LUST for LIFE

I saw people in the street just beaten up for no reason — just walking along the road, not even part of the protests. There was this young boy, he was alone and not shouting with the crowd or clapping. This captain came up to him, just started beating him and the boy fell on the street. Then the police pushed him into one of those trucks that were lined up to take demonstrators. As they pushed him, he fell again. Then the police took out a big stick and gave him a huge blow on the back.

This is what a housewife recalled of what she saw as events unfolded during the military junta clampdown on the protest march in Myanmar last Sept 28.

The world could only watch in silence as events unfolded then. The people now live in fear. They can’t talk about the events for fear of being arrested and tortured. Death is a possibility. Below is a young man’s description of a now fearful society:

There is no more connection between people. It’s been broken. In our own neighborhood, the security groups will arrest anyone who is heard talking about these events. Even at tea shops we can’t talk about these things. These thugs will remember who you are and come to arrest you later. We can only talk to people we know on the street and never to strangers now. No one says anything at the market and everything has to be in secret. The bars have emptied out both because no one has any more money and what fun is it to get drunk when you can’t talk?

It’s now one month since that tragic day. There’s not much news of the situation in Myanmar. Over time, that tragic event will probably eclipse into oblivion.

(Quotations from http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,5185,0,0,1,0)