Clipmarks | Junta government Clips

Official: U.N. Lost $10M In Burma

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:38:15 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: for additional funds for Burma.

An economic professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, Sean Turnell, said yesterday that the figure of $10 million in Burma losses is "not inconsistent" with his own estimate. "But why is the U.N. handing any foreign currency to the Burmese regime anyway?" the economist, who was one of the first to expose the loss, said, adding that such handouts only strengthen the ruling junta.

"Presumably the government is benefitting somehow" from the exchange rate, Mr. Holmes said yesterday, though he acknowledged that he could not calculate how much of the $10 million that had already been lost went directly to top generals or their associates. A similar foreign exchange plan led to losses of U.N. funds in North Korea.

The Bush administration has spent $47.2 million so far on assistance to Burma, according to government documents.

Clip Source: www.nysun.com

The United Nations lost at least $10 million as it carried out humanitarian relief efforts in Burma because it complied with a plan allowing the country's ruling junta to control foreign currency, according to the top U.N. humanitarian coordinator.

John Holmes's disclosure yesterday raises questions about how funds donated by well-meaning governments and private entities are spent by the United Nations in countries such as Burma, where a dictatorial regime controls every aspect of life, and whether the international effort unwittingly helps such regimes further tighten their grip on power, Burma watchers say.

Mr. Holmes acknowledged yesterday that the amount was "significant," calling it "unacceptable." He promised to raise the issue with Burma's government to ensure that losses could be cut down in the future. But evidence emerged yesterday that the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which he heads, was aware of the problem even as it was appealing worldwide

Tags: burma, humanitarian rellief efforts, united nations, $10 million lost, dictatorial regime, ruling junta

Chilian President was Assassinated! New evidence.

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:51:16 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: .

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Forensics expert says ex-Chilean president was assasinated

Clip Source: isasurf.org

Clip Source: www.chilefungi.cl

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A court forensics expert said yesterday that former Chilean president Eduardo Frei Montalva was assassinated in January 1982 after a simple hernia operation during the rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The statement by Carmen Cerda, the chief of the forensics team investigating the case, confirmed long-time suspicions that Frei Montalva, who was Chile's elected president from 1964 to 1970, had died of foul play at age 71. Medical officials had said that infection related to the surgery was the cause of death.

Cerda, however, said that a combination of toxins, including mustard gas, gradually administered to the former president ultimately killed him. If confirmed, Frei Montalva would be the only Chilean president to be assassinated.

Clip Source: timesonline.typepad.com

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Augusto Pinochet

was a Chilean military officer and dictator. He was President of the Government Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1974 and, by decree of the Junta

civilian rule in 1990.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Eduardo Frei Montalva

Clip Source: www.latinimmersion.com

Tags: latinamerica, assassination, chile, president, history

Monks Succeed in Cyclone Relief as Junta Falters

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:24:59 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Shows which group will be remembered for good after the junta drowns in greed.

Clip Source: www.truthout.org

While the Burmese government obstructs cyclone relief efforts, survivors turn to Buddhist monastaries for help.
(Photo: Getty Images)

Kun Wan, Myanmar - They paddle for hours on the stormy river, or carry their sick parents on their backs through the mud and rain, traveling for miles to reach the one source of help they can rely on: Buddhist monks.

At a makeshift clinic in this village near Bogale, an Irrawaddy Delta town 75 miles southwest of Yangon, hundreds of villagers left destitute by Cyclone Nargis arrive each day seeking the assistance they have not received from the government or international aid workers.

Since the cyclone, the Burmese have been growing even closer to the monks while their alienation from the junta grows. This development bodes ill for the government, which brutally cracked down on thousands of monks who took to the streets last September appealing to the ruling generals to improve conditions for the people.

Tags: people, power

Myanmar forcing cyclone survivors out of refugee camps: U.N.

Sat, 31 May 2008 14:06:39 GMT

clipped by: papananook

Clip Source: www.japantoday.com

Myanmar’s military government appeared Friday to be reasserting its authority over cyclone relief operations as aid officials said it was forcing survivors out of refugee camps and hindering the access it had promised foreign aid workers.

A U.N. official said the junta was making cyclone survivors leave government refugee camps and “dumping” them near their devastated villages with virtually no aid supplies.

In his remarks at the water experts’ meeting, however, Teh said the information came from a relief worker who had just returned from the affected area and that “tears were shed” when he recounted his findings to a meeting of UNICEF officials earlier in the day.

Aid groups meanwhile said Myanmar’s military government was still hindering foreign assistance for victims of the cyclone, despite a promise to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon to ease travel restrictions.

Myanmar's fascist junta extends Suu Kyi house arrest

Tue, 27 May 2008 21:38:47 GMT

clipped by: invictus
clipper's remarks: Those who showed their incompetence to aid the cyclone victims, proving their determinism to oppress Myanmar people. If this knave, filthy junta still holds the power and dares to extend Suu Kyi's arrest arrogantly, only one thing can be said: Shame on the world.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta extended the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday, a move that dismayed some of the Western nations who promised millions of dollars in aid after Cyclone Nargis.

Officials drove to the Nobel laureate's lakeside Yangon home to read out an extension order in person, said a government official, who asked not to be identified.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who just returned to New York from a weeklong aid mission in Myanmar, expressed disappointment but refrained from sharp criticism.

"I regret the decision of the government of Myanmar to extend for a second consecutive year the detention and the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi," Ban said.

The 62-year-old Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy party won a 1990 election by a landslide only to be denied power by the army, has now spent nearly 13 of the last 18 years under some form of arrest.

Tags: myanmar, aung san suu kyi, fascism, asia, junta

George W Bush Authorized 911 Attacks Says Government Insider Stanley Hilton

Fri, 23 May 2008 17:39:14 GMT

clipped by: rustajb

Clip Source: www.inteldaily.com

George W Bush Authorized 911 Attacks Says Government Insider Stanley Hilton

Stanley Hilton was a senior advisor to Sen Bob Dole (R) and has personally known Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz for decades. This courageous man has risked his professional reputation, and possibly his life, to get this information out to people.

The Bush Junta Unmasked

"This (9/11) was all planned. This was a government-ordered operation. Bush personally signed the order. He personally authorized the attacks. He is guilty of treason and mass murder." --Stanley Hilton

Tags: 911, stanley hilton, junta, rumsfield

How Not to Run a Government

Sat, 17 May 2008 03:07:13 GMT

clipped by: Eaglewings
clipper's remarks: People are dying by the thousands in Burma and all the government can think of is protecting itself from a hostile people demanding change.

I am praying for that very uprising to take place and this self-serving junta military government gets sent packing. I am sure these rulers are getting three squares a day and then some.

Clip Source: www.csmonitor.com

Officials move refugees out of monasteries to stem monks' influence.

Mae Sot, Thailand - The longstanding tensions between the two largest organizations in Burma (Myanmar) – the military and the Buddhist clergy – are finding new outlets as both groups confront the devastating aftermath of cyclone Nargis.

The monks have temples sheltering victims in the delta – and have begun to organize funding and supplies for victims, which they hope to deliver via an underground network of sympathetic citizens and exiles worldwide and in Thai border areas such as Mae Sot.

But nearly two weeks since the storm struck, the military, unquestionably, has the upper hand, with guns, helicopters, and relief supplies. And now, it is starting to force cyclone victims out of monasteries into tent camps, prompted by concern that the monks could help spur protests.

Tags: burma, junta, starvation, monasteries

Burma's generals stand by and watch their people die

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:54:40 GMT

clipped by: Eaglewings

Clip Source: www.pbs.org

The death toll continues to rise in Burma, also known as Myanmar. As of this writing at least 32,000 people have died and that number is expected to rise significantly in the days ahead. Most of us have seen the photos, watched the video footage, and read reports of the cities and villages devastated by the cyclone -- bloated corpses clogging the rivers, starving villagers huddled in monasteries, and the rising tide of water-borne disease. Meanwhile, the Burmese government is blocking or slowing aid flights and visas for hundreds of aid workers from around the world, insisting that all aid be delivered to and distributed by Burma's military.

Burma's generals are forcing the world's citizens to stand by and watch their people die. We have the legal doctrine to authorize action, but actually saving lives in Burma now requires both political will and practical tools.

Tags: burma, junta, war crimes, humanitarian aid, myanmar, cyclone

Is It Time To Invade Burma?

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:42:32 GMT

clipped by: Heitz669

Clip Source: www.time.com

That's why it's time to consider a more serious option: invading Burma. Some observers, including former USAID director Andrew Natsios, have called on the US to unilaterally begin air drops to the Burmese people regardless of what the junta says. The Bush Administration has so far rejected the idea — "I can't imagine us going in without the permission of the Myanmar government," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday — but it's not without precedent: as Natsios pointed out to the Wall Street Journal, the US has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid without the host government's consent in places like Bosnia and Sudan.

But the risks would be greater this time: the Burmese government's xenophobia and insecurity make them prone to view US troops — or worse, foreign relief workers — as hostile forces. (Remember Black Hawk Down?) Even if the U.S. and its allies made clear that their actions were strictly for humanitarian purposes, it's unlikely the junta would believe them.

U.N. Suspends Aid Shipments To Myanmar After Government Confiscates Donations

Fri, 09 May 2008 23:32:19 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: White House: Myanmar OKs One U.S. Aid Delivery

Earlier Friday, Ky Luu, director of the U.S. office of foreign disaster assistance, had said that skilled aid workers were being forced to sit on the sidelines as victims of last week's cyclone die. His comments reflect mounting frustration among the United States and other countries as they wait for permission from the military-led government to begin trying to help.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354722,00.html

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar's junta seized U.N. aid shipments headed for hungry and homeless survivors of last week's devastating cyclone, prompting the world body to suspend further help on Friday.

The U.N. said the aid included 38 tons of high-energy biscuits and arrived in Myanmar on Friday on two flights from Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. It said aid flights would resume on Saturday.

"All of the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated," U.N. World Food Program spokesman Paul Risley said. "For the time being, we have no choice but to end further efforts to bring critical needed food aid into Myanmar at this time."

Myanmar's government acknowledged taking control of the shipments and said it plans to distribute the aid itself to the affected areas.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

The governing military junta in Myanmar has agreed to allow a single U.S. cargo aircraft to bring in relief supplies for victims of a devastating cyclone, Bush administration officials said Friday.

Tags: myanmar, disaster aid, junta government, world food program

Human Tragedy

Tue, 06 May 2008 03:21:16 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Granted, Myanmar has a terrible track record of human abuse. Their government is cuel and dictatorial. Yet for the US to offer a paultry $250,000 is an insult and shows a deep lack of humanity. The people of Myanmar are not the corrupt military dictatorship. Yet, it seems as though we are making them pay to score political points. Something is not right here.

Clip Source: www.bloomberg.com

Myanmar Cyclone Death Toll Reaches 10,000, Junta Says (Update1)

May 6 (Bloomberg) -- The death toll from the tropical cyclone that slammed into Myanmar three days ago rose to 10,000, according to the military government, making the storm Southeast Asia's deadliest natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.

About 3,000 people are missing in the Irrawaddy delta region alone, Myanmar government ministers told international diplomats yesterday, the United Nations news agency IRIN said.

The U.S. yesterday offered an initial $250,000 in aid to the country, which is among the world's least-developed, while castigating its military leadership for failing to alert citizens to the approaching cyclone.

Tags: politics, foreign policy, humanism, bush

Thaksin back in Thailand

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:52:38 GMT

clipped by: Fonzie109
clipper's remarks: Seems like he's still popular...

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Ousted Thai Premier Returns to Face Charges

BANGKOK — Saying “I miss my motherland,” former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand on Thursday, 17 months after being ousted in a coup, and said he was ready to face corruption charges that have been brought against him.

A crowd of about 4,000 supporters cheered as his plane landed at the international airport here to open the next chapter in a political confrontation that has set back democracy in Thailand.

His return followed the installation of a civilian government packed with his supporters that was elected in December, in defiance of the military junta that had sought to purge the country of his influence.

Earlier, as Mr. Thaksin, 58, prepared to board his flight in Hong Kong, he said, “I believe in the Thai justice system, especially the court system.” Although he has already been active behind the scenes with the new government, he repeated a frequent pledge to stay out of politics, saying, “I’m finished.”

Tags: thailand, news

California judge deletes Wikileaks indie journalism site

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:45:35 GMT

clipped by: deadcowkid
clipper's remarks: Go to the source for other mirrored sites not yet shut down, while they are still there.
We no longer live in a democracy. I am not sure I ever have.

Clip Source: www.indybay.org

One of the most important web sites in recent months has been Wikileaks.org. Wikileaks has upset the Chinese government enough that they are attempting to censor it, as is the Thai military junta. Wikileaks is now under attack from a censorship effort by a California court.

Created by several brave journalists committed to transparency, Wikieaks has published important leaked documents, such as the Rules of Engagement for Iraq

Meanwhile, Wikileaks still exists.

an extensive network of cover names

Wikileaks.be, among other names. Let the leaks continue!

those going to Wikileaks.org have gotten Server not found messages

a California court has granted an injunction

awyers for the Cayman Island's Bank Julius Baer. It seems that the bank is trying to keep the public from accessing documents that may reveal shady dealings.

If this injunction stands, it will set an incredible precedent for all of us who use the web to unveil misbehavior by the rich and powerful.

60th anniversary of Independance not a happy occasion

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 21:25:54 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Burma marks Independence Day

Military ruler Gen Than Shwe used the occasion to reiterate the government's determination to continue with its seven-stage roadmap to democracy.

The British ruled Burma for 63 years, until shortly after World War II

there was little sign of any celebration in Burma, 60 years on from independence.

the military leadership does not appear to have softened its stance since September's violent crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners, which resulted in the deaths of at least 31 people.

No mention was made of the protests, nor to Aung San, Ms Suu Kyi's father and the leader of Burma's independence struggle

"It's like America celebrating the Fourth of July without mentioning Washington,"

the military junta appointed an official, Aung Kyi, to liaise with Ms Suu Kyi and her NLD party

Nyman Win said the talks were a "pretence"

"We don't know when they are going to meet again," he told AFP.

To Karl Rove--Get back Under Your Rock, Asshole!

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:22:58 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: This guy has done so much damage...He really should be in jail--NOT floppin atound tellin' lies on talk shows. Disgusting "human Being"!

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

Democratic Rep. Van Hollen to Rove: "You've Tried to Revise History" [VIDEO]

This man is quite simply a sociopath. He has no shame, no compassion, no concern for those he's hurt or care for the truth. And he's been an complete and utter failure in his role in government.

Andy Card, Chief of Staff for the Bush Junta while Rove was there, and Ari Fleischer, Bush's spokesman, just recently called Rove a liar because of his ridiculous claim that Congress, and not the President, wanted the Iraq War vote to come before the 2002 election (of course, don't take Card and Fleischer's word for it, look at or listen to ANYTHING from that time period).

Yesterday morning he added to his ignominy and lied about Tom Daschle personally, and Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen slapped down his silliness with ease.

Please, Karl, go back on the lithium, or how about just crawling back into whatever sewer you slinked out of this morning?

Tags: rove, lies, history, sociopath