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Should the international community step up its efforts to persuade Burma to allow in foreign aid?
YOUR SAYShould the international community step up its efforts to persuade Burma to allow in foreign aid?
Can President-elect Barack Obama change America, and the world?
"Yes he will because he is a natural leader and will surround himself with some great minds. Thoug..."
Can President-elect Barack Obama change America, and the world?
"It was a pity that Dateline chose some naive young Republican woman to comment on behalf of Repub..."
Would you like to make a comment about Dateline?
"Thank you Dateline for a great program but please is it possible for George to dress more appropr..."
I would like to invite Ms Karenna for lunch on her contribution to the people not for military. Military would not change and people are suffering more. Long time ago, Burma is richest country in Asia and now poorest country in the world. Who made it, leader or people? People pray to Buddha, Military pray to GUN.
I disagree with Karenna talking about trust with regards to the junta. Some of her comments are misleading. While NGOs (including UN) are so scared of the junta and repetitively saying that they are not politicising this humnitarian efforts, they do not realise that it is the junta who is politicising it by not allowing aid workers. Karrena's comment on "the junta not trusting the international community because they have been critisizing the junta" is outrageous! We, Burmese know that the junta doesnt even have trust amongst themselves. I'd strongly like to suggest people who are being interviewed to make comments only when they know the country and the situation very well.
The US has offered bribes to Iraqi MPs to lure them into endorsing a security deal that critics believe would make Iraq a US colony. a program about this would be interesting !
I sit here in the comfort of my home in Australia and watch as the Burmese people succumb to a natural disaster after years of persecution and feel anger and frustration at not seeing any change. The Burmese people have suffered for so long now. When will it end? When willelease Aung San Suu Kyi? Will democracy ever find Burma again? I applaud Karenna and all the others that dedicate their lives to helping the oppressed people of Burma but I fear there is only one way to rid Burma of the Junta and that sadly, is by force....
After watching that video I felt suspicious because as far as I know most tribal groups don’t like Junta. But in that video they are like best friend and according to her anyone who wants to help storm victims have to be friend with Junta? Aren’t people dying and time is very precious? Even China welcome aid from US military and US don’t need to assure Chinese that their intention is only for humanitarian and not politic. For UN and international community,they let down us before I don’t see why this time is different. For most Burmese in delta their only hopes are God and one another.
I found the video footage from the Asian Tribal Ministries most uplifting – after three weeks of anger, frustration and depression following the debacle in the delta. In particular, the interview with the young 20 year old Karenna, restored my faith in the goodness of humankind and confidence in our youth of the next generation. I cannot believe that thousands are dying while help is just over half an hour flight from the US, UK and French vessels off the Burmese coast. In fact, what this disaster has shown is the critical and life-saving role the NGO charities have played in providing aid to the people in the delta. For once too, we could be proud that, for the sake of the suffering people in the delta, we bit our lips and managed to stay mum so that aid and aid workers may get through to the delta. In particular, I have to say that despite the justifiable rhetoric that has characterised the relationship between the US and Burma, the American administration did themselves proud by the way they have managed this situation. The Americans have been flying many flights a day, delivering USAID and aid from other organisation. They have done this despite their concerns that some of the material may be diverted elsewhere. But some will get through – and that’s good. This time we have taken the higher ground for the greater good of the victims in the delta and as a Burmese expat I’d like to say thanks to the outside world for their wisdom in putting humanitarian needs ahead of other concerns – which will need to be addressed in time.
It's amazing Dateline overlooks western plays for control of Burma’s abundant oil
i've actually been to myanmar and spent some time with the burmese people - they are some of the most beautiful, caring, loving, selfless ppl in the world. they definitely aren't represented by the junta, so don't you dare try to suggest that we should leave them to decide their own fate! the poverty of the average family makes it impossible for them to stand up to the junta... i'm sickened by how little the world cares about the ppl in myanmar, it's hardly deemed newsworthy anymore. i'm doing my part to support ppl i know in myanmar who are helping the community as much as they can, are you doing anything?
To Ray from Sydney : Burmese people HAVE been trying to overthrow this 'evil' government by ourselves for more than a decade. If people who have been silenced by their guns and their jails could tell you that they will. And to Sam from Sydney : If it were up to the 'millions' of Burmese people to decide their own fate, aid from all over the world and Burma would have been distributed as soon as they could get there. It's the junta that doesn't want "outsiders" to come in. It is almost depressing to be explaining this.
I suspect the West will do what it always does. Put its head in the sand and pretend it didn\'t happen. Of course you\'ll get conscience struck pollie who alternates between appalled and angry but they won\'t do anything. See Rwanda. (excellent doco on the Commander of the effort in Rwanda on SBS the other night) I will build a sand mandala whilst singing koom bi ya, to manifest a miracle - you know like food. shelter. drinkable water. It\'s pretty much on par as an outcome that the West can offer. The West (we) should just give as much aid that India, Thailand and other neighbours can accept, and let them assist Burma. Anyway. This is depressing.