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I'm not convinced, it sounds suspiciously like the junta are aiming for a pakistani style system, where ultimate power always rests with the military, regardless of elected civillian officials.

I think it is absolutely wrong for the UK state broadcaster to be commenting on what other governments are doing. This is a matter for our own government and independent media, not the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should stop commentaries and speculation and sack those that do it.

It should stick to reporting facts. Alistair Burnett should either lobby his MP if he has a point of view on this subject or get a job with a magazine or newspaper. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should not publish is own opinions, especially when it is about foreign governments.

The West, having large trade imbalances with China and having sold the middle class for cheap Chinese labor and goods, is in no position to say anything meaningful to China about support for the brutal criminal organization that rules Burma. After the typhoon of a couple of years ago, British and US ships loaded with supplies turned away and abandoned the people of Burma. Interesting how the media fails to mention the brutal crakdown of the Burmese people with the open killing of hundreds of citizens and monks. The rulers were taking all the aid and keeping it for themselves and supporters or selling it. The US and EU will have further sanctions; being said like it will make some difference. Foreign office types are always talking about engagement with brutal regimes. This means that some influencial businesses are making money in that country and we wouldn't want to disrupt that for some issue like human rights. The West has no higher moral ground. Corrupt governments bailing out unethical bankers at the expense of their citizens is hardly an example to be held up to other nations. The West will slither off with its tail between its legs making meaningless statements that they have no intention of acting on.

2. At 3:49pm on 12 Aug 2009, KennethM wrote:
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should stop commentaries and speculation .
It should stick to reporting facts.
The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should not publish is own opinions

LOL. Anyone know how to get beer ejecta off a computer monitor?

When you are 'unique', there is what is... and there is what 'should' be.

We'll continue to follow the story. Or try to shape it. Same diff.

It is China and Russia who are always standing firmly in the way of UN Security Council Acts on Burma`s Junta. These 2 countries have illegal business activities all over Burma and they will never allow Burma to get democracy. Why does UN Chief Ban Ki-moon not challenge China in Security Council meetings? He should scold at Chinese ambassador for immoral and unethical standing with brutal junta of Burma. It is shocking to hear the comment of ambassador that international community must respect Burmese law. Where is law in Burma? It has disappeared in Burma since 1962 when Gen Ne Win stage military coup. Is Than Shwe equal to Law? China must have been talking about Than Shwe`s law. Mr Ban Ki-moon had been to Burma and he knew the fact that there is no rule and law in Burma. So why does Mr Ban not able to face China & Russia in Security Council? Does UN chief need to worship 5 permanent members of UNSC? Then UN is useless organisation. Mr Ban should have courage to stand up to the might of Russia and China. Mr Ban. You can become the champion of global villages if you got the courage to do so.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ likes to call other countries names it is bad manners because we never hear other countries calling Britian name or interfering in our business they just sit and watch and laugh I should think. I have noticed that the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ does not comment on Israel and its human rights towards others. In fact it is so quite about it you would think it does not know or is run by those who object to any complaints. So until it treats all regimes the same it should keep quite I know Blair was into Burma and Africa to change look at what he did for this country.

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Mr. Burnett:

I don't think that Burma has not change that much...

=Dennis Junior=

Why does the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ refer to Burma, and not Myanmar; and to Rangoon instead of Yangon? The "new" names have been in use across the world since the late 1980s - why does the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ persist with the old colonial names?

Is there the possibility that Suu Kyi has played the junta on this one. It must have been obvious when the american swimmer turned up that if he was housed for more than a matter of minutes, this outcome, or something like it was likely. I doubt Suu Kyi ever expected to be allowed to participate in elections. So this looks like a good gameplay from her end. Her action can be defended as humanitarian and the junta had to react and the reaction would be an invite to enter the game to others on the sidelines. The majors countries have all come into the game. Job done.

Yet again an American meddling in another country's affairs has messed up any possible chance of progress. John Yettaw seems to be a somewhat deranged American whose "vision" of an assassination led to Suu Kyi now facing extended house imprisonment. How many more deranged americans do we need? Yettaw should certainly not be feted as a hero on his return.

On correspondent say "It sounds suspiciously like the junta are aiming for a pakistani style system, where ultimate power always rests with the military, regardless of elected civillian (sic)officials". What's with the phrase "aiming for"? - the military has ultimate power, and has done for years. I was in Myanmar recently: the people you see in luxury restaurants or driving top of the range cars are all either military, of their cronies; those you see surving on $ 1 per day or less are "the population". This is not going to change because of a visit by some sympathetic US senator.

So she gets an extra 18months house arrest and the American walks free! She misses elections! It couldnt have played out better for the Junta if it had been planed??

#2 KennethM

Offering up points of view for discussion, in addition to simple reporting of facts, is precisely the role of our independent, publicly-funded national broadcaster. You neither agree nor disagree with the point of view presented but argue that it has no business being presented in the first place. That is your right, but I disagree with you.

#10 ATNotts

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, in keeping with the policy of our government and many other western democracies choose not to recognise the name changes implemented by the military dictatorship in 1989. Do you believe we do the Irish a post-colonial discourtesy by using the name "Dublin" instead of "Ath Cliath"?

We all know the regime is a brutal dictatorship but we also know that nothing we say or do is going to change this.
The Chinese support the regime, therefore our government (and more importantly) the U.S. government are never going to challenge the Chinese over this, or for that matter, anything, ever again. We may get some strongly worded objections raised at the UN or in press conferences but there's more chance of me winning Miss World than there is of our governments upsetting the Chinese.

The only thing we as individuals can do is to stop buying Chinese products and to campaign for other people to do the same, but even this will only have a minor (probably insignificant) impact unless it spreads world-wide.

Then we've also got the issue of hypocrisy, how do we criticise the Chinese for supporting this regime when our governments support regimes such as the Saudi's that are themselves brutal dictatorships ?

Ultimately the solution rests with the Burmese people, only when they have had enough of this and rise up to overthrow the regime will any real change take place but as the regime has all of the guns this is not going to be easy and would probably end up costing many thousands of civilian lives.

#14

No, Ireland, where english is the first language, call Dublin "Dublin". However is is discourteous to call Muenchen Munich, Koeln Cologne, and Milano Milan, Livorna Leghorn, etc etc. None are unpronounceable in to an english tongue.

Using your yardstick we should still be calling Mumbai Bombay - but we don't.

Actually, many European countries, including Germany, call "Burma" Myanmar.

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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

#16

You cannily choose German examples, mindful I am sure that most English place names are the same (or very similar) in German, highlighting the lack or reciprocity between our two great nations. Saying that, how many Germans do you imagine are offended in the slightest?

If we look at France or Italy however the situation is very different. Do you feel it is discourteous or are you yourself offended by the use of the names Londres, Londra, Ecosse, Scozia, Pays de Galles or Il Galles? If so I suggest you get out more.

I dont believe Derek Tonkin was ever ambassador to Burma- Vietnam, Thailand and Laos- but not Burma.

#14 Doogletastic

You are wrong. Even in the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Editorial Guidelines which it is required to have under its statutory agreement it states: 'the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is forbidden from expressing an opinion on current affairs or matters of public policy other than broadcasting.'

The comments above from Alistair Burnett clearly contain several opinions. For example, the phrase 'it looks like there is a possibility that things may change in Burma - if only very slowly' is an opinion.

As far me agreeing or disagreeing with the Alistair Burnett’s comments I’m afraid I am not at all interested in his opinion. As long as we are given the facts then surely we can come form our own opinions and arrive at our own conclusions.

#15 KennethM

It is difficult to see how the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ could maintain such a diverse and much-used (particularly by you) blog section without introducing the personal perspectives of the bloggers to deliver the necessary level of analysis. The example you cite is an informed estimate of outcome, not a judgmental criticism or statement of allegiance and I fail to see how it affects the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's impartiality in even the smallest way.

I am wrong? That is nothing more than your opinion and I continue to disagree.

Doogletastic #22. It is not a matter of opinion (excuse the pun). The facts speak for themselves. Either the Agreement/editorial guidelines should be re-written or the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ should stick to them.

There are no degrees between expressing an opinion and not being allowed to express an opinion.

#23 KennethM

You appear to have latched onto a short phrase within the editorial guidelines without pausing to consider the important differences between opinion and estimation.

If you are roughly the length of a football pitch away from an object and knowing that a football pitch is about 100 yards in length, you might be inclined to guess that the distance between you and the object is 100 yards. Is that just a matter of opinion? No it is not, because the actual distance can be measured. It is an estimate.

In forecasting the political future for Burma, Alistair Burnett provides an estimate whose accuracy can be measured over the coming years.

That is quite different to purely expressing an opinion. An opinion is personal to its holder and incapable of substantiation for the present or at any future date. For example if Alistair Burnett had said "It looks like the Burmese government might realise that they have been wrong all along": that would have been an opinion.

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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I have to say that like many others I'm not convinced at all; I bet that the junta are seeking to be a similar to the old Pakistan political system. They cleary want the military to have ultimate say, regardless of elected civillian officials. That's their current method of operations and there is no one standing in their way. Civilians have no power to change things without endangering their lives.

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"This content doesn't seem to be working. Try again later."

That's been what you've shown us all on the next blog entry for days. Given the quality of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ journalism, that's been the consistent level of it for many years. Why should it be different now? Why would anyone expect it to be different later? ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is what it is and its managers intend to keep it that way.

I had to smile on reading that "estimating the distance of an object" is the same as expressing opinions on matters political. If only that were true.

The fact is that ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ journalists spend an inordinate amount of time expressing opinion as "reporting events" when it is actually "estimating the distance of an object"! The fact that we never get to measure the actual distance of the object rather negates the exercise.

A statement "that things will slowly change" is superfluous in the extreme, after all they will not stand still will they! What is more important to people watching South East Asia is that military juntas are not pleasant, ever. And so Burma represents a battle of wills between the USA and China perhaps? It is shame that citizens of Burma are pawns in this "bloody" game.