Myanmar Protests 2021

Politics International Politics
#1

Powerful image here from the Guardian

I have mixed feelings about what is happening in Myanmar. On one hand, I have worked with students from there and visited briefly once for work; I have found them to be lovely people.

On the other hand, I was saddened when the Rohingya were pushed out and Aung San Suu Kyi said nothing publicly (she is reputedly Islamophobic). My students chose then not to comment about it on Facebook. Now those same students are suddenly political when the same military comes for their freedoms. I don’t know what to think really, so mostly I’m silent on this one (also nobody in my life these days who could find the country on a map).

Dark times for democracy

#2

Was she islamophobic or did she have her hands tied by the military? Can we know for sure?

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#3

I’m not saying she is an Islamophobe, I was thinking of this from some years back (sorry it is in Vox, but everything else on the first page of hits was either paywalled or worse than Vox)

Maybe I’m just biased because I had a crush on Mishal Husain in my undergrad, but for a woman who became famous because of her principles (and her father, frankly) the ‘hands tied’ argument doesn’t work well for me. It is possible we are seeing the result of that silence right now

#4

Breaking news: Corrupt Myanmar government accuses Myanmar government official of corruption

#5

You go girls

#6

What an asshole

This Week’s WTF Story Award Goes to… (2021 edition)
#7

The US House voted 398-14 to condemn the coup. Of the 14 who voted against, all were Republicans, and 13 were members of the grossly misnamed Freedom Caucus- Rep. Grosar refused to take a stand, voting ‘present’.

  1. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
  2. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
  3. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado
  4. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas
  5. Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
  6. Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland
  7. Rep. Ted Budd of North Carolina
  8. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois
  9. Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia
  10. Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama
  11. Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia
  12. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado
  13. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep Perry explained, in this bit of gobbledy-gook:

" [The resolution]is an overt attempt to trap Republicans into condemning the claims of evidence of election fraud in Burma while perpetuating similar claims (in the Democrat’s views) of evidence in US elections."

No, his statement makes absolutely no sense to me either.

#8

And Moscow Mitch was complaining about scorched earth partisanship. I hope they all get voted out.

You know who else doesn’t want to comment on the internal politics of Myanmar? China.

1 Like
#9

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