Satellite Images Used to Monitor Burmese Junta

BurmesePython writes "Human rights groups are using high-resolution satellites images to reveal the activities of Burma's junta as it gets tough with pro-democracy protesters. Apparently 'it should be easy to spot groups of monks because of their distinctive maroon robes'. Like previous efforts to use satellites to monitor the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, the hope is it will prod the UN and other international actors into putting pressure on the Burmese rulers."

Comments

Re:Where's the pictures?

[homerjs42]

National Geographic has a small copy of one of the images: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070928-burma-satellite.html

Re:Pressure the UN?

[bulled]

It could be that the US tends to ignore what the UN says anyways. Not like they were right about Iraq or anything. And not like the US actively sanctions another nation ignoring numerous resolutions to return land acquired by force. The UN is useless because the US has shown that if you are powerful enough, you can ignore the rules.

Using "Myanmar" legitimizes the military junta.

[Valdrax]

Burma's the name that the last democratic regime in the country called it. Myanmar's what the military junta renamed it in 1989. Burmese opposition groups still call it Burma because they don't recognize the legitimacy of the military regime.

You can read more about it here. Personally, I use Burma. Let a legitimate regime change the English name one ever comes around.

Re:Pressure the UN?

[MightyMartian]

Let's get one thing straight. I never said the UN didn't do any good (you may have me confused with many other people here). But I do think that states that are as blatantly violating human rights as, say, Syria or Zimbabwe have no business on any human rights council. The mere fact that such states could find their way on it discredits one facet of the UN, as a primary advocate body for human rights in dignity on the international stage.

It fails on many counts, and most importantly on its basic structural arrangement which has, for the most part, allowed dominant states to render it completely useless. The Soviets and the Americans pretty much paralyzed it during the Cold War, and now China and Russia are doing it.