Free Burma Online Protest 4th October

The junta in Burma (aka Myanmar) may have blacked out public internet access in the country in an attempt to prevent information about the military's violent crackdown on protesting monks from getting out, but the move is proving to be too little too late. Now Free-Burma.org has announced an International Bloggers' Day for Burma on October 4th.

Bloggers who wish to show their solidarity with the peaceful protest are being asked to refrain from posting that day and instead display one of the Free Burma banners or images (such as the one on top) that have been created for the online protest.

A list of participating bloggers (currently more than 1,500) can be found here.

The Free-Burma.org protest site for bloggers was launched by two German college students. They got the idea from a multi-lingual Wiki page that was set up last month as a forum to allow participants around the world to brainstorm ideas on how to show support for the protesters in Burma.

A Petition from Singapore to End the Oppression in Burma

This is a simple but heartfelt plea for Singaporeans to do something small but collectively meaningful. The Singapore government harassed those who went to the Burmese Embassy to register their abhorrence of the Burmese government's actions. The Singapore government said that petitions are legal. So they can't stop us from doing one now. Singaporeans together with fellow global citizens who care about ending the oppression in Burma can make a difference. The cutoff time for this petition would be Saturday, November 17, the day before the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore. This petition would be sent to the Burmese government and the Singapore government, the current ASEAN Chair.

Singaporeans, United with our Burmese Friends

To the brave people of Burma: the marching of thousands down the streets of Rangoon, Mandalay and other cities have resonated deeply in the hearts of Singaporeans. Your way is the Buddhist way: non-violence empowered by love, and honed by teaching and meditation.

We the undersigned register our horror and disgust with the ensuing crackdown and carnage that was been so mercilessly meted upon you. Shocking images emanating from the streets of Burma, captured by none other than brave Burmese patriots, will resonate in our consciousness long after the blood has been wiped and the tears on your cheeks have been shed. Ideology, geography and history separate us, but dreams and anguish unite us.

Our affinity with yourselves and your saffron-robed warriors stems beyond our own petty struggles in this air-conditioned nation. Our own circumstances are regrettable. Yours are inconsolable.

To those in Singapore: When good men are hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with them and not calculate how we might profit from their sufferings. It is with great embarrassment that we witness political elements here in Singapore, seeking ownership of their cause to gain political mileage. Their names are unimportant, just as their empty words and theatrical performances. Dr Samuel Johnson wrote, “Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those who we cannot resemble.”

We the undersigned object to any action undertaken with self-serving intent, for motivation is the marker of good and evil. We will however make one promise: their sacrifices will be honoured through our prayers.

To all in Singapore: we urge you to join our Burmese friends at the temples, at the churches, at the mosques…wherever your spirits are drawn. Let us honour the dead and pray for the living. Let us forget ourselves and remember those that suffer. Their fight is on the streets, ours is in their hearts.

Our asking is simple, but the effects manifold. Use this medium to spread your message of peace. Use it to inform. Use it to bring us together.

Sign in the comments below. Use the email forward function to pass the message. The long journey must start with small steps.