Harry’s Place

Anyone know why the regime is blocking foreign access? To save face? To protect national secrets? This all seems so very Iron Curtain to me…

So when does blocking aid become a crime against humanity?

When Israel does it?

i see this blog now uses a picture of “bambi” blair.get rid of ,as soon
as ,poss.

Why get rid of Blair’s picture. Best PM we’ve had in many a year, sadly missed and certainly someone who told people what they didn’t want to hear.

On topic, tim is spot on with his comment.

There was a smarmy-looking git on Question Time last night repeating the bland stopper line that we should not interfere in other countries even to deliver emergency aid when the government of said country clearly doesn’t give a shit how many people die.

Wonderful stuff! The UK lines up with China on this issue. Cup of cha, anyone?

Why get rid of Blair’s picture.

Because it’s retro - and not in a good way. Even if you give the guy his dues, there are surely more inspiring figures?

yeah i saw the said ’smarmy’ guy too graham. Doubtless a regular morning star tankie who believes we should leave it to those nice chinese guys to ‘administer’ international aid to the poor people of burma on our behalf!

Gotta laugh at the debate at the UN though claiiming it can only intervene in cases of genocide - when has the UN ever tried to prevent genocide taking place? Biafra…er no! Cambodia..er no! Rwanda…er no! Darfur…er no! Never thought i’d say this but im afraid im with john bolton when it comes to that multi-lingual thouroughly corrupt talking shop!

So should we have invaded the US when they responded to Hurricane Katrina so badly?

Lord Shore: “So should we have invaded the US when they responded to Hurricane Katrina so badly?”

Well, yes, but they would have died laughing, which is a bigger humanitarian disaster.

Dennis McShane yesterday claimed it does fall within the definition of genocide and therefore International community is obliged to intervene.

The two cases are very different.
As far as I know there was not a gay pride parade in Rangoon.

Well, yes, but they would have died laughing, which is a bigger humanitarian disaster.

LMAO! I won’t even try to top that one. :D

Like always HP ignoring Bush rejecting aid from Cuba and Venezuela when Katrina happened.

That said I am not worried, there is really no oil in Myanmar (despite what the US media feeds you).

I wonder if Noam “Silent Genocide” Chomksy will speak up. Actually no I don’t wonder.

‘That said I am not worried, there is really no oil in Myanmar (despite what the US media feeds you).’

Nobody says Burma has oil. They’ve got natural gas instead, which Total SA is investing in. You fucking bell-end.

‘There was a smarmy-looking git on Question Time last night repeating the bland stopper line that we should not interfere in other countries even to deliver emergency aid when the government of said country clearly doesn’t give a shit how many people die.’

Was it John Rees?

Burma’s refusal to allow humanitarian aid may well constitute a crime against humanity.

However such crimes should not be the only permissable circumstance when ’sovereingty’ may be infringed by UN intervention.

Prior to the post WWii establishment of a world of sovereign states there are numerous examples of humanitarian intervention according to the ‘customs of civilised nations’.

Given that humanitarian aid is something that the UN does very well John Bolton style criticisms are misplaced.

It is national interests (principally that of China) that block multilateral action.

Equally however, say in the case of a failed state, that is simply incapable of giving permission for multi-lateral humanitarian aid, should aid be denied because of the ideological position of national sovereingty obsessives, even when there is no functioning sovereign entity?

Of course the pseudo left and their totaliatrian nationalist fellow travellers are blind to the fact that their behaviour has long stripped them of the pretence that they are concerned for the humanitarian welfare of any actual people (as opposed to the virtual world of ‘rights’ which they inhabit)

Bush rejecting aid from Cuba and Venezuela when Katrina happened

Venezuelans and Cubans need the aid more than Americans.

The Burmese government wants the aid to distribute to it’s own armed forces, who are becoming restless because they and their families are suffering. So any aid that does get into the country will be instantly impounded and diverted. And the regime will use armed force to impose its will.

The only way to get around this roadblock would be using superior armed force, and I see no way the UN would readily sanction that.