“Yeah I don’t know what’s going on in Burma … and I don’t really care”. Shamefully, these were the exact words of an NUI Maynooth student. As rumours begin to spread internationally about the secret cremations of hundreds of Burmese protestors, it is now becoming clear that the number of lives lost was a lot higher than military officials are willing to admit – it does not take seven days of continual 24-hour smoke to burn ‘10 bodies.’ But despite the unusually large amount of attention the global media has been showing this horrific human rights issue, how much do the students of Maynooth know or care about the violation and loss of life which brave Burmese campaigners have been enduring?
Having asked around, no one seems to know where Burma, a country with a population of over 47 million (more than ten times that of Ireland) is even located. Surrounded by the powerful nations of China, India and Thailand; Burma has sadly been fighting for democracy for well over a century – before and even after achieving its independence from British rule in 1948. Their initial social equality of the 50s was snatched away from them yet again in 1962 when General Ne Win led a military coup d’état, and the country’s politics have been under the control of the military led State Peace and Development Council ever since. This year’s protests against the system have an air of déjà vu about them, reminding us of the civilians’ demonstrations against economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government in 1988. This led to the massacre of hundreds of protestors by security forces.
“A 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising”
But history repeated itself yet again on August 15th, as peaceful protests that began against an increase in fuel and transport prices and deteriorating economic conditions have resulted in weeks of blood shed and worldwide uproar. The shock of the Burmese people at a 500% fuel rise has been the catalyst for national uprising, and despite the death toll ever increasing and bloodthirsty troops occupying many towns, the demonstrations still continue. The reverence and admiration the civilian population feels towards the Buddhist monks has only fuelled their anger towards the military as they see and hear of their savage treatment, leading laymen to join in the protests. As 100,000 demonstrators, the largest number in 20 years, took to the streets on 24th September in Yangon, the government began to see this was not an issue they would be able to cover up. This resulted in the raiding of monasteries, the arresting of hundreds of monks, the murder of Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai, and an attempt to block all news carrying websites.
It’s all too easy to picture these protestors as brave monks, who march side by side for civil rights and democracy in their country. Their much talked about death toll is an unimaginable figure which lies in the back of our minds as we focus in on the ‘Saffron Revolution’. However we must focus in on the fate these protestors have met. The numbers locals estimate dead is between 200 and 300, however as Burmese officials have been cremating bodies in sealed off locations, the real number will never be known. The cremations began after one protest during which soldiers opened fire into the peaceful crowd, and bodies were reported to have been moved after dark during the ‘shoot on sight’ curfew. Those who do escape death are finding little help in the hospitals as medical staff are reportedly banned from treating the wounded. The military are not content to contain their brutality to the street demonstrations with many monasteries having been found empty with only blood soaked robes and broken statues exposing the horrific events which must have earlier taken place. The rumours circulating in Burma terrify its population with stories of detention centres and live bodies being thrown into crematoriums, however despite the government’s most ardent attempts to cover up, the evidence spreading is proving that many of these stories are sadly all too true.
Graphic evidence from a monastery in northwest Rangoon shows savagely beaten monks thrown into armoured trucks, forced to leave their abbot behind. The repeated smashing of his head into a wall had already led to his death. Thanks to camera phones and YouTube, people can now see the chilling sight of a praying monk falling to the ground after a round is finished off.
So how is the rest of the world taking this? China, the main economic, military and political supporters of Burma’s armed government, is doing its best to prevent UN Security Council action. While last month the UN did send Under-Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari as an envoy to Burma as a result of the appalling treatment of its protestors, little seems to have resulted from the visit. Local pro-democracy activists were disgusted by the pointlessness of his stay, saying he was blissfully treated as a tourist by the dictators and consequently was not exposed to what is really going on. ‘He should have visited the places of the demonstrations,’ pointed out female activist Khaind, ‘then he would have seen the truth. We feel he has achieved nothing.’
Many governments, world leaders and organisations have indeed spoken out about these events, as have members of Hollywood. Jim Carrey recently posted a short film on YouTube entreating the UN to do more, and a letter of appeal was written and signed by 25 actors and actresses (including Jennifer Anniston) before being sent to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In it they begged him to ‘personally intervene,’ to ensure the release of Nobel Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy activist who in Burma’s last election received 82% of the seats in parliament before being locked away indefinitely by the military.
Not only are the junta not letting people out, it seems they will not permit them to come in either. The International Committee of the Red Cross – who have broken their usual neutral status to rebuke the regime for the atrocious way in which they are treating people in east Burma – have been denied access to those protestors currently being kept under arrest.
In Maynooth, the issue may possibly be approached by the Amnesty International Society. “It’s definitely a campaign we would be interested in,” says Secretary Jason Joyce. It would seem that the main problem amongst the youth is not a lack of concern, but lack of knowledge. How many of us were aware that October 6th was the International Day of Action for Burma? “It is the aim of Amnesty to help educate students in relation to worldwide issues,” said Mr. Joyce, “You can’t help people if you don’t know what’s going on.”
Check out the following websites:
www.amnestyinternational.org
www.burma-watch.org
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