The abject poverty of the Burmese p

[c04061998@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: The abject poverty of the Burmese people

I for one think that most of these loyal SPDC agents know what is wrong and 
what is right.

They are not that stupid.  There is a saying in Burmese - "kat-pha, 
yat-sar".  I like to think they are only doing this so they can get by and 
not live in poverty.

You have to remember, it is not just Burma whose government employees make 
US$3-$5 dollars a month.  There are other poor countries like Burma as well. 
  But since we are on the subject of Burma, I will stick to this.

Your question, "how many people does it take to run a dictatorship?" is 
simple.  Generally one person with a pocketful of loyal army.  But in our 
case, it is not just one person.  There clearly are friction within the SPDC 
regime.  We must tackle this issue and be objective in our email campaign.  
Because believe it or not, many of the general read BurmaNet translated into 
Burmese by translator(s).

Going back to some common sense, many if not most of their loyal agents know 
what is wrong and right.  Well, perhaps people in their 50's are a little 
different but the younger generation knows this.  They are also from 
military family as well so it is rather difficult to severe the ties.

You will remember I revealed Burmese FM's sons name here on the BurmaNet.  I 
recall some of you went after them - even went suggesting as far as 
harassing them in a violent way.  It is clear that you are not thinking 
objectively but only with your anger.

Still today, I am amazed that General Khin Nyut denied child labor.  Someone 
posted a link from CNN yesterday? with a photograph of this kid - probably 
around 11-12 digging up soil on his little head.  If you have visited inside 
real Burma, you know that it is not uncommon to see children doing this.

Which brought me to this - a Bangladeshi journalist wrote of his recent 
travel to Burma and discounted many of these facts.  He also compared Burma 
as "Switzerland of South Asia" because it was supposedly clean environment.  
Ask anyone living in the capitol.  They will tell you how polluted Rangoon 
is.  Go to the country side - you will see dust and unhappy, yet content 
people.  Now, what the hell is he smoking these days, I wonder?

I must disagree with the philosophy that living in poverty so dire that they 
might as well be dead or incite some foolish behaviors like terrorizing 
innocent people in the one friendly neighbor country.  As long as the 
movement is alive and we keep it alive both inside and outside Burma, there 
is still much hope.

I find it astonishing that some of those loyalists do not realize that power 
does not last forever.  They will remember the faith Wongyi  Anandathuriya 
after all he did for you-know-who.  They also know that they live in fear 
although they have been serving General Khin Nyut.  I hope that they are 
smart enough to realize that we are not really their enemies.  We all want 
better for Burma.

True there are some zealous radicals here - who have been quite frustrated 
with a list of issues of their own.  But in general we want a better Burma - 
out of poverty.  Remember Burma was once the richest countries in Asia after 
independence.  (Where were Japan or Singapore then, huh?)

Wake up and smell the reality folks!  Let us have some common sense.  Do not 
jump just because they want you to.  There are consequences.  Though there 
is a Burmese proverb - "do not bite the hand it feeds you" but you know well 
that the same hand also hits you with a stick and you live in great fear 
that you do not even know what will happen to you and your immediate family 
tomorrow.  Whatever circumstances you are now put under may be short-term 
enlightenment for you and your family but you never know what is tomorrow 
severing under the General's.




Reply-To: dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: pawtin@xxxxxxxxxxx
CC: burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx, burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: The abject poverty of the Burmese people
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 21:57:47 +0100
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How many people does it take to run a dictatorship? What do government
workers do, at 3 dollars a month? Is there any work? Or its just a
title, like a movie ticket, to say you've been there, party member, part
of the government machine at 3 dollars a month?

People around the world are shaking their heads at the Burmese enslaved
population. It used to be said, by socialist workers, that working for
wages, was slavery. Well, three dollars a month, when the head of
Merrill Lynch, the banking company that pushed Total Fina to takeover
Elf, makes over a hundred million dollars a year, there is definitely
something very insanely upside down about the passivity, the indolence,
the indifference, the soulless, wanton lost character about the burmese
slaves.

Johnny Rebel of the Student Warriors tried to shake them up. Perhaps
there is nothing inside to shake up. I don't know what has happened to
these people who think life is worth living at 3 dollars a month.
Perhaps they are just waiting for eternity. If thats the case, they
might just as well be dead. And take up the fight, to live, or die.

Nothing less when they got nothing to lose.

Think about it.


By the way, the head of the money trail, one of them, chairman of
Merrill Lynch, DAvid H Komansky, with a sagging chin and bulging neck so
fat you wonder if he has a neck at all, or maybe his face might just
dissolve into one fat blob of excess and greed,
says this:

"Now that we are entering a new century, and a new millennium, I find
myself more optimistic than ever before in my life."

And he doesnt give a shit about Burma. And neither does Total Fina, or
the French government of Chirac, Jospin, and their rich business
friends.  Think about that too.

In the future, no one is really going to give a damn about the Burmese
people if they dont fight for their own liberty. The junta is getting so
much money pumped in through the back door pipeline. This drug
production is definitely NOT going away. You can expect it to double
soon. There is so much money in drugs, and money laundering.

Until there is a genuine revolution in the spirit, until the people take
up their will and disarm the bastards, its three dollars a month, or
less.

Nobody can put a price on a human life. Not for three dollars.

ds*


 > Attention:
 >
 > The average government worker in Burma only brings in 1000 kyat a month.
 > That is only $3 US! Not enough to pay electric bills, much less food, 
rent,
 > transportation and the other myriad fees that aflict one in a modern
 > society. Is the SPDC trying to deliberately cause its own employees to
 > wallow in squalor? Or does it openly expect them to suplement their 
living
 > through forcing bribes from the honest people. Seems like a Catch-22 to 
me.
 > Either me honest and starve or hop on the SPDC corruption bandwagon full
 > tilt.
 >
 > Maybe if you're a spy against your own people like Okkar, MGM, and JM you
 > can live confortably (Plenty of bones to eat). For those who aren't 
stealing
 > from the populace, however, the Burma road is nothing but speed bumps and
 > potholes.
 > ______________________________________________________
 > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com



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