Burmese tyrants: Aid? We don’t need no stinking foreign aid!
Well, there’s a stand for good-old right wing self-sufficiency, I guess:
“The people from Irrawaddy can survive on self-reliance without chocolate bars donated by foreign countries,” the Kyemon newspaper said in a Burmese-language editorial.
As with all media in the former Burma, it is tightly controlled by the army and is believed to reflect the thinking of the top generals, who until now have shown signs of growing, albeit grudging, acceptance of outside cyclone assistance.
OK, seriously: what a bunch of preening, thuggish hypocrites. Their populace has been decimated and they’re still grandstanding and posturing. And according to the pro-democracy Burmese paper Irrawaddy, they’re still pocketing foreign aid:
After the international donors and high-ranking officials who attended the donor conference in Rangoon on Sunday left, a senior diplomat based in Rangoon shared his pessimism.
“Even if they get aid in cash, they (military leaders) will build roads and bridges—it won’t reach down to people,” he said….
One NGO worker said she believed the junta is appearing to cooperate in order to get more countries to pledge funds. “There are many people ready to come and donate if allowed,” she said. “Buy is the aid reaching the people? We have meeting after meeting at the Traders Hotel (in Rangoon) but nothing happens.”
Irrawaddy has a great cartoonist, “Stephff”, drawing for them. Stephff’s archives are here, and I particularly liked this one. (The little dude is Burmese autocrat Than Shwe):
Exit question: Are they going to give UNFPA its condoms back?
____________
{Post by See-Dubya. Past thoughts on Burma and engagement here.}
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I’d rather not have my taxes go to relief for a government that refuses it. As an American taxpayer, it’s not my responsibility to provide aid to a country that won’t accept it. The Burmese government can answer to their people for its refusal to allow foreign aid. My conscience is clear.
Will our leftists demand that Bushitler bomb these cretins into oblivion as Clinton did the Serbs? Not holding my breath.
This is not our responsibility. We always become the enemy.
The condoms are to be used as flotation devices.
nmp = not my problem.
The conodms are there for the aid workers so they don’t catch anything while “aiding” the women.
Won’t building roads help reach the people?
Just a thought.
We should only offer humanitarian aid - directly to those affected only.
If the Burma government wants to impose preconditions or is involved in aid fraud, then we should rescind the offer.
True - the Burmese people will suffer - pretty much as they have suffered with their government before the earthquake. But this may be the force that drives them to rid themselves of their despots at the top.
Not when the roads and infrastructure are being built to further their brutal military regime. I don’t think the money spent by North Korea on roads and their military regimes helps their poor and freezing much either.
Gotta love dictatorships and military regimes running countries. Does wonders for the average joe, just ask our liberal friends who want us to join them and heap praise on Cuba and their cloned ilk throughout the world.
No money period.
Food, medicine and clothing to the people directly.
Anything else is enabling the thugs that created this mudhole in the first place. If you accept my help, you have no right to tell me how you get it.
Well, I’m sure they have a really low unemployment rate, you know I often wonder about a country like 70 or so years ago, when the people built all these government buildings, and highways and roads, and libraries, something call the New Deal. I think it was, yea it was US.
Honestly, it is horrible what’s happening to these people, but guess what? The same thing is happening in Haiti and they are nearby in our hemisphere. The problem with both these countries is they have nothing to offer us and we have nothing to fear from them.
Of course not. They need balloons for the party they’re going to throw themselves with the foreign aid money they receive.
Personally, I think we shouldn’t give aid at all. The government there doesn’t want it without strings…fine. Let’s forget the whole thing. You can try to help someone, but there comes a time to walk away. That time is now.
graysonret #13, I gave this a lot of thought & I think that perhaps you are right. It it is sad, but it is what it is… Silkyinfamous # 11, “New Deal” ??
I don’t get it?
The FDR program part of which prolonged the Great Depression.
Uhhh, yeah I got that part… how does it fit in here?
I believe graysonret believes that Burma’s govt. would try to do something for it’s people rather than the things it does TO it’s people. If it wanted to do something for the people they wouldn’t have waited so long to allow aid to come in. Should have added that the first time, sorry.
I have to agree with Graysonret on this one. Let the Red Chinese pick up the tab this time. Myanmar gov. doesn’t want OUR help, then screw it .
Les, I don’t get that either. graysonret was against sending any aid… (& I agreed). Were you refering to another post?
shouldn’t we invade them to spread democracy throughout southeast asia (or did this already fail in the 60s/70s)
The last time I gave to a disaster was the tsunami in SE asia. Then I learned that they took our money but kicked our Marines out, who were only there trying to help…
…and I MEAN the last time!
Imagine the democrat party with as much control over America as these generals have over Myanmar. Results would be the same.
This is actually worse. On the Yahoo news page…someone from the Myanmar junta said that these people will be fine eating veggies that grow wild in the area and fresh fish.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080529/wl_nm/myanmar_cyclone_dc;_ylt=Ar9Q4RCE4PcTUuZHt7Pjlw79xg8F
Well, we had to deal with Communism back then, and while we lost several battles, it could be argued that we indeed won the war.
Now, the issue is Muslim extremism, but I don’t necessarily see nation-building as a lot of help against it. They’re not terribly grateful, and not really appreciative of democracy.
I don’t know what you can say about the Burmese generals. They act like a bunch of compassionate conservative.
If it had said “without condoms”, it would have been funny, in stead of tragic.
Sadly, the time for action is past. On day two, Bush should have said “Screw you junta commies, we’re gonna air drop supplies straight to the people. And I dare ya to shoot at our planes!”
IMHO the US and its allies should make a major propoganda push to tell the Burmese people what is happening.
* Drop leaflets over the area
* Have US Ships stand outside the 12 mile limit and start broadcasting Radio Free Burma (or some other service).
The Burma junta isn’t going to do a thing for its people, unless it comes with their name all over it. They look at it as a way to pacify the people, as in, “look what WE are doing for you”. It reminds me of the old Soviet system. By accepting international help, it shows its own weakness. Something it would never expose. Add in a ridiculous U.N., and you have a sad farce.
Why do Americans think they have the right or need to stick their nose in everybody else’s business and expect gratitude?
I want to spend my money on me and my family and NOT on a bunch of other people. If we keep bailing out other countries, they will end up like the welfare losers in this country and NEVER do anything for themselves.
Charity starts at home!
I agree with Rob. We shouldn’t always be trying to help with every disaster in the world. We need to help people in this country first and then our true allies. No country ever helps out when the U.S. has a disaster. We become the bad person for sticking our nose in someone else’s business and they never appreciate it or their leaders never give the aid to the peole who really need it. Keep our money at home.
I am glad I live in a country that is so successful and so generous that both its government and private organizations and individuals can help in disasters anywhere in the world, and arguably we are always “the fustest with the mostest” with our aid and boots on the ground.
But I am always frustrated to the point of not giving any more, when the aid and money goes into the pockets of corrupt government officials overseas and just helps prop up the oppressive government. I like the idea of direct air drops to the people, and the thugs be damned!
No, I guess it’s not our responsibility but the American people as a whole, conservatives due tend to give more on the whole as do liberals but I digress, do like to help others out in their times of need. But as JD pointed out, no one ever comes to our aid do they? I like the airdrop idea too longbow, it’s a great idea.
It’s sad that their leaders would rather see them die than receive help. But I will admit I’ve been a bit slower than before Katrina with giving my money away. Once Kanye West basically spewed his hateful diatribe, that was it, we sent no more money to the Red Cross for Katrina victims. It just turned us off. I’m sure the resident liberals will again tell me how mean I am but why slap the hand that’s trying to help out.
Should be “do” not “due”.