Satellites capture evidence of Burma crackdown

NewScientist.com ^ | 28 September 2007 | Duncan Graham-Rowe

[Freeport]

High-resolution satellites images may provide valuable evidence of the violent methods used by Burma's ruling junta to crack down on pro-democracy demonstration in recent days.

By obtaining photographic evidence of the authorities' activities, human rights groups hope to hold the junta to account before the international community.

"We should get the first images back in the next day or so," says Lars Bromley, a senior researcher with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington DC.

There have been 10 days of protests against the military dictatorship, led by Burmese monks and largely triggered by recent economic problems. The latest clashes between police and demonstrators have killed at least nine people.

Evidence has been requested from satellite imaging companies, including GeoEye and Digital Globe, which provide pictures with a resolutions down to about 1 pixel per metre.

Human rights abuses "You would not be able to see individual people," Bromley says, "but you would be able to see groups of people". In particular, he says, it should be easy to spot groups of monks because of their distinctive maroon robes, and to gauge military numbers.

Bromley says this evidence will hopefully act as a deterrent to the government. "It will give the authorities a sense that the world is watching," he told New Scientist.

Human rights organisations have long accused the Burmese regime of human rights abuses against civilians. Yet the authorities have denied these claims and sought to control the flow of information out of the country.

Cellphones and the internet have helped change this and have been used to transmit reports about the current clampdown. But both are still heavily controlled by the authorities. In fact, within the last 24 hours many internet cafes have been shut down in cities like Rangoon and Mandalay.