Burma - the new bamboo curtain?

[aseepish]

There is an excellent article about the strategic importance of Burma in the latest issue of the Atlantic by Robert Kaplan.

China, India, and Thailand have been vying for influence over resource-rich Burma. The U.S. (and other western nations) have been largely ignoring this country, as there is no likely threat coming from Burma in the foreseeable future.

Kaplan seems to be arguing that by allowing China to "take" Burma, U.S. interests in the region are likely to be weakened.

Lifting the Bamboo Curtain

[george stando]

Very interesting read. Thanks for that!

[ltindiandaeng]

I have been to Burma through the route described here, but I cannot go into more of that here for reasons also described in the article. I myself often wondewr why there is not as much attention paid to the massacre of karen in Burma and Hmong in Laos, as there is about Darfur and other African countries. of course all genocide is horrible and inexcusable. But the Karen fought valiantly in WWII, as did the kachin, Karenni and the Shan. Yet when the war ended,the British, who had promised to help them achieve independence in return for their help against the Japanese, left them to be slaughtered.

By the same token, the Hmong lost 30,000 men,women and children fighting with us against the VC in Laos and Vietnam. They rescued many downed American pilots and were the only effective anti-communist combat force in Laos. Yet when we pulled out of Vietnam we left them to be murdered, as they are to this day. And as it says in this article, the Thai govt. is guilty of deporting them from refugee camps back to Laos where they will almost certainly be murderd or persecuted. The only thing I disagree with the article about, which I found to be excellent overall, is the statement that Thai military supports Karen insurgency. It is true that some of them do, but it is also true that Thai military forces are involved in numerous atrocities, and systematic victimization of the Karen in refugee camps near the Burmese border.

[Tom Yum]

I have been to Burma through the route described here, but I cannot go into more of that here for reasons also described in the article. I myself often wondewr why there is not as much attention paid to the massacre of karen in Burma and Hmong in Laos, as there is about Darfur and other African countries. of course all genocide is horrible and inexcusable. But the Karen fought valiantly in WWII, as did the kachin, Karenni and the Shan. Yet when the war ended,the British, who had promised to help them achieve independence in return for their help against the Japanese, left them to be slaughtered.

By the same token, the Hmong lost 30,000 men,women and children fighting with us against the VC in Laos and Vietnam. They rescued many downed American pilots and were the only effective anti-communist combat force in Laos. Yet when we pulled out of Vietnam we left them to be murdered, as they are to this day. And as it says in this article, the Thai govt. is guilty of deporting them from refugee camps back to Laos where they will almost certainly be murderd or persecuted. The only thing I disagree with the article about, which I found to be excellent overall, is the statement that Thai military supports Karen insurgency. It is true that some of them do, but it is also true that Thai military forces are involved in numerous atrocities, and systematic victimization of the Karen in refugee camps near the Burmese border.

Weren't many Hmong granted US citizenship status after the war because of their heroic acts? As I've been told, they are rather peacful, sometimes passive and will bend over backward to help someone - but will fight tooth and nail for those dearest to them.