From travelling to Myanmar only a year and a half ago, I developed an attachment to this country unlike anywhere else I've ever been to.
The Burmese always displayed to me genuine honesty, gentleness and helpfulness. Including the monks who truely believed in their purpose. There was also a sense of intrigue to know more. It was obvious their borders didn't allow the global flow that is happening within most parts of Asia and the rest of the world. Cars and bikes decades old, limited choices of store supplies, highways made of pot-holed dirt roads, very few newspapers and programs. Not many people owned computers or telephones. To save on gas, local transport was more affordable to pack a small pick-up truck with 20 people. Information seemed to pass mostly through word of mouth.
Then, internet access was so limited I was hardly ever able to send an email. Now, since the peaceful protests a few weeks ago, the government has completely shut off internet all together. The Burmese are left (even more so then before) completely isolated and in danger if they say or do anything. All I can think of to do at the moment is to help spread the word of what is happening and show you the beautiful people and land of Burma. There is an organization called Avaaz who can tell you more:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/
"Last week, Burma went dark--the military shut down all internet, telephone and communication links with the rest of the world. They did it because it has been the pictures, blog posts, and emails--of monks brutally murdered, journalists shot--that have done the most to galvanize the entire world on Burma. Without that flow of information, the media is reporting dry diplomatic processes--and each day the danger grows that the press will move on."
Here are a couple of articles about the situation so far:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/burma/story/0,,2186651,00.html
http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/EdOp/2007/Oct/02-Oct-07.html
Another site:
http://saffronrevolutionworldwide.blogspot.com/
A personal description on my previous blog:
http://pamlostracco.blogspot.com/2006/11/imgp7654p.html
Photographs from before the crackdown:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97853875@N00/sets/72157594337058285/
And artwork made since, from the photos (find "myanmar" in the description):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97853875@N00/sets/72157594337063188/detail/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97853875@N00/sets/72157602086121449/detail/
