Saturday, May 10, 2008

Myanmar or Burma - stupid by any name

Bad: A cyclone hits the country, kills a huge amount of people, destroys entire regions and leaves over a million folks homeless.
Worse: The country's military rulers dawdle over whether to allow foreign aid and volunteers into the country.
Much worse: Those same rulers impound deliveries when they arrive.

By any definition, this is a crime against humanity. I'd hate to be there when these morons find themselves subject to a higher power.

Your turn: I'm at a loss for words here. What say you?

12 comments:

Nepharia said...

I, too, am at a bit of a loss as to what is going on in Myanmar. It's almost as if they are *trying* to kill off part of their population.

Do they have such a population problem that they would let a natural disaster help it? Didn't they get enough of a population loss during the tsunami that happened several years ago?

I don't know any more. I've quit trying to understand them.

Nepharia said...

Oh, btw...Michele sent me to say hi! :D

bhd said...

Too busy with elections? Hello? Who is it that votes?

Very, very sad.

Thumper said...

I hate to say it, but honestly, it didn't surprise me. And I hate that stuff like this doesn't surprise me.

Tabor said...

Too many quiet voices and too much looking the other way.

Carli N. Wendell said...

I think, from the little I've read, they're paranoid. They'd rather kill their own people than accept foreign aid and be indebted to "the man." They're also under investigation for human rights offenses by the UN (irony?) and letting aid workers into the country might expose more corruption.

What bothers me on this side of the pond is that on Google's home page, there is a solicitation for charity funds for the victims of the cyclone. I mean, I guess they'll keep the funds until aid is fully accepted, but I feel they should be telling the generous people donating money that it may never get to its intended recipients.

Tiel Aisha Ansari said...

For what it's worth-- you can make donations to the International Burmese Monks Association

They may have ways to get aid into the country and distribute it that are under the govt's radar. Better bet than donating to any organization that's trying to work through the UN right now-- not meaning to slam the UN or the Red Cross, but it's clear that they're not getting a chance.

Evey said...

I have been following this on the news as well and it really makes no sense at all. Why would you not want to help the people in your country and allow others help to clean up the mess?

I just pray all those poor people get the help they need and more lives are not lost because of their government refusing help, whatever their reasons are.

Anonymous said...

The problem with these dictatorships is that our desires to help and contributions made to effect help for the poor are gobbled up by the tyrants and used to prop up their tyranny. Of course, the laugh all the way to the bank.

It sickens me to think that I wish to help, but that my help is not doing any good.

craziequeen said...

Wow, the cruelty of some small-minded governments does stun me...

But we have to hope that wiser heads will prevail...

Michele sent me to say Belated Happy Birthday, my friend - and I'm hoping your dad is still improving. It's so worrying when parents are sick...

cq

Anonymous said...

It's tragic what's happening to Myanmar. Their leaders seem either totally oblivious to their suffering, or downright choosing to ignore them.

I was shocked when I saw videos of people walking around in such a fierce typhoon. It didn't even seem like they got proper warning about the storm at all.

jim said...

burma stupid? was the query i used to get to this page - sadly hilarious.

did you know that back in the 80's while on a road to financial, economic and political recovery , they gave some fool complete power and he devalued all government notes that werent divisible by 9, sending the region into the eternal tailspin that it finds itself almost at the bottom of.

iterestingly enough, if you meet a burmese refugee, transplant, or other in the U.S., they are rediculously still proud and have adopted an elitist attitu