Help "Break The Silence" campaign

Amnesty International (AI) has launched an online campaign to collect enough money from donors to buy 4,000 radios to be distributed in Burma next month, according to a press release on Thursday.

"Burma is preparing for its first elections in two decades,” the statement read. “By heavily censoring the media, the ruling military junta attempts to isolate the population from independent opinions. But you can help us beat the blackout.”

AI called on its readers and members to donate £12.50 (US $18.50), which the London-based rights group said is the cost of one radio.

Calling the campaign “Break the Silence,” AI said it hopes to collect enough donations to buy 4,000 radios, 60 walkie-talkie kits and six satellite kits. -- Irrawaddy

The junta tightly controls all media in the country, including printing, Internet, radio and TV, and is notorious for its censorship and state propaganda. But radio is the only way that people can get information from outside. We can still operate radio with batteries although we do not have electricity, but batteries might cost more than electricity.

Military government had attacked and accused foreign news stations such as CNN, BBC, VOA, RFA, and DVB as radio wave killers when these news stations aired accurate news of Saffron Revolutions during September 2007.

Anyhow, let's support the campaign of Amnesty International (AI) for the nourishment of our Burmese citizens.

Reference:
Weng, Lawi. AI Launches Radio Campaign for Burma. The Irrawaddy. June 18, 2010. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18750

CNN reporter deported from Burma

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/03/28/rivers.myanmar.deported.cnn?iref=allsearch

I feel sorry for you Mr. Rivers about your deportation. But to junta, every external reporter is its biggest enemy. You are lucky that you got the journalist passport initially and was able to present it to the world how Burma (Myanmar) is isolated and controlled by military power.

If you can see how Mr. Rivers's visa is canceled in an instant, you can imagine what they can do to the lives of Burmese citizens.

"But if this is how the army treats the international press, how will they treat political opposition parties here? If the reporters can't return, can we really believe Myanmar's dawn of democracy?" says Mr. Rivers.

My answer to Mr. Rivers's rhetorical question is that we will not have dawn of democracy until this military regime is still holding power. So, we have to overthrow this autonomic, hypocritical, and ruthless regime.

Reference:
CNN