You say Myanmar, I say Burma

[Walsingham]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...s-22%2C000.html

 

The news over here is full of the Burmese cyclone devastation. It seems to me that this was a natural incident, but a man-made disaster.

 

1. Forest, and particularly mangroves have been strip-mined <sic> by the regime's Chuchao/Triad cronies.

 

2. Infrastructure and suport services are focussed entiurely on the regime and not on teh people. Thus few hospitals, poor roads, and no organisational culture of care.

 

3. In any highly politicised system, such as a junta, you get inefficiency and incompetence.

[Guard Dog]

To top it all off they are refusing aid.

[Gfted1]

It blows my mind that many people died. What, were they out standing in it?

[Guard Dog]

According to CNN they did not know it was coming. And the government made no effort to evacuate.

[Walsingham]

To top it all off they are refusing aid.

 

Whassamafughuh?

[astr0creep]

They don't need our help. Rambo will save them.

[Walsingham]

They don't need our help. Rambo will save them.

 

Interesting that Stallone seems able to grasp the seriuosness of the situation where others cannot.

[Walsingham]

Quote from the BBC:

"There were soldiers everywhere during the demonstrations," one man said. "Where are they now?"

[Walsingham]

"The United Nations halted aid to Myanmar May 9 after the junta seized aid shipments headed for cyclone survivors. The aid included 38 tons of high-energy biscuits which arrived on flights from Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates."

 

 

Makes a total mockery of the throwing money at it solution. Proof yet again that bad regimes cannot be solved by kind thoughts alone. Estimates today put the total death toll caused by the regime's indifference at 1.5 MILLION dead.

[Gorgon]

Alright you got my vote for going in there an kicking the generals out.

[astr0creep]

Alright you got my vote for going in there an kicking the generals out.

 

Won't happen.

 

This is another Rwanda/Darfour thing.

Military aid is never free and they have nothing to pay for it.

 

It sucks but this is how the world works.

[Guard Dog]

I'm surprised Sand hasn't opined here yet. Here is one instance where he is proven right on the futility of foreign aid and he has nothing to say?

[walkerguy]

Yes- call it off to rebuild after that cyclone.

 

Also- Sand would say they should go without intervention and its not our responsibility... or something.

[DeathScepter]

Due to their ineptness, I don't think they deserve aid for not helping their people.

[BIOShazard]

Ain't it strange:

1) how people say they gonna halp out when disaster strikes, but when it comes, they go "OH NOES! RUN AWAY!"

2) How people always take into account the deaths of the world, but never the births? I mean, it situations like this and "Fight to Stop Tobacco" they make it sound like every woman in the world has reached menopause or are infertile. Between this cyclone and now, I think babies have replaced them. (Just sayin')

 

Just further proof that our government and solders are corrupted

[DeathScepter]

all governments are corrupted but some are more than others.

[Sand]

I'm surprised Sand hasn't opined here yet. Here is one instance where he is proven right on the futility of foreign aid and he has nothing to say?

 

What can I say? I don't see the need to say anything on this. It is a travesty that their government is allowance this level of suffering and not doing anything. I wish I ccould put a bullet in each head of the ruling junta, but I doubt the US government will get directly involved. There is no oil there.

 

 

There is a difference of responsibility and the willingness to help, Walker. Is it our responsibility to help these people? No. Should we help these people if we can? Yes.

It is the matter of motivation.

[Colrom]

Burma Oil

 

Myanmar is one of the world's oldest oil producers, exporting its first barrel in 1853. Rangoon Oil Company, the first foreign oil company to drill in the country, was created in 1871. Between 1886 and 1963, the country's oil industry was dominated by Burmah Oil Company (BOC), which discovered the Ychaugyaung field in 1887 and the Chauk field in 1902. Both are still in production.

 

The oil and gas industry was nationalized after a socialist-leaning military regime seized power in 1962. As in many other countries, the State assumed ownership of the resources, either operating them itself or delegating this task to private operators, who were paid for their outlay and work in oil or gas under production sharing contracts (PSCs).

 

In 2007, nine foreign oil companies (Myanmar Petroleum Resources Ltd, Focus Energy Ltd, Westburne, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China National Petrochemical Corporation, Sinopec, Essar, Goldpetrol and a representative of the Kalmik republic) are involved in 16 onshore blocks to explore new areas (EP blocks), to enhance recovery from existing fields (IOR blocks), to reactivate fields where production has been suspended (RFS blocks) and to produce (PSCs).

 

For the offshore area, Total, Petronas Carigali Myanmar, Daewoo, PTT-EP, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China National Petrochemical Corporation, Essar, Gail and Rimbunam (Malaysia) are exploring and/or developing 29 blocks.

 

It should be noted that Myanmar authorities intensified the opening of blocks to foreign companies since the end of 2004.

 

Myanmar

Edited May 14, 2008 by Colrom

[Walsingham]

Oh great. Another country where if we act we'll get accused of being after the oil. Thank God we've 'learned' from Iraq, and we'll do sweet FA instead.

[Nick_i_am]

haha, Catch 22 for international PR.

 

Still, did I misread or did BIOShazard just say 'it doesn't matter because lots more babies were just born to replace them'?

[Walsingham]

Just further proof that our government and solders are corrupted

 

How does Burma being run by evil SOBs prove I'm corrupted?

[Sand]

Oh great. Another country where if we act we'll get accused of being after the oil. Thank God we've 'learned' from Iraq, and we'll do sweet FA instead.

 

We invaded Iraq on false pretenses therefore the accusation of invading for oil is valid. If our motivation was truly to topple a tyrant and to help the people then there woul have been no need to falsify and alter the intelligence reports the way Bush's cronies did. It is a matter of motivation.

[walkerguy]

Why cant liberty be a matter of motivation?

[Laozi]

Just further proof that our government and solders are corrupted

 

How does Burma being run by evil SOBs prove I'm corrupted?

 

 

 

not taking responsibility for the junta, tsk tsk, thats mighty white of you Wals.

[Walsingham]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7418885.stm

 

The conference has ended with the Junta graciously accepting a plea for 5.5 bn UKP. I'm sorry