Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win addressed the UN General Assembly last Monday, blaming the bloody crackdown on foreign powers meddling in Myanmar's affairs. He brazenly stated that Myanmar is a victim of neocolonialism and that the people of Burma are entitled to a future that is self-determined.
The UN's report
Daily Mail's account of Myanmar's address to the UN.
Yesterday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, conceded that although UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari exerted the maximum amount of diplomatic pressure possible during his four day trip to Burma, the trip was a failure. The day after Gambari left, the junta continued to defy international opinion, engaging in a new round of brutal nighttime arrests. Unsurprisingly, Chinese officials have deemed Gambari's voyage "positive", maintaining China's priority of natural resources over people. The US House of Representatives have since passed a nonbinding resolution calling for China, India, and regional blocs like ASEAN to intervene in Burma.
Now, there is increasing pressure on multinational companies investing in Burma's conflict resources to pull out. National resources are being exploited without the consent of the people, and the profits go only to the ruling junta. Widescale environmental degradation perpetuate human rights abuses. And the labor pool for these projects is forced labor.
In addition to China, India, Thailand, and other Asian nations, Western companies have long been profiting from the repression in Burma. Another article HERE.
Smuggled out CNN video on the beatings.
Celebrities are pushing for change in Burma as well.
U2 frontman and peace advocate Bono speaks out. Incidentally, U2's "Walk On" is dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.
Actor Sylvester Stallone reflects on the atrocities he saw filming John Rambo on the Thai / Burma border.
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