AOL Chooses, Then Deletes Burma Jun (r)

[dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: AOL Chooses, Then Deletes Burma Junta Web Page



On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx wrote:

> This is the sample of how the so-called Burma activists are practising free 
> and fair expressing in the Internet.

Excuse me, are you the OSS member who uses the internet constantly, while
denying the Burmese people the right to do the same?

> 
> These activists were feedig the world with one-sided and very biased 
> informations at least 2 years ahead of their opponents by using e-mail 
> facility.

I believe that you are referring to the newspaper, wire service, UN, ILO,
government, NGO reports that democracy supporters have posted to the net.
To you, that is "one side."  You post NLM articles.  To you, that is
"balanced."  Duh.

> 
> When their opponents are countering some measurements to balance the news 
> these activists can not allow free expression while the  are shouting aloud 
> for free expression.

Don't be a fool.  You are still free to express yourself, aren't you?  But
a commercial company that promotes communication was itself appalled when
it looked more closely at your propaganda page.  It wanted nothing to do
with promoting your pathetic propaganda.  That makes you sad.  Too bad.
Why don't you go back and convince AOL that you are legit.  Good luck.

> 
> For those who want the truths of our country are cordially invited to write 
> to 
> "myanmar-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxx" and subscribe Myanmar Information list.

It's a fine idea to subscribe to that, though truthfully it is 99% the
same old stuff that you post to burmanet(l and 2), maykha and scb.

> 
> The subscribers of the Myanmar Information list are free to post their
views 
> and news to the list regardless of pro-democracy or pro-SPDC.

Big deal.  You can do the same in burmanet 2, maykha and scb.  More
important, Burmese cannot speak or publish "news regardless of
pro-democracy or pro-(junta)" in your unfortunate dictatorship.  If you
gave them that right, your whining would be a little less laughable.

> 
> Regards,
> 
> Okkar
> 
> 
> 
> In a message dated 8/18/99 8:09:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
> dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> 
> << Free Burma Coalition                www.freeburmacoalition.org
>  
> Contact: Dr. Zarni, Free Burma Coalition, zarni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, 202-777-6009
>  
> For Immediate Release:
>  
>  
> America Online Chooses, Then Deletes Burma Junta Web Page
>  
> Dulles, Virginia -- August 18, 1999 -- America Online, the leading
> internet Service provider in the United States, has made an abrupt
> about-face.  
>  
> On Friday August 13th, AOL chose the site www.myanmar.com to be linked to
> AOL's Asia Forum.  The problem?  The site is operated by the ruling
> military junta of Burma (also known as Myanmar), identified by Reporters
> Sans Frontieres as one of the world's "real enemies" of the internet.
>  
> The Burmese junta jails citizens for "unauthorized" use of fax,
> photocopiers and computers with modems.  Internet service, including AOL,
> is unavailable to all of Burma's 46 million citizens, save a few
> "authorized" friends of the regime.
>  
> Ironically, an email message from Burma's Office of Strategic Services
> (the secret police) alerted exiled Burmese democrats to AOL's gaffe.  The
> message copied AOL's announcement, which gushed "We think you'll notice
> dramatically increased usage because of this exposure."
>  
> Though an international pariah, the junta makes extensive use of the
> internet to distribute its propaganda.  The website in question,
> www.myanmar.com, is mostly used to lure hard-currency-carrying tourists.
> But elsewhere the page compiles vituperative articles from the
> junta-controlled press. Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Laureate
> Aung San Suu Kyi comes in for particular scorn, often called a "sorceress"
> or a "lackey of colonialists."  The more than 100,000 Burmese refugees
> huddled in Thailand are labelled "terrorists," though groups such as
> Amnesty International say they are vicitms of rape, torture, forced labor
> and murder.
>  
> "We informed AOL of the fact that the junta operates this page, and gave
> them some information about pervasive human rights violations in Burma,"
> says Dr. Zarni, Burmese founder of the Free Burma Coalition. "It looked
> bad for an 'information technology' company to be leading its users to the
> propaganda page of a regime that has closed the universities and
> restricted all kinds of information, including the internet.  To their
> credit, AOL reacted quickly," he adds.
>  
> AOL informed the Free Burma Coalition on Tuesday, August 17 that "we have
> removed the website in question from the International Country Pages."
>  
> END
>  
>   >>
> 
>