[Buddha-l] suppressing political freedom while selling out Burma's resources to China

[jkirk]

Please note the enormity of the weaponry Burma's junta have collected.
Joanna
 
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....Democracy is seen as a threat to the existing order because it would
deprive the ruling elite — which is synonymous with the military — of its
unique privileges. There are more than four hundred thousand men in Burma’s
armed forces, and if family members are included the population of this
privileged “second state” would be approximately two million out of a total
population of 48 million. This ruling elite is prepared to suppress any
movement for democracy, as it did with such brutal finality in 1988. And as
long as it is able to sell gas, timber and minerals to its neighbors, the
sanctions imposed by the West will have little effect. Since 1988, China has
also supplied Burma with more than US$1.4 billion worth of military
hardware, including fighter, ground attack and transport aircraft, tanks and
armored personnel carriers, naval vessels, a variety of towed and
self-propelled artillery pieces, surface-to-air missiles, trucks and
infantry equipment.
China has also given Burma crucial diplomatic support in the United Nations.
For instance, on January 12 of this year, China, along with Russia, thwarted
the adoption of a draft resolution in the Security Council that would have
called on Burma to release all political prisoners, open a real dialogue
with the opposition and end its military attacks and human rights abuses
against ethnic minorities............

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