Bangkok -
The news from across the border to the west of here is grim. Yesterday I read that troops in support of the military Junta that's ruled the country since 1988, opened fire on crowds with automatic weapons. Most of those in the streets peacefully protesting are Buddhist monks. The Guardian, of London, reports that less and less news is getting out of the country as the authoritarian regime is desperately trying to shut down all internet, cell-phone and international phone contact. One blogger, an exiled Burmese living in London has been blogging and posting photos sent to him from people inside the country: His Blog
This is big news here. There are an estimated million or more Burmese refugees living in Thailand. More chaos there translates into even more refugees here. Tami and I spent a week along the Thai/Burma border ten hours north of Bangkok. On one songthaew (a simple pickup truck taxi)ride, we spoke with a young guy who had not seen his father in 17 years. He said he'd led a union march in the capital in 1990. Afterward, soldiers came to their house, took him away. He's been in jail since. The only person allowed to see him has been the wife. The young man we spoke to had to leave Burma two years ago. He also had joined a peaceful protest. The police/army came to their home shortly after and he had to flee out the back of their house. He made it to Thailand and has been here since.
I'd like to be optimistic that Burma could see something like what happened in the Philippines toppling Ferdinand Marcos, South Africa with Apartheid or in countries in the former Soviet Bloc. Burma has a very popular, democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi , a Nobel Peace Prize recipient who's party won 58% of the vote in a nationwide 1990 election. The military rulers refused to hand over power, nullified the election and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest, where she remains.
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