Burma hasn’t been much in the news, lately, but things have not gotten any better. Essentially, the violent crackdown on dissidents succeeded. Months ago. And it continues.
This is a seemingly small story, but one of which every political blogger should take notice. From the Associated Press:
Myanmar’s junta has stepped up surveillance of the Internet, arresting one blogger who wrote about the stifling of free expression in the military-ruled nation, a media advocacy group said.
The blogger, Nay Myo Latt, was taken into custody in Yangon on Wednesday after writing about the suppression of freedoms following last fall’s crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations, Reporters Without Borders said.
Despite international condemnation and pressure following the demonstrations, there is little evidence that the junta is easing its repressive rule or moving closer to reconciliation with pro-democracy forces led by Suu Kyi.
The arrested blogger, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, owns three Internet cafes, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said in a release seen Thursday.
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… terrible news.
I was just reading the International Crisis Group’s just-released report with recommendations for international action: “Burma/Myanmar: After the Crackdown”.
From the summary:
In the Middle East and today The Guardian reported that civil rights blogger Hu Jia was arrested by Chinese authorities.
Has a political blogger been arrested yet in the West? Only a matter of time…
Wonder what can be done to support the blogger??
“McCarthy would have loved SB 1959
Oh yeah, this slipped under the traditional media radar too:
The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, a.k.a. Senate Bill 1959. This masterpiece sailed through Congress in October (only six nays – three R, three D, Kucinich among them) and is currently in front of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The bill would establish a commission similar to Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee and could potentially make any sort of political dissent or controversial religious display illegal. Even thinking about such things could get you in trouble.”
http://www.nwprogressive.org/w…