Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying

Join the growing list of international bloggers in a day of support for the brave people of Burma. Sign up here and just post one banner post on October 4, 2007 with the words "Free Burma!".

[Cross posted at E-Bangladesh, Taylor Marsh, Daily Kos and Never In Our Names]
Bangladesh has its own illegal immigration problem. The country plays host to approximately 200,000 refugees from the bordering country of Burma. The refugees belong to the Rohingya minority, a persecuted Muslim population who are being methodically ethnically cleansed by Burma’s ruling military junta. [...]

[U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs John Gastright speaks about the Bush Administration's strong support of the military government of Bangladesh at the Heritage Foundation on September 28, 2007. He took questions after his speech. The last question is from me. The full video of all the speakers is available here. ]
Yesterday I attended an event [...]

On September 27, 2007 the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s military government Fakhruddin Ahmed addressed the United Nations General Assembly (transcript of his speech). It was a disappointing speech. This unelected technocrat, the civilian face of Bangladesh’s military government, chose to speak for the military rather than the people.
Following are some choice excerpts:

"Bangladesh reaffirms its unflinching commitment to [...]

It has been a brutal night in Burma. Yesterday the Burmese military killed nine of its own citizens. Overnight the military attacked monks in their monasteries - many have been beaten and carried away. Aung San Suu Kyi, the embodiment of hope in Burma, has not been seen since the crackdown began.
There are reports coming [...]

Today the Democrats in the Senate, led by Joseph Lieberman, laid the groundwork for war with Iran. They passed a "sense of the Senate" resolution that will pave the way for war with Iran:

It is the sense of the Senate–
(1) that the manner in which the United States transitions and structures its military presence [...]

[Cross posted at E-Bangladesh]
Today Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2007. The Daily Star newspaper in Bangladesh announced the news with the headline "Bangladesh improves on its graft image: Climbs up to 7th position from bottom of TI’s corruption index." Indeed Bangladesh this year tied for the 7th lowest spot on the index [...]

After the army deployed across the country yesterday and moved Aung San Suu Kyi from her home to a notorious prison, the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters has begun in Burma:

Burmese police have used batons to beat back protesters including monks at the Rangoon pagoda used as a rallying-point for marchers, eyewitnesses say.
They baton-charged a crowd [...]

The banner reads "Shut down Prothom Alo, the friend of Jews and Christians. Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh".
Click to see E-Bangladesh’s photoblog of Islamists on the march in Bangladesh.
Sid at Serious Golmal adds some perspective. For more background, here’s my post on Hizb ut-Tahrir from last year.
 

[Cross posted at E-Bangladesh]
Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the civilian face of Bangladesh’s military government, has arrived in America. For the first time in sixteen years Bangladesh will be represented at the UN General Assembly by an unelected technocrat. While Dr. Ahmed lacks a constituency back in Bangladesh he should feel quite at home in New York. [...]