A prelude to the ‘Bloody Black September’ was originated on 15th August 2007, when Burma’s junta suddenly cut State subsidies on fuel as it no longer afford to sustain. Thus, fuel prices were abruptly skyrocketed to 2-400%. The move was done hastily in the junta’s familiar despotic idiosyncracy – “follow my orders attitude”. Consequently, with the absence of cushioning the blow from the fuel price hike, as well as the collective effects of the junta’s repressive military rule; gross economy mismanagement; rampant corruption; growing impoverishment and the failure of its public services sectors, sparked the pro-democracy demonstrations.

It hit the road with peaceful march by the revered Buddhist monks in Pokokku, a town in Magwe Division in upper Burma. Despite the peaceful protest, the junta deployed its military doctrine and strategy(Adopted and meant for counterinsurgency against armed insurgents) to crackdown the protesting monks, also utilized their people’s militia. (NB1. Junta’s military doctrine laid out internal insurgents as one of its potential enemies. The strategy to counter was adopted as – 1. Penetrate, continuous search and destroy, scorch earth. 2.Utilize peoples’ militia. 3.Deploy 4 cuts strategy(Have been used by British in Malaya & Americans in Vietnam) 4.Apply strategic denial. If failed, follow China Mao’s concepts of Strategic Defence, Stalemate and then Offensive again).

Its use of the “peoples’ militia” triggered outrage, prompting young monks to briefly hold the SPDC officials as hostage at a monastery, and destroyed the house of the local ‘profane Kyant Phoot’ man who led the crackdown. (NB2. The basic structure of junta’s “peoples’ militia or Thugs militia” is made up of pro-junta irreligious civilians consisting hired thugs, released convicts, jobless dotty youths, commision basis stool pigeons and whistle blowers, friends and relatives of the employees and the employees themselves of Government Linked Companies and Foreign Direct Investment projects. They are paid or guaranteed a job to act as paramilitaries. The staff of the Government Institutions and State schools are compulsory militias, or loose the job. They must participate in the pro-junta set up protests and act as thugs. Well known in Burma as “Swan-Arr-Shin”(SAS) and “Union Solidarity and Development Association”(USDA), junta armed them with knives, hammers, shovels, hoes, sticks, batons and catapaults).

As the demonstrations progressed, junta’s(MAF) soldiers later became involved in a tense stand-off with the monks. Peacefully demonstrating monks were beaten with bamboo sticks by the soldiers. For this, the monks demanded an apology from the SPDC. But it was neglected. And that was how the monks led pro-democracy protests rooted and spread to many cities and towns across the country. Over the next few weeks, Burma’s holiest shrines in major cities became rallying points of demonstrations until the 26th black September day, when the junta began shooting the peaceful demonstrators with automatic weapons loaded with live rounds.

Instead of heeding the calls of the United Nations(UN) and International Community(IC) to abjure violence and start a dialogue with the opposition, junta decided a bloody crackdown. They accused Western powers, World media, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi(Daw Suu) and her National League for Democracy(NLD), ex-Prime Minister Khin Nyunt & supporters, Communists, Activists, Student dissidents and whoever they could enumerate, despite the actual cause of the demonstrations was explicitly unerring. In fact, the junta’s accusations were to distract the World, and to wield its strategic defence and itself positioned in the dugout. The junta, once again has transcripted its blasphemous act in the modern History of Burma.

The World angered junta for excercising military style crackdown on the peaceful and unarmed monks and civilians. ” The doors of monasteries were broken, things were ransacked and the revered monks were treated cruelly. Junta’s Buddhist Burmese soldiers beat the Revered Burmese Buddhist monks and loaded them onto a truck like animals. Gunshots, screams, and shoutings became the norm in the monasteries at the wee hours of those haunted nights. They kicked the sleeping novices to wake them up. Beat with batons and rifle butts before grabbed them by the neck and dragged out on to the street. The monks and novices were forced to kneel on the rugged rocky sidewalk. They were taken away to Rangoon notorious prisons or makeshift detention camps to face more inhumanities. The serenity and grandeur of the Burmese monasteries and temples have gone, and the Buddha’s Blood has been spilled by “ThanShweRegime”. This painful memory has been imprinted deep in the peoples’ heart and would never disperse away.

The junta’s atrocious crackdown left at least 31 killed, including several monks and civilians, and a Japanese video journalist Mr Kenji Nagai. Not less than 74 were missing and more than 3000 people have been arrested. World leaders and Asean rebuked junta over the violent crackdown. UN special envoy Prof Gambari flew into Burma to persuade the junta to use negotiations and to take a fresh approach towards National Reconciliation. Though SPDC did not interest much about the rebukes and Gambari’s proposal, junta knew they must face the UN General Assembly(UNGA) for the killings. Hence, the junta ceased its crackdown and shifted to defend itself and stalemate the situation. For this reason Mr Gambari secured a meeting with both ThanShwe and Daw Suu, albeit seperately. The World sighed, though have a knack of sensing that ThanShwe was playing a “juntocracy” tune and dancing “junta cha cha”.

Once Gambari left Burma and UNGA was over, the junta resumed its offensive ruthless manhunts again. Many of those who participated, those who clapped, those who watched the pro-democracy protests were being dragged out from their homes. Even a UN local staff and her three family members were taken away from their home at 4a.m. So, the UN boss Mr Ban announced that he would meet its Security Council(SC) to discuss what to do about Human Rights(HR) abuses in Burma. The junta quickly changed its steps and offered a meeting between ThanShwe and Daw Suu. And on the same day when UN issued a tough warning to junta, the Myanma Television(MRTV) broadcasted a rare image of Daw Suu at a meeting with Mr Gambari, and referred to her as “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”. Next, appointed junta’s “Liaison Minister” to liaise between junta and Daw Suu, and donated thousands of dollars, food and medicine to monasteries in Rangoon.

However, UN stepped in to deplore junta for its brutal crackdown. Thus, ThanShwe immediately defended by blaming to the whole world except himself and his Masters for the demonstrations. Then, he turned to his ‘Master’ for help on how to handle the UNSC statement, and also how to duel with Asean at the coming Asean Summit in Nov 2007. ThanShwe’s Master,China, therefore issued its 1st official remark on the UNSC statement that, it would support to promote dialogue in Burma, but insisted it was just an internal matter. Then, a few days before Asean Summit began, China sent its special envoy to Burma to tutor ThanShwe and his robots on how to duel with Asean.(The official reason of the Chinese envoy’s visit was given as, to suggest the junta to start a dialogue. But, even a five year old child would not buy it.) Accordingly, as guided by the ‘Master’, the junta dismissed UNSC statement, and asserted that it was a plot of Western powers, and shrugged off International demand calling for a dialogue. Junta later declared that they would march on without any change and would follow their 7 steps road map to “juntocracy”. Junta then named 54 junta-picked puppets tasked with writing a new junto-constitution.

In the following days prior to the Summit, Asean made it clear that they would not accept Western sanctions on Burma. The junta, being delighted, announced that its PM and FM would attend the Asean Summit. And, to deflect a critism at the Summit, junta gave a nod to UN HR envoy Mr Pinheiro’s visit to Burma and Prof Gambari’s earlier return visit. In addition, as a surprise to all, granted Daw Suu to meet her NLD executives.

But, on the eve of Gambari’s arrival on the return visit, as a revenge for its cronies(Tayza and Khin Zaw) who were affected by the sanctions, the junta expelled UN top resident diplomat Mr Charles Petrie. Then, and there, junta’s PM TheinSein rejected to allow Gambari briefing on Burma’s crisis at the Asean Summit. He made it plain that the junta wanted Asean to stay out of its affairs and leave it to deal directly with the UN. By then, the junta was looking Asean hard in the eye, and the rest of the Asean blinked. As soon as the Asean Summit was over, Daw Suu and her NLD has been refused to be included in drafting the new junta’s constitution. After that, as an appreciation for helping to win its offensive duel at the Asean Summit, junta promptly picked his ‘Master’ China over India for Natural Gas deal. Thereby, the merciless crackdowns and manhunts were became intensified until today.

Hence, the junta was just playing “juntocracy” tune, and performing one step forward, two steps back, then two steps forward one step back, “junta cha cha” dance, and finally it was status quo and nothing was changed.

Recently, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told the junta that the International Community is running out of patience, saying the junta must embrace democracy and stop inflicting suffering on its own people, and the US statement said Burma issue makes it difficult for Bush-Asean ranch summit to take place. At the same time, US House of Representatives bestowed Daw Suu with the Congressional Gold Medal- The US Highest Civilian Honour. Also, US Senate passes Burma sanctions bill. Once the President Bush signed the Bill, it will become Law.

As for ThanShwe, last week, he kept busy himself addressing at the Defence Services Academy graduation urging the fresh graduates young sub-lieutenants to sacrifice their young lives for him and his daughters. And then he visited Bagan temples as advised by the “Director of Astrological Fortune Forecast Department, Ministry of Defence”, to pray and pay obeisance to all nats, spirits and gods to forgive his mortal sins and for the recovery of his lady “KK” whose leg was broken when she slipped at home, and suffered a mild heart attack.

It is only a matter of time before people rise again. And when they do, what will ThanShwe do? Kill a few hundred more? Imprison thousands more? How long? As long as ThanShwe could stick “closely” with China? How long this “closeness” could last? Here, regarding “close ties” or “closeness” to China, let me mull over about what happened to “Taiwan” because of its “closeness” to China once upon a time in the past. “Taiwan’s” native aborigines are of “Malay-Polynesian” decent. During Dutch occupation, the Dutch brought in Chinese labours. These labours married aborigines, and a new race “Taiwanese” was born. Then, a Chinese pirate Cheng Cheng-Kung of Ming dynasty settled in Taiwan. (NB. It was akin to the military personnels from Song dynasty settled in Burma Shan State, and became Ko Kang Chinese). Thereafter, many Chinese refugees fleeing from Manchu Qing Emperors arrived and settled in Taiwan. (NB. It was again similar to KMT soldiers fleeing from communists, and settled in Shan State and became drug warlords). In 1949, Chinese nationalists Chiang Kai-Shek lost the war with China’s communists and fled to Taiwan. Nevertheless,Taiwan has never been as integral part of China.Yet, China has been claiming Taiwan as one of its province. Why? Because, Chinese race, not Taiwanese, dominates politically in Taiwan, even though only 15% are from mainland China. Burma would likely come to confront the same fate one day if its “closeness” transformed into too much dependant on China. However, nice Burmese people will love, care and treat the Chinese in Burma as their own “Pauk Hpaw Swe Myo”(Relatives) and will always welcome them.

In conclusion, all this complications and hardships are explicitly the out come of the stupidness of “ThanShwe and his robots” and many “ball lifting” tatmadaw officers, (but not all). If someone could not accept this fact, think again. Go back through the time of 45+2 years of Tatmadaw rule, and think again. The whole world knows that you can’t solve the economy problem by simply printing money and drawing the gun.

Now, with SPDC determined to concentrate on its military strategies to suppress peaceful and unarmed civilians, and a new crop of Tatmadaw leaders could hardly do worse, sooner or later, people may also review their peaceful ways against the evil junta.

“Happy New Year to you all” – TatmadawThar1.