Posted on 11/18/2010 9:21:01 AM PST by Reaganite Republican
Aung San Suu Kyi seems to be rapidly gaining military support against the regime...
Released from 15 years of house arrest earlier this month, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi seems to be rapidly gaining support against the regime as she and her party attempt to be re-instated and challenge recent dubious elections...
While worldwide leaders celebrated the brave -and attractive- 65-year-old's release, now infantrymen from two Burmese army divisions confirmed reports that several hundred soldiers travelled to Rangoon to witness Ms Suu Kyi regaining her freedom. This is the first time we've heard of such a split in the military... one who's generals rule the country with a iron grip.
BBC Burma (Myanmar): The extent of support for her in the army is not clear. A number of soldiers from battalions in Rangoon and Bago divisions and their families went to Aung San Suu Kyi's house on the 13 November to greet her on her release. "We went there to greet her because we believe the hardships the lower rank and file are facing can be solved if Ms Suu Kyi and the military commanders work together.
"We have high hopes for Ms Suu Kyi," a soldier told the BBC Burmese service.
It follows reports in September that soldiers in many areas were refusing to carry out routine tasks in protest at short rations and lack of access to their pay. In a series of BBC interviews, soldiers in garrison towns said their rations had been cut for weeks. They said commanders had barred access to money they had saved, which is kept in a central fund.
The Burmese authorities have denied any disquiet in the military.
This of course is the same impoverished country who's leaders had North Korea build them nuclear bunkers and then built a bizarre new capital to get away from the miserable and restive populace -"Naypyidaw"- on a greenfield site in the middle-of-nowhere, 200 miles north of the traditional capital, Rangoon. These guys got a lot to lose, could get real ugly...
More/Video of new capitol at Reaganite Republican
I would take these reports with a grain of salt for now. I remember seeing press reports about Chinese army units supposedly preparing to come to the rescue of the protesters in Tiananmen Square too.
Like it says, just rank and file at this point but there’s never been any splits there before, encouraging
But those guys won’t give up their new capital without a fight... civil war would be a nightmare there, the generals are thoroughly ruthless as we’ve seen in past uprsisings there, last time they shot a monk!
Now that’s someone who received the Nobel Peace Prize for the right reasons. And, yes, she’s still pretty good-looking at 65.
Glad to see her free. But if her version of democracy is like Nelson Mandela’s, they’d be better off with the Junta staying in charge.
“...if her version of democracy is like Nelson Mandela’s, they’d be better off with the Junta staying in charge.”
I can assure you that it is and she will be a disaster for this country. But the world will love it with broadcasts of happy faces and cheering crowds, so lets all just party on!
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