Special Coverage: Burmese protests 2007

Burmese protests It's not often that bloggers become a primary source in a global news story. Recent protests in Myanmar simply would not have been as big a story if there weren't brave people on the inside (and outside) willing to risk everything to spread news, photos and videos via the internet.

Burmese bloggers have even become a news story in their own right, attracting headlines from across mainstream media, and outrage when the internet was blocked by the junta in an attempt to silence them.

At the peak of the protests, Global Voices’ South-East Asia editor Preetam Rai posted daily reports, links, and translations with the dedicated help of our Burmese authors. We have collected these posts on a Special Coverage page that includes links to articles written about Burmese bloggers in mainstream media, and further links to citizen media campaigns in support of the protesters.

As MSNBC's tech blogger, Will Fernia reports:

For international news of this nature Global Voices should be your first click, not just for news but for further links and translations. It's certainly better than randomly clicking through blog directories for worthwhile blog content.

23 comments

  • If any one in burma can read this. keep fighting! do not give up! YOU ARE SETTING THE EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLES WHO LIVE IN OPPRESSION THAT FREEDOM CAN BE ATTAINED. the people of the united states of america support you! our prayers are with you!

  • My grandparents, my aunt and uncles are in Rangoon by 28th street near I believe by the Sule Pagoda. I have not heard from them nor been able to get a hold of them. I experienced the 8.8.88 first hand as I was in Burma during that time and saw many unspeakable capabilities of the Junta at the young age of 8. This is why I am asking for world’s voice and support to help stop this Military regime from killing innocent people of my country. Thank you for all your posts.
    love,
    Sophie
    sophielwin.blogspot.com

  • Charles Liu

    And you wonder how did they ever get so organized?

    http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IJ17Ae01.html

    The geopolitical stakes of ‘Saffron Revolution’
    By F William Engdahl

    Myanmar’s “Saffron Revolution”, like the Ukraine “Orange Revolution” or the Georgia “Rose Revolution” and the various color revolutions instigated in recent years against strategic states surrounding Russia, is a well-orchestrated exercise in Washington-run regime change, down to the details of “hit-and-run” protests with “swarming” mobs of monks in saffron, Internet blogs, mobile SMS links between protest groups, well-organized protest cells which disperse and re-form. CNN made the blunder during a September broadcast of mentioning the active presence of the NED behind the protests in Myanmar.

  • koko140872

    Burmese people have been governed by the brutal military for nearly half a century and had suffered so much. The military, after taking power in 1962, showed its true face in July of that year killing more than 100 Rangoon University students who were staging a peaceful protest on their campus against unrealistic dormitory rules. Since then, the military had again and again used violence to quell demonstrations. People cannot express their grievances, dissent was not tolerated. Everybody was expected to bear the consequences that came along by the stupid decisions of the military. The country was closed to the world and no one outside realized what was going inside, how much the people were suffering. And now, while the military did not realize the amazing power of the Internet, Burmese bloggers took the opportunity, risked everything, to let the world have a glimpse of what the Burmese go through if they expressed their true feelings. Bloggers inside the country are now silenced and we just pray that the world will not forget what these brave people had done and help them get their freedom and live normal lives like the rest of us.

  • Amal Sharma

    Democracy, in modern world, is everyone’s birth right

  • rkbl

    May God’s Blessings and influence be on the bloggers and others informing the world of the plight of the countrymen and women, and as a WORLD WE SUPPORT YOU in your BRAVE resistance/rebellion of a regime who has rendered you like North Korea. May God give you the fire and passion to the end even transcendentally to bring about MANDATORY changes!! Praise God for you all!!

  • florian

    China say problems in Myanmar are just internal affairs and do not threat to the region. That means, as long as they are fine, they don’t want to involve.

    Being a civilized person, one must at least call police that his neighbour is being robbed.

    Ok, if China does not want to help. We will also not buy China’s products. Here I would like to call all Burmese people to boycott China’s products.

  • linn

    We must stand from the soft power side. They do not have power, weapons or help from others till now.
    It is the intenal affairs but between soft and hard power. Junta has been abuse the civilian for a few decades. Where is the human right????
    Let boycott China’s and India’s products.

  • Margaret

    Why aren’t the media investigating the world’s oil company’s support of the repressive military in Myanmar??

  • Charles Liu

    Solana, here’s another article for your consideration:

    http://www.upiasiaonline.com/politics/2007/10/11/commentary_the_onesided_view_of_myanmar/

    “Most international media tend to report about the current situation in Myanmar and the monks’ demonstrations as a popular uprising for democracy against the oppressive military regime. But this is too simplistic, if not one-sided…”

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