machiavellian and really wouldn't mind all that much if a cyclone helped reduce the population.

I think "we don't mind" is the answer. They're completely indifferent. It's all about them and that the bottom line.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: maddogchen

Originally posted by: gersson
What would happen if things got so bad that -- wait I just remembered Darfur...that place is a mess and no government has decidedly intervened.

Sudan and Myanmar, both governments that are aided by China who has used its Veto power to block any action against the two governments.

Last January China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning Myanmar's human rights situation.

It also has repeatedly used, in the past, veto threats to block deployment of a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur. Only recently because of criticism of China ahead of its Olympics has it pressured the Sudannese government to allow the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. China also supplies weapons and helicopters to the Sudanese military which have been used in Darfur. China could do a lot more towards pressuring the Sudanese government to allow intervention in the crisis in Darfur but they are unwilling to.

How China's support of Sudan shields a regime called 'genocidal'

I didn't know China used the threat of veto to prevent action in Darfur or that it vetoed the resolution condemning Burma. Why doesn't that reach the media?? All I kept hearing with the whole Olympics fiasco is "China isn't doing anything about Sudan". Now the news is about how wonderful China is and how well it's handling the earthquake aftermath.