Posted on 09/29/2007 8:40:08 AM PDT by Wiz
YANGON (AFP) - A United Nations special envoy flew to Myanmar Saturday, as the ruling junta deployed an overwhelming security presence in the nation's biggest city in a campaign to choke off mass protests.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has dispatched Ibrahim Gambari to broker talks between the military and its pro-democracy opponents, who have mounted two weeks of mass nationwide rallies.
A violent operation to close down the demonstrations, which has run for four days and claimed at least 13 lives, appeared to have largely succeeded in deterring anti-government campaigners from returning to the streets.
Downtown Yangon was largely deserted Saturday, although one group of about 100 protesters managed to gather on a bridge. As they started clapping, police and soldiers swooped, clubbing them with batons.
"They beat people so badly. I wonder how these people can bear it. I saw the security forces arrest about five people on the streets," said one Yangon resident who witnessed the scene.
(Excerpt) Read more at afp.com ...
A Western diplomat based in Yangon said Saturday there were reports of divisions within the military on how to handle the crisis in Mandalay, home to the majority of Myanmar's 400,000 monks.
In the past there have been regular reports of tensions at the highest levels of the junta, particularly between Than Shwe and the regime's number two Maung Aye.
On Friday, diplomats said they had received information from several sources about "acts of insubordination" within the army and that some soldiers were willing to take the side of demonstrators.
ping
This is a perfect example of why, if we have a civil disturbance here in this country, our military cannot get involved. Only the National Guard can be used and they would be controlled by the States, not the Federal Government. The only time our regular military could get involved is if we were attacked from outside our borders. At least we learned something from the Romans. That’s the same reason that the Roman Legions could not enter Rome.
Eisenhower was not deterred.
http://www.ko-htike.blogspot.com/
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To trick Mr.Gambari, UN envoy, the junta announces through their mouth-piece-media that there is a demonstration in Myitkyiinar . Actually that demonstration is a fake one for the junta wants to prove that their soldiers are not terrorist and not shooting at people and it's also the junta's plan to hide the truth of their terrorist evidences.
snip
You got me here.......what are you talking about?
It was the school segregation days. But Andy Jackson also didn’t mind threatening S Carolina with 50,000 troops, and how about ol’ Honest Abe?
If the US military started gunning down citizens for protesting, there would be millions of gun-owning citizens who would take a very dim view
It's just stunning how we decide news.
A few monks and a journalist get killed; all hell breaks loose.
Kill a few white farmers, starve the general populous, and....
Right on. The speed with which Burma/Myanmar has become the cause du jour is amazing. It’s enough to guarantee that Darfur will end up with the peeled tire retreads and beer cans alongside the human rights freeway. Before long, some cretin in Hollywood will even discover that Myanmar is actually a country. The cynical side of me is wondering what is going on elsewhere that nobody wants us to know about.
What interests me most of all is how brave, even bellicose the liberals here are sounding, like Gunnery Sgt. Pelosi of the House, and others of her transparent ilk. Very strong words, much like Clinton’s and Boxer’s and Kerry’s in 1998 towards Saddam. But take one little action against Myanmar, and they’ll fall off the wagon, and start talking about how stable things were under the military junta, how everyone had water and electricity.
It’s essential to pay attention to their words now, because history will repeat itself in Myanmar just as in Iraq. Liberals are dependable at least in that way.
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