Live By the Pen, Die By the Pen

I’ve been watching the amazing protests going on in Burma for the past nine days. Here’s a YouTube clip from BBCnews from day four of the march:

Burma, also called Myanmar, has been run by a military government for decades. You might have heard of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was legally elected the leader of Burma in 1990, but has never been allowed (by the military) to take office. Here’s what Michael Stipe of REM had to say about Aung San Suu Kyi:

Life is so bad in Burma that thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries. Here’s a little background, from Sep 18, on the conditions the Burmese people are living under:

Last summer, in 2006, my family and I visited Thailand. During that trip, we went to Mae Hong Son, which is just a few miles (less than ten) from the Burmese border. Several tribes who were originally from Burma now live in the Mae Hong Son area, driven out by the military regime in their own country.

Here is footage of the demonstration going on in Burma right now:

And just this evening, I heard the Burmese government has started cracking down on these peaceful marchers. No footage yet, but I’m sure you can see some tomorrow on YouTube. Also check out these great resources for further information: With Bowl and Robe and Radio Free Asia.

I applaud the marchers, and urge the U.N. to help them in any way possible.

Free Burma.