Burma Protests Crackdown

New information about the September demonstrations in Burma has just been released. Human Rights Watch has a new report out stating that the crackdown by the military in September was bloodier than the government was admitting. There were more beatings, shootings, and arrests than reported by the government at that point in time. The Human Rights Watch report was put together with information from eyewitnesses. And Human Rights Watch state that the crackdown is far from over.

To see the Human Rights Watch article and link to the report, click here.

Even if the situation is no longer in our news, remember: 1) Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest, and 2) the country is still under the control of the military government. Check out this website(and there are many others if you just google Burma): DontForgetBurma.org.

Child Soldiers in Burma

In the news recently, we have seen the Burmese people's fight for independence and the brutal reaction by the opposition - the government. But there is more. Today the Human Rights Watch organization released a report indicating that the Burmese government is one of the biggest "recruiters" of child soldiers. According to the report, the Burmese military target children unrelentingly due to the need to fill their ranks because of high desertion rates, lack of willing volunteers, and army expansion. There is a cash payment either to the military recruiter or civilian broker for each member recruited, regardless of the fact that it is a child they recruit.

To read the article and access the report, click here for the Human Rights Watch website article. The fight for democracy in Burma not only means the freedom of its people, its monks, but also the freedom of its children from continued forced recruitment. Follow the news in Burma through the following sites:

Democratic Voice of Burma: News Page
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Pages
BBC News Asia-Pacific Page