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Published: December 5th 2008
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Dear Patrons
Welcome to our weekly news letter. The Staff at Different Perspectives try to bring a clearer picture of current events effecting China and Asia.
Although we believe the international media driven primarily by western worlds interests, is bringing the public events as they happen, we at Different Perspectives are independent and non biased without an agenda for prestige or monetary profit.
We simply feel the western world may be somewhat isolated from news that is local to our office here in Beijing, China.
Thank you
Different Perspectives Staff
Edward
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by Laurent Lozano Tue Jul 29, 9:27 PM ET AP
Bush signs sanctions against Myanmar into law
The White House reiterated its position that sanctions have been effective at shutting off sources of revenue for the junta's coffers.
"We do know that sanctions can work, which is why we work both unilaterally and multilaterally to impose them, to help squeeze the regime," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters Tuesday.
"Our goal is to squeeze the people who are actually repressing the people, and not hurt the people."
I was in Myanmar for July 2nd through July
25. I travelled from the border town of Muse through 10 cities and villages in northern Myanmar including Mandalay before ending my journey in the country's capital of Yangon about 1000 km south of my original border crossing.
I stayed overnight in the cities of Lashio, Hsi ba, Pi u lyn, Mandalay, Kalaw, Inlay
lake and finally Yangon, for a toal of 23 days and nights. I stayed with families of the Danu and Paola tribe in the mountain villages of the Shan State. In Pi u lyn I made friends with an Islamic family and in Mandaly was invitied to attend a full moon holiday praying recital at the Maha Muni Buddist Temple as well as a personal invitation to listen to recitel from a buddist monk the brother of our hotel clerk in Bagan.
Just a short list of personal experiences I had directly with the people of Myanmar.
My first stop was a short 1 night visit to Lashio about a 6 hour ride from the border with China. I stayed in a simple, clean hotel that was booked by my border crossing guide. In Myanmar some of the business's like this hotel are
owed by the goverrment who require payment in US dollars. It's quite easy to avoid government owed accomodations, but for the first night after my new experience of arriving in a county of apocolyptic nature, I was happy to leave the details as they would be. Besides the room had AC and breakfast in cluded for $20 USD. The internet cafe provided, with a nice Myanmar clerk who spoke pretty good english, was a way for me to contact the outside, since cell phone service in Myanmar is pretty much non-existent. Trying to strike up a conversation with the only other non-asian in the cafe, was of no use since he (Dr. from Italy) was too busy doing Malaria research for a NGO in Myanmar.
A rough poor and chaotic town in northern Myanmar I was comfortable moving on to my first planned destination Hsi Ba and the Mr. Charles Guest House. I took a local bus for the 6 hour ride from Lashio the next morning. A hotel clerk . A humble young Myanmar man, looking ro make a few khat for the day showed me to the bus stop and carried my pack for me I befriended
him and his buddies at the hotel earlier showing them pictures of my entry into his country. I gave him enough to eat a meal. Maybe the oly income he would have for the day.
The bus ride took the locals and myself throught eh countryside, mostly farming villages with buddist monestaries sprinkled about the hills. We past a large plantation that was guarded by an armed what looked like army officer. It was later revealed to me that the government controls some of the more prosperous farming plantations, to distribute the harvest as it sees fit. Some people I talked with said that the harvest was being "exported to other countries rather than to feed the people here"
Arriving Hsi ba about 4pm the streets cluttered with motor bikes, horse and carriges, people and dogs, the sidewalks and roads where not much more than broken up concrete with holes big enough to fall. The noise and smells as well as the puddles of water from a recent shower, and the background of darkness in the peoples eyes woke me from the 6 hour lazy bus ride.
Next time in Different Perspectives Newsletter video from a the
Hsi Ba, Myanmar primary school classroom.
"Those who have accepted that we all die someday settle their quarrels."
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