Posted on 09/29/2007 1:54:23 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Troops refuse to fire on crowds
Reports from Rangoon suggest soldiers are mutinying. It is unclear the numbers involved. Reports cite heavy shooting in the former Burmese capital.
The organisation Helfen ohne Grenzen (Help without Frontiers) is reporting that "Soldiers from the 66th LID (Light Infantry Divison) have turned their weapons against other government troops and possibly police in North Okkalappa township in Rangoon and are defending the protesters. At present unsure how many soldiers involved."
Soldiers in Mandalay, where unrest has spread to as we reported this morning, are also reported to have refused orders to act against protesters.
Some reports claim that many soldiers remained in their barracks. More recent reports now maintain that soldiers from the 99th LID now being sent there to confront them.
Growing numbers of protestors are gathering in Rangoon, with 10,000 reported at the Traders Hotel and 50,000 at the Thein Gyi market. The police are reported to have turned water cannons against crowds at Sule Pagoda.
Many phone lines into the Burmese state have now been cut, mobile networks have been disabled and the national internet service provider has been taken off-line.
Wow, those monks’ tactics seem to be working...
Looks like the #$%@ has hit the fan over there.
***Wow, those monks’ tactics seem to be working...***
Praying, praying for the monks, and the end of terror.
Communist China’s global strategic power is crumbling.
Would love to see a couple of hundred thousand Venezuelans and Iranians do that.
I certainly hope that one day that the people of Burma can be freed of the bad governments that they have suffered under for so long.
A sign that the remaining dictatorships are getting ready to fall, starting with Buma.
Absolutely... and North Koreans, Chinese, White Russians, Cubans.
Hopeful news.
I read today in the New Zealand Herald today that a rather famous Japanese Journalist was pushed over and shot stone dead by a soldier in Rangoon, while trying to film what was going on. Color photo of the evil deed and everything.
Unfortunately the New Zealand Herald does not allow the Free Republic to post their articles, so I can’t point you in the right direction, not even with a link. And, as a result, neither can I even recommend you to read their rag.
Makes good fish’n’chips wrappers, tho’.
*DieHard*
BBC had the actual video of the whole event on TV last night. It’s a disturbing video, and you have been warned.
Here’s a rather sickening YouTube video clip of the photographer being gunned down: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LymH0aPenBM
There was one posted at Japanese Journalist Shot Down At Close Range in Rangoon, Burma (Developing-Pics)
Hi, everyone!... Perhaps we should not get our hopes up too high. I’ve been advised by a longtime Freeper that the accuracy of these reports has been challenged on some of the pro-democracy Burma blogs. The thinking is that the military junta itself has planted the misinformation. Just a little headsup for everyone...
I am not sure about those bloggers, but I would imagine there are possibilities that they could be agents trying to spread disinformation claiming such news are false. In fact, secret police acting as part of the protest were spying to search for the leaders. Those bloggers might be the same, false pro-democracy bloggers to trap true pro-democracy citizens.
ping
Crikey, even worse than reported in the NZ Herald. By that video, that sumb*tch shot the journalist point-blank in the guts. No apparent warning, nothing: he was stone dead before he even hit the ground.
What we saw happen there was a War Crime. And the International Community should ensure that the sumb*tch who pulled that trigger is one day brought to justice, along with his commanding officer, and that we all get to have the pleasure of seeing them tried and watching them hang.
Just like what happened to the hapless Saddam Hussein and his mob of thugs.
In a day-and-age when the MSM has rightly deserved a black eye for biased reporting and excessive journalistic license, these are difficult times to say good things about “journalists” reporting on war.
But it would seem that Kenji Nagai was a Journalist of the Joe Galloway tradition, a professional who went into the line of fire to capture the moment and to record the story. He was a Man of an entirely different caliber to the talking heads we normally see on CNN and the MSM, who stay out of Harm’s Way yet criticise those who venture therein.
So tonite I light a candle to his memory. Domo Arigato, Kenji Nagai-San. You died bravely and well. All gave some: you gave all.
As of 6:00PM - Saturday Night GMT + 8
Latest that I have heard here is that troops have for the most part taken back control of the city and that the pro-democracy demonstrators have backed down. There are no ongoing battles or violence in the capitol - there are however ongoing arrests and detentions.
Basically the uprising is over.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.