_ by Yebaw Day

Within the first week after Cyclone Nargis hit and it became apparent that the Le Boche Birmanie (Burmese Nazis) were not going to rescue the survivors but let them die, one man stood up bravely and spoke up.  He was the French FM Bernard Kouchner who asserted the concept of “R2P” or Responsibility to Protect the helpless victims of Burma. Whenever a nation’s government is incapable or unwilling to help its own people, the international community has this R2P (responsibility to protect)  those people.
 
His assertion was immediately challenged and rebuked by the Chinese FM. That is not a surprise at all, since the Chinese Communists (Chicoms) are always the first to say, “Do not meddle in the internal matters of a sovereign country,” while they themselves are already meddling. 

In the aftermath of the storm, the UN has again and again begged the Burmese Nazis, the Boche Birmanie, to let them help the victims, but to no avail.  It is worse than the Burmese saying, “Zadoan lair htoan, See lair saik.”  This refers to the traditional Burmese long hair which has to be oiled and then tied in a coil. In the olden days both men and women did that.   Usually, if I have to do you a favor to tie your hair, you should at least supply me the oil.  If I have to tie your hair for you and I also have to supply the oil for you, you are really asking for a lot extra.  (In Burma, oil is expensive.) The  English equivalent would be, “Having to go the extra mile.”   
 
The UN is willing to supply the “oil” and to “tie the hair” –  in this case, to provide the rescue supplies and rescue the people.  But the Boche Birmanie will not agree.  They only want to take the supplies for themselves and won’t allow the rescue to take place.   So the UN is forced to “Kiss Ass” and if that was successful, then it was worth it.  But, the UN, as usual, has been UN-successful and has only lost face and lost valuable time.

Thus, when a good man like FM Kouchner bravely invokes the principle of R2P, we can only applaud and thank him.  How come Monseiur Kouchner is so daring?  Well, it is a fact that he founded the Medicine Sans Frontiere (Doctors Without Borders) who believe in a Common Humanity for whom there are no artificial borderlines.  So it is very logical that such a man would bravely call for R2P and kick ass.  The French ship, Le Mistral, by now, 17 May, Saturday will be very close to the Irrawaddy coastline. We pray that their mission, with the US and UK ships, will go ahead and land on the beaches of  the Irrawaddy Delta for the rescue operations regardless of what le Boche Birmanie say, and do whatever, WHATEVER  it takes, really KICK le Boche  ass, to ensure mission success.   It is not yet D-Day, 6 June, the anniversary of the landings on the beaches of Normandy, but it would be a wonderful way to commemorate that event in advance.