Situation Worsening in Burma

The military junta opened fire on protesting Buddhist monks and their supporters today in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Tens of thousands of monks are leading the anti-government protests. The pro-democracy mass demonstrations -- in their ninth consecutive day -- are protesting Burma's military regime, human and political rights abuses, and economic hardships. Monks are revered in Burma -- a predominantly Buddhist country.

Yesterday President Bush announced tightened economic sanctions and the expansion of a visa ban in his address before the United Nations General Assembly. Check out the White House's fact sheet, "Burma: Calling for Human Dignity and Democracy."

The U.N. Security Council met privately about the violent response to demonstrations. The U.N. issued a brief statement about the Secretary-General dispatching his Special Envoy to Burma. Read "Ban Ki-moon dispatches Myanmar envoy to region amid continuing tensions" from the U.N. News Centre."

For more information read "Junta Cracks Down on Burmese Protesters" from the Washington Post and "Bloody Sabbath:Over 100,000 people in Rangoon and parts of Burma protest" from Mizzima News. Want more international news? Check out the links from BurmaNet News.

For more information on Burma / Myanmar, check out the library's country guide.