So, the killing of innocent monks, ordinary citizens of the country and even a Japanese TV journalist have started. The press reported upto 13 killed. But inside sources said more than 200 have been cruelly shot or bashed to death. The only foreigner killed so far is Kenji Nagai from Japan,aged 50 (see Photo at top from REUTERS ). At first, the junta said that he was killed by a stray bullet in a melee when riot police, hell-bent on charging at the protesters, started firing "over their heads"( WHAT A TERRIBLE,EVIL LIE !!). Last night, I saw the actual video footage which was shown on our media network, BBC and CNN. It CLEARLY SHOWED THAT MR K NAGAI WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO RUN AWAY AND HE WAS PUSHED DOWN. WHILE HE LAY SPRAWLING ON THE GROUND ,STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE, A HELMETED SOLDIER WENT UP TO HIM, POINTED THE RIFLE AT HIS BODY AND PULLED THE TRIGGER. HIS BODY JERKED ONCE AND HE DIED INSTANTLY.
The autopsy confirmed that he was shot through his heart. This, to me, is nothing but COLD- BLOODED MURDER. He was massacred ......to scare other " hidden" reporters to back off.
There is simply NO EXCUSE for such WANTON murder by supposedly "law abiding" govt troops on innocent civilians. But we know they were targetting foreign reporters..at least make a cruel example out of one! Same tactics used by the evil regimes and terrorists elsewhere....the Taliban( Korean hostages recently), Saddam's henchmen, etc..
In our recent visit there, in June, I noticed there were very few westerners there. Most probably heeded the call by Aung San Suu Kyi not to visit Burma as a protest of sorts to the regime. D2 and I went for a simple reason. We have not been to Myanmar before and we wanted to see for ourselves how we may help the poor, the orphans, the down and out. What we SAW shocked us! What we DISCOVERED we could not believe easily! There are far too many things that are repressive, negative and plain wrong in this once mighty nation.
Let me give some examples here.
1. Look closely at the photos here. They are scenes of public roads. From the 20 minute ride it took us from the new Airport to our residence, we did not see a single motor-cycle or scooter on any road. WHY? Before I give you the most UNBELIEVABLE yet TRUTHFUL answer, just ask yourself where in ASEAN can you find a similar situation? No motorcycles in the country...except for the junta's own police and military use. WHERE? NONE!
Here in Myanmar, these vehicles have been banned because the ruling Generals are afraid they may easily be assassinated by bike-riding assasins!!! So fearing for their own safety, they outlawed motorcycles. That was the explanation given to me over there. But I believe it is also quite likely the regime is fattening their own pockets. Most services and businesses are heavily dominated by so called govt-linked companies versus privately run types. These military controlled businesses are everywhere and in every thing imaginable. The local term is the............TATMADAW. So, Tatmadaw- controlled vans, taxis,buses, lorries, etc. ply the roads.
Diesel and petrol is one item controlled and monopolised by the military. The people are already so poor and brutally oppressed. Yet, they raised the fuel price by 500 %.
Just stop and think for a moment. If our own petrol prices were to increase, without justification, by the same measure (and you know the Generals and their cronies are laughing all the way to the bank ) what would you do? What would I do?
2. Yangon ( Rangoon ) has always been the capital of Myanmar. Size-wise, location-wise, and other strategic considerations makes it the ideal site as the nations's capital for as long as we have all come to know. But sometime recently, the ruling junta, in order to prolong and extend their illegal and evil rule, consulted their inner circle's top fortune-teller. This same soothsayer impressed upon the generals that for their own survival, they must shift the capital to................
NAYPYIDAW, an inaccesible, dead place, up in the north, far away from all the hustle and bustle of Yangon which is the business,political,economic,commerce,transportation and communications centre of the country. Apparently, the ruling generals agreed and were convinced. They issued orders even to the foreign embassies to relocate there!!!
As far as I know, none has OBEYED this IDIOTIC , RUDE, MINDLESS order!
Even the US embassy, the largest one of all, is still being built in Yangon. We passed by several times there.
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