Soldiers refuse to fire on crowds in Rangoon

[Lanya]

Rangoon: ?army mutiny? reported

Troops refuse to fire
on crowdsTroops

Reports from Rangoon suggest soldiers are mutinying. It is unclear the numbers involved. Reports cite heavy shooting in the former Burmese capital.

The organisation Helfen ohne Grenzen (Help without Frontiers) is reporting that "Soldiers from the 66th LID (Light Infantry Divison) have turned their weapons against other government troops and possibly police in North Okkalappa township in Rangoon and are defending the protesters. At present unsure how many soldiers involved."

Soldiers in Mandalay, where unrest has spread to as we reported this morning, are also reported to have refused orders to act against protesters.

Some reports claim that many soldiers remained in their barracks. More recent reports now maintain that soldiers from the 99th LID now being sent there to confront them.

Growing numbers of protestors are gathering in Rangoon, with 10,000 reported at the Traders Hotel and 50,000 at the Thein Gyi market. The police are reported to have turned water cannons against crowds at Sule Pagoda.

Many phone lines into the Burmese state have now been cut, mobile networks have been disabled and the national internet service provider has been taken off-line.
http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/2007/09/army-mutiny-rep.html#more

[kimba1]

it`s gonna get ugly
they are learning a hard lesson the british learned awhile back
shooting unarmed people doesn`t work very well

[Lanya]

I don't know, kimba...the situation looks very bad for the monks, nuns, and the people of Burma. 
http://www.the-environmentalist.com/2007/09/myanmarburmas-oil-co-connections.html
That has lots of links.  It is heartbreaking.

[kimba1]

it looks superbad for the people.
but burma is not exactly a self-sufficient country so this action will hurt the government.
by the growing list of sanctions put upon them.
the fact gas prices doubling means the government is not handling money very well

[Xavier_Onassis]

The Myanmar Army are basically robber goons. They have no ideology, other than a deep belief that they deserve the oil wealth and the people can go to Hell.

It seems rather strange that this should happen in a Buddhist nation. Buddhists tend to be pacifists. Of course, the Myanmar Army are not good Buddhists, especially the leading officers.  This was what happened in Cambodia after the US had the King thrown out and replaced by Lon Nol. When Lon Nol was thrown out, the corrupt officers that took over were hated by everyone, and it was easy for the Khmer Rouge to take over.

And they were even more ghastly.

Luckily, there is nothing like the Khmer Rouge in Burma.
 
I am still wondering about the relationship between Burma and Burma Shave.

Burmese tend to be somewhat deficient on whiskers, but I don';t think anyone shaves to emulate them.

[Amianthus]

I am still wondering about the relationship between Burma and Burma Shave.

The substance was christened Burma-Vita, Burma because most of its essential oils came from the Malay pennisula [sic] and Burma, and Vita from the Latin for life and vigor.

http://www.snopes.com/business/market/mars.asp

[Xavier_Onassis]

Thanks. That is interesting.

I was pretty sure rhyming highway signs were not of Burmese origin.

Burma Shave has become a discount brand lately. I don't think the quality has changed.

[Lanya]

Kimba,
People there are asking for help.  I've seen pictures of people holding up signs that say UN Sanctions please.   

[Xavier_Onassis]

the fact gas prices doubling means the government is not handling money very well

=============================
I think it is obvious that the Burmese govt are a bunch of bungling armed thugs. Their purpose is more to loot than to govern.

The economy is declining, and the monks don't get to eat unless people can give them food. The people lack money due to the bad government.

In some ways, it's like Saddam & Co. in Iraq, except that the population is Buddhist, a major difference.
And more protests. Saddam didn't have those, even tho the people were better armed.

[kimba1]

it`s so bad even china is no happy about them.
the general rule is asian countries don`t critisize each other.
the burmese government is in a tough spot though if they comply it may backfire and have them acount for past crimes.
the present way is to beatdown the people to do anything they want.
which will ruin the country even further

[Mr_Perceptive]

Rangoon: ?army mutiny? reported

Troops refuse to fire
on crowdsTroops

Reports from Rangoon suggest soldiers are mutinying. It is unclear the numbers involved. Reports cite heavy shooting in the former Burmese capital.

The organisation Helfen ohne Grenzen (Help without Frontiers) is reporting that "Soldiers from the 66th LID (Light Infantry Divison) have turned their weapons against other government troops and possibly police in North Okkalappa township in Rangoon and are defending the protesters. At present unsure how many soldiers involved."

Soldiers in Mandalay, where unrest has spread to as we reported this morning, are also reported to have refused orders to act against protesters.

Some reports claim that many soldiers remained in their barracks. More recent reports now maintain that soldiers from the 99th LID now being sent there to confront them.

Growing numbers of protestors are gathering in Rangoon, with 10,000 reported at the Traders Hotel and 50,000 at the Thein Gyi market. The police are reported to have turned water cannons against crowds at Sule Pagoda.

Many phone lines into the Burmese state have now been cut, mobile networks have been disabled and the national internet service provider has been taken off-line.
http://www.newsdeskspecial.co.uk/2007/09/army-mutiny-rep.html#more

Firing on unarmed civilians is certainly an atroious action, not condoned by any civilized nation. In my 30 years in the Corps, I was never asked to do so and never would have. I killed many Cong and North Vietnamese regulars, but they were combatants.

[kimba1]

actually this saddens me abit
sanctions would also hurt the people there
this mean the people are more worst off than I can ever imagine
so poor that less resources do not effect them
a  friend of mine is burmese
I can`t talk about it to her it`s so painful to her.
she is one of the kindest people I know
we talk math to each other,since she has nobody else that would.
if she is an example of the kind of people burma is
it is very sad indeed whats happening.