17 February 2010

Meanwhile in Burma...

Last month a military court in Burma has sentenced a journalist to 13 years in prison for working illegally for foreign media organisations.

According to the BBC Ngwe Soe Lin, who reported for the Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma, was convicted of violating immigration laws and the Electronics Act.

Ngwe Soe Lin was arrested as he left an internet cafe in the Rangoon area of Kyaukmyaung in June 2009. After being interrogated for two months, he was sent to the city's notorious Insein prison, where his sentence was handed down.

In December, freelance journalist Hla Hla Win was jailed for 20 years on similar charges to Ngwe Soe Lin after a military court found she had provided video for the Democratic Voice of Burma.

In Burma Hell goes round and round

14 comments:

Susan English Mason said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Susan English Mason said...

I'm sorry I messed up yet another comment and had to start over.

There are more than 2,100 jailed dissidents in Burma. Just this month, the American citizen Nyi Nyi Aung was sentenced to five years in prison and hard labor for a phony charge of forging a national identity card, one year for possession of undeclared foreign currency and one year for failing to renounce his Burmese citizenship after becoming an American citizen in 2002. Meanwhile, Obama's mixed bag of confusion includes sanctions, engaging the generals, and sending our diplomats over there for meetings.

jams o donnell said...

ch It 's not just the US, the response of the West is pathetic Pouty.

Sean Jeating said...

Oh well, no resources. Thus no one feels fancy to bless the Burmese people with enduring freedom

jams o donnell said...

Sadly so my friend!

Sean Jeating said...

And did to happen to read that according to Human Rights Watch Burma has the highest number of child soldiers? More than 20,000.

jams o donnell said...

Whyam I not surprised... bastards (the junta)

Claude said...

I'm horrified...No wonder they'll take the true journalists of the streets, and lock them in. The less seen, the less told to the world. And we hardly protest!!!

susan said...

Over and over again we are confronted with countries like Burma whose complicated histories were overwhelmed by western greed. Amitav Ghosh wrote a wonderful novel called 'The Glass Palace' that perfectly describes the period just before the present. Leaving madmen in charge seems to be the norm.

jams o donnell said...

It is horrifying Claudia. It has dropped out of the world view and that is the pity, It shows what a pathetic attention span we have

I'll have to read that Susan. Thanks for the tip

James Higham said...

I wonder where half those priests are now.

jams o donnell said...

Not in a happy place I fear

SnoopyTheGoon said...

So far, no oil, who cares?

The usual excuses apply, unfortunately.

jams o donnell said...

Sadly so Snoopy