Something so important is brewing over there in Myanmar right at this very moment, even as we speak. Tens of thousands of people have gathered and joined the monks-led protests against the generals ruling within the SLORC (State Law and Order restoration Council), swooping down through the main avenues and streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. The mass action is now entering into it’s fourth day and most recent reports on it have seen the generals finally issuing a grave warning, threatening an intense crackdown against the monks, who are mainly well-revered by the people of Myanmar and had generally been immune from the restrictive hand of the military rule over there.
It is not so clear yet what cause or causes the Buddhists monks have mainly voiced-out in this yet another major protest action (a student-led protest against SLORC had been crushed in 1998) but it is generally seen that the military junta over there had been so fraught with human rights abuses, various brutalities that consists of forced labor and violent repression against ethnic minorities, particularly the Karen group where many of them have retreated towards the borders or had even taken refuge into neighboring countries such as Thailand.
The Myanmar situation had long been an issue in the ASEAN leadership where Myanmar remains the only member-country with a military junta as a form of government and America and Europe had long criticized ASEAN for being too lax on Myanmar, citing it’s far-from-ideal human rights record and repression of democracy. Now, ASEAN is forced to take issue on the brimming scenario over there in Yangon. Would they support the anti-government move? Would it prod the military junta to take strength? Or would ASEAN continue to be silent over the boisterous issue that is Myanmar—-like a whiny child?
At least, US President George Bush has already taken note on what’s happening in Yangon and had today announced more sanctions against the military junta or its members, as well as to their financial supporters, which are mostly coming from China and India, Myanmar’s two closest allies, perhaps showing to us that America is not merely interested in oil-rich regions, but as well as in others.
Whatever becomes of the mass protest in Yangon, I hope nothing extraordinarily violent would inure, despite that in every move against a government, violence (or some form of it) may always exist. I hope the generals would keep their composure and not step back in time and become beastly in engaging the protesters in the streets. We have been placed in the same situation once before—-or twice even—-first in 1986 along EDSA and then in 1991 when former President Joseph Estrada was forced to step down.
I hope so well that something good emanates for Myanmar after this—-like freedom and democracy.
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