Political Party Archive
"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber." -Plato.
Quote of the Week
"These are the times that try men's souls."-Thomas Paine
A great suggestion!
I think a good idea for a theme would be the political crisis in Burma (Myanmar).
Some Information About Burma/Myanmar
According to the CIA World Factbook, "Union of Burma" or, just plain "Burma" is the conventional name of the country bordering India, China, Laos, and Thailand. However, "since 1989, the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw." (CIA World Factbook - Burma)
The current form of government in Burma is a military junta, or, "a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power." (www.thefreedictionary.com)
The following information is taken from the website www.burmawatch.org.
"The people of Burma have been intimidated since 1962 through various forms of human rights abuses inflicted upon them by the military junta in its many guises.
Religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, forced relocations of indigenous communities, summary executions, arbitrary arrests, the use of civilians as human mine sweepers, slave labor and gang-rapes have been documented by Amnesty International and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
As a result of these abuses, more than 800,000 refugees have been driven out of Burma into neighboring Thailand, Bangladesh and India."
Another main problem is that the military junta that is in control is hesitant to allow aid from outside sources, which means that many people who live in Burma and desperately need help, are not allowed to receive it. Since the recent cyclone, however, more aid groups are being allowed into the country.
Check out the following news reports from CNN for more information on Burma/Myanmar:
U.N. chief: Myanmar to admit all aid workers
Disease fears loom over Myanmar
Report: Child Soldiers Decreasing
Burma's Propaganda Machine
Again from www.burmawatch.org, the following is proposed:
"The Ethnic Nationalities Council strongly believes that the best means to resolve the political crisis in the Union of Burma is through a negotiated settlement, i.e., through a political dialogue, negotiations and compromise. The ENC believes that the question of democracy, military rule and the constitutional arrangement between the constituent states of the Republic of the Union of Burma are intrinsically intertwined and cannot be resolved one without the other.
Therefore, the ENC strongly endorses the successive United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions that call for a ‘Tripartite Dialogue’ – the military led by the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); democracy advocates led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD); and the ethnic nationalities – in order to resolve Burma’s long-standing problems and establish a sustainable democracy."
What do you think? What do you have to say about the situation in Burma/Myanmar? What do you know about it? What are the best ways that we can help people living in Burma with such limited opportunities to enter the country? Let me know all your thoughts on this tough situation.
The current form of government in Burma is a military junta, or, "a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power." (www.thefreedictionary.com)
So, what's the problem?
The following information is taken from the website www.burmawatch.org.
"The people of Burma have been intimidated since 1962 through various forms of human rights abuses inflicted upon them by the military junta in its many guises.
Religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, forced relocations of indigenous communities, summary executions, arbitrary arrests, the use of civilians as human mine sweepers, slave labor and gang-rapes have been documented by Amnesty International and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
As a result of these abuses, more than 800,000 refugees have been driven out of Burma into neighboring Thailand, Bangladesh and India."
Another main problem is that the military junta that is in control is hesitant to allow aid from outside sources, which means that many people who live in Burma and desperately need help, are not allowed to receive it. Since the recent cyclone, however, more aid groups are being allowed into the country.
Check out the following news reports from CNN for more information on Burma/Myanmar:
U.N. chief: Myanmar to admit all aid workers
Disease fears loom over Myanmar
Report: Child Soldiers Decreasing
Burma's Propaganda Machine
Is there a solution?
Again from www.burmawatch.org, the following is proposed:
"The Ethnic Nationalities Council strongly believes that the best means to resolve the political crisis in the Union of Burma is through a negotiated settlement, i.e., through a political dialogue, negotiations and compromise. The ENC believes that the question of democracy, military rule and the constitutional arrangement between the constituent states of the Republic of the Union of Burma are intrinsically intertwined and cannot be resolved one without the other.
Therefore, the ENC strongly endorses the successive United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions that call for a ‘Tripartite Dialogue’ – the military led by the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); democracy advocates led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD); and the ethnic nationalities – in order to resolve Burma’s long-standing problems and establish a sustainable democracy."
NEXT TIME ON POLITICAL PARTY...
What do you think? What do you have to say about the situation in Burma/Myanmar? What do you know about it? What are the best ways that we can help people living in Burma with such limited opportunities to enter the country? Let me know all your thoughts on this tough situation.
Kaitlin's comment: I think this is a great idea, and this week's focus is your very suggestion! Before you go on though, I would like to warn readers that the subject matter regarding the situation in Burma is not for the faint of heart. But, it is extremely important. Putting together the page this week was hard for me at times. However, I find a lot of times that if something is difficult for me to deal with, I probably do need to know about it, and to try to find some way to help - even if all I can do to help is to spread the word about the problem in places like PJ's. Above all, keep in mind that there are people just like us living in Burma. There are teenage girls, parents, and families. If all you can do is keep them in your thoughts and/or prayers and continue to learn about the situation, then you are not ignoring the problem.
If you readers have anything to say about the situation in Burma (Myanmar), I would be interested in hearing it. Please feel free to submit your thoughts, especially after you've read the column this week.