“All oppression creates a state of war.” — Simone De Beauvoir (1908–1986)

The stories that are coming out of Myanmar (The country was known as Burma up until 1989, when the government officially changed the name) are heartbreaking. If you have not heard anything about what is going on over there, the people have been under a military government since 1962. There were accusations in 1988 about political oppression and economic mismanagement that led to peaceful marches and demonstrations by the people, who wanted democracy (the 8888 Uprising), where hundreds of people were massacred by police and military. There have been a constant stream of uprisings ever since, each met with the use of military power against the people.
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Here is a video of a Japanese journalist getting gunned down. The murder and torture of average citizens is referred to by the military regime as “internal matters,” and journalists and any form of communications to the outside world are a nuisance. Probably because the reaction by outside forces would be overwhelming if they saw the truth.

“Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Violence appears where power is in jeopardy, but left to its own course it ends in power’s disappearance.” — Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)

We can only hope that the people living in the region are able to continue to get news out to the world, whether through blogs or through traditional routes, and that those who are currently in power find peace and wisdom from within.