QuoteMyanmar troops 'torturing women'
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Myanmar's military government says its soldiers are engaged in anti-terrorist operations [EPA]
Female members of Myanmar's minority Karen ethnic group are being gang-raped, tortured and murdered by government troops, a report by a local rights has said.
The Karen Women Organisation says women who assume the role of village chief in the hope they are less likely to be abused than their male counterparts are now themselves being targeted.
There has been no independent verification of their claims.
In its report the group claims the atrocities are being committed as part of the military's effort to end the Karen's 60-year guerrilla war.
In some incidents it said women had been crucified and then had their throats slit.
The report quoted one female village chief, 51 year old Daw Way Way, who said taking on the role had been "similar to digging my own grave".
Like a third of the 95 women interviewed for the report, Daw Way Way said she was tortured by Myanmar government soldiers during her tenure.
According to the report the abuse often occurred as soldiers questioned villagers about their suspected ties to insurgents of the Karen National Union.
"Some of the villagers were arrested whilst working on their farms, they were tied up, crucified and finally had their throats cut," said Naw Pee Sit, another village chief who was beaten after being accused of such connections.
Although the UN and other organisations have documented similar atrocities against Myanmar's ethnic minorities, the country's military government has repeatedly denied allegations of abuses, saying its soldiers are only engaged in anti-terrorist operations.
Apparently Dick Cheney now writes speeches for the Myanmar Government. I'm glad he's found work. :)
It's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
Quote from: DGuller on February 25, 2010, 11:54:27 AM
It's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
Hell, look at the Jews: 60 years after the holocaust, and they're still reminding everyone. That's the kind of proactive attitude that gets international sympathy.
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on February 25, 2010, 12:05:44 PM
Quote from: DGuller on February 25, 2010, 11:54:27 AM
It's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
Hell, look at the Jews: 60 years after the holocaust, and they're still reminding everyone. That's the kind of proactive attitude that gets international sympathy.
Yeah, now everyone *loves* Jews. :D
Quote from: Malthus on February 25, 2010, 12:30:25 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on February 25, 2010, 12:05:44 PM
Quote from: DGuller on February 25, 2010, 11:54:27 AM
It's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
Hell, look at the Jews: 60 years after the holocaust, and they're still reminding everyone. That's the kind of proactive attitude that gets international sympathy.
Yeah, now everyone *loves* Jews. :D
But the attrocities agains them has gone way down. I'm sure those getting persecuted by the burmese would like that trade off :contract: :D
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on February 25, 2010, 12:05:44 PM
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
Hell, look at the Jews: 60 years after the holocaust, and they're still reminding everyone. That's the kind of proactive attitude that gets international sympathy.
The dictatorship has trained even some foreigners to call the country "Myanmar." :(
Quote from: Malthus on February 25, 2010, 12:30:25 PM
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on February 25, 2010, 12:05:44 PM
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
Hell, look at the Jews: 60 years after the holocaust, and they're still reminding everyone. That's the kind of proactive attitude that gets international sympathy.
Yeah, now everyone *loves* Jews. :D
Well, it would take more than good PR to get people to actually
like Jews. Not even Jews actually
like Jews. :P
Ah Mynamar.
Too nice to be N.Korea, too nasty to be Iran.
QuoteIt's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
True.
I really have to investigate how their government even works.
Burma, it's call Burma.
Sounds like the kind of place Pat would like.
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 25, 2010, 02:15:29 PM
Burma, it's call Burma.
Not to those who support the government.
It's one of the ways to tell the sides apart.
Quote from: grumbler on February 25, 2010, 12:43:08 PM
Well, it would take more than good PR to get people to actually like Jews. Not even Jews actually like Jews. :P
Ah, so you've met some of my mother's relations? :D
I hate Jews. My grandfather went out of business when the Jews flooded the market with pre-owned dentalwear.
Quote from: grumbler on February 25, 2010, 02:28:58 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 25, 2010, 02:15:29 PM
Burma, it's call Burma.
Not to those who support the government.
It's one of the ways to tell the sides apart.
Yes, a very stupid way, but way nonetheless.
Quote from: DGuller on February 25, 2010, 03:14:00 PM
Yes, a very stupid way, but way nonetheless.
I dare say that if it works for the Burmese they can probably live with the idea that you think their method is very stupid. :)
Quote from: HisMajestyBOB on February 25, 2010, 12:05:44 PM
Quote from: DGuller on February 25, 2010, 11:54:27 AM
It's amazing how Myanmar's government has been flying under the radar for so many years, at least relatively speaking. I guess their genius lies in not having a single face to associate with the atrocities they regularly commit.
The Burmese people need better PR teams.
It doesn't exactly help that the alternative is a theocracy by crazy monks who want to ban such newfangled demonic inventions as the radio.
The obvious solution is the secession of the karen minority. Unfortunately, it is not the U.S's business to earn their independence for them.
If they can not vindicate their own rights by arbitration of the sword, they do not deserve them.
I say Burma because the word Myanmar sounds stupid to me.
For similar reasons, every time I drive through Mahwah, New Jersey I MOCK THE SHIT OUT OF IT.
Quote from: Martinus on February 25, 2010, 05:51:40 PM
It doesn't exactly help that the alternative is a theocracy by crazy monks who want to ban such newfangled demonic inventions as the radio.
Since I know you're dying to, why don't you tell us which side is more anti-homo.
Quote from: Lettow77 on February 25, 2010, 07:29:37 PM
The obvious solution is... ...secession
The unreformed southern teenagers' solution to everything from government hit squads to acne.
The only news I see here is that they are crucifying. Torture has been common there, but this is new.
Maybe Myanmar/Burma will go Christian? :pope:
And the regime holds because nobody worthwhile gives a damn. As long as economic conditions aren't disastrous, it's quite hard to move a population to revolt, even against obviously criminal rulers.
Quote from: Caliga on February 25, 2010, 07:45:14 PM
I say Burma because the word Myanmar sounds stupid to me.
For similar reasons, every time I drive through Mahwah, New Jersey I MOCK THE SHIT OUT OF IT.
Was it named by someone with a speech impediment?
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
Quote from: Martinus on February 26, 2010, 03:09:52 AM
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
Not hippies, spirochetes. ;)
Quote from: Martinus on February 26, 2010, 03:09:52 AM
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
I'm sure you'll understand when we refer to "Poland" as "Retardland" from here on out then.
Quote from: ulmont on February 26, 2010, 11:07:30 AM
Quote from: Martinus on February 26, 2010, 03:09:52 AM
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
I'm sure you'll understand when we refer to "Poland" as "Retardland" from here on out then.
Or the Autonomous Republic of Польша.
Quote from: Martinus on February 26, 2010, 03:09:52 AM
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
Mumbai is the original name of the city.
When we Portuguese conquered it in the early XVIth century, we tried to spell it but only managed to pronounce 'Bumbai'.
When it was given to England as dowry in the XVIIth century, the English could not spell 'Bumbai' and corrupted it even further to 'Bombay'.
So, to say 'Bombay' is a 'correct' English name for Mumbai is... paradoxical, to say the least.
Quote from: Martinus on February 26, 2010, 03:09:52 AM
Every time I see the words "Myanmar" or "Mumbay" used (instead of the correct English names, i.e. "Burma" and "Bombay"), I can't help but smell the scent of patchouli and hear faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. Fucking hippies invading my brain.
Those are actually good choices top object to, since there was never a city named "Mumbai" from which there came an anglicized "Bombay (in fact, the name mumbai is an Indianized version of the Portuguese name for the city)," and Myanmar/Burma is roughly analogous to "Persia/Iran" - the former in each case a people, the latter the land (which includes other people).
Objecting to Peking to Beijing, for instance, would be less supportable.
Quote from: Martim Silva on February 26, 2010, 12:08:44 PM
Mumbai is the original name of the city.
When we Portuguese conquered it in the early XVIth century, we tried to spell it but only managed to pronounce 'Bumbai'.
When it was given to England as dowry in the XVIIth century, the English could not spell 'Bumbai' and corrupted it even further to 'Bombay'.
So, to say 'Bombay' is a 'correct' English name for Mumbai is... paradoxical, to say the least.
Lord Curzon called the city 'Bombay', and that's enough for me.
Why? Where do you think the paradox is?
If goddamn foreigners don't like what I call their dirt covered shitholes, well they can go fuck themselves.
I think a good litmus test to check if a nation is a third world shithole, is that they insist on some bizarre spelling or version of their geographical or political names being used in English (or any other widely spread foreign language).