"Religious Storm Troopers"

Kerry Howley | September 26, 2007

The regime tests the protesters:

The government of Myanmar began a violent crackdown today after tolerating more than a month of ever-larger protests in cities around the country, clubbing and tear- gassing protesters, firing shots into the air and arresting hundreds of the monks who are at the heart of the demonstrations.

The Reuters news agency quoted hospital and monastery sources as saying two monks and a civilian were killed and several people were wounded in the crackdown.

Despite threats and warnings by the authorities and despite the beginnings of a violent response, tens of thousands of chanting, cheering protesters flooded the streets, witnesses reported. Monks were in the lead, “like religious storm troopers,” as one foreign observer described the scene.

A friend of a friend in Yangon writes, rather more succintly:

internet going down. phone lines down. bullets fired into the air. crowd not retreating.

Comments

Troll|9.26.07 @ 11:58AM|#

I hope the REASON Atheists weigh in on the
Junta's laudatory efforts to maintain the wall between Church and State

Troll|9.26.07 @ 12:03PM|#

"like religious storm troopers," as one foreign observer described the scene.

Religous Storm Troopers.....ah Liberty!

fyodor|9.26.07 @ 12:07PM|#

I think it's a good sign that there seems to be some restraint, in contrast to the Tiananmen Square model of democracy control. So far.

JBinMO|9.26.07 @ 12:07PM|#

They are not Americans. The can have a wall between church and state or not. It's up to them.

wsdave|9.26.07 @ 12:13PM|#

I wonder if America will have to get like Myanmar before we have protests here.

ignoplastics|9.26.07 @ 12:17PM|#

What the hell is "Myanmar"? Is that another word for Burma?

VikingMoose|9.26.07 @ 12:20PM|#

Calling Whit and MNG and the other nativists. You can join the religious storm troopers.

take the fight to them, so you're not fighting "them" over hier

*this has been a paid commentary by the "nativists, fuck off" board of directors, Johnson E. Walters, President; Torsten Torvaldsen, director of media relations.

|9.26.07 @ 12:21PM|#

This is exciting. I like the part where W said that since we don't buy oil from Myanmar we won't be sending any troops. And we'll be supporting this pro-democracy movement with sanctions.

That's not an exact quote.

Scop|9.26.07 @ 12:24PM|#

The proper words are Rangoon, and Burma. Please use the correct words, reason.

|9.26.07 @ 12:27PM|#

I wish there was more I could do than wish them luck.

Good luck, you brave fools.

|9.26.07 @ 12:28PM|#

The sad part from a libertarian perspective is that they're protesting the government's increasing the price of gasoline, thereby raising the price closer to a market price. In short they're saying the government isn't exerting enough control over the market.

|9.26.07 @ 12:33PM|#

Rangoon in a neighborhood, Scop, the neighborhood where Europeans were segregated.

Not everything you learned in school was true.

fyodor|9.26.07 @ 12:36PM|#

I wonder if America will have to get like Myanmar before we have protests here.

Pro-democracy protests? Yeah, I'd imagine.

Any type of protests? Uh, we've already had a few.

Episiarch|9.26.07 @ 12:45PM|#

I wish there was more I could do than wish them luck.

Get your ass to MyanMars!

Alan|9.26.07 @ 12:51PM|#

In terms of international pressure, the U.S. can't do squat. The ball is in China's court. But I doubt that they have any inclination to tighten the screws on this regime. "Myanmar is heavily dependent on China for all its military requirements as they have been buying them at 'friendship prices'."

http://www.saag.org/papers5/paper401.html

Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 1:04PM|#

H Man,

Increasing the price of gasoline is a major reason for tumult in many nations.

|9.26.07 @ 1:11PM|#

Where are the women??

Seriously I always see these monks who control the government...or use to control the government...and no women.

I guess the Dali llama can come back as a bug...but god forbid he comes back as a lowly woman.

Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 1:17PM|#

joshua corning,

The Buddha taught that women cannot reach Nibbana (in their current life that is). Anyway, there are Buddhist nuns. I have no idea if Myanmar has Buddhist nuns, but places like Thailand do.

Syloson of Samos|9.26.07 @ 1:20PM|#

joshua corning,

Er, can.

|9.26.07 @ 1:34PM|#

Are these ass kickin' kind of monks like in Master Killer or sound-of-one-hand-clapping monks?

|9.26.07 @ 1:50PM|#

VM, you idiot, the "religious stormtroopers" are th good guys in this case. Unless you side with the Burmese authorities. And what exactly does immigration have to do with the Burmese situation?

|9.26.07 @ 1:52PM|#

joshua corning | September 26, 2007, 1:11pm | #

Where are the women??

Seriously I always see these monks who control the government...or use to control the government...and no women.

I guess the Dali llama can come back as a bug...but god forbid he comes back as a lowly woman.

~~~

Maybe they are already in prison, like Suu Kyi.

|9.26.07 @ 1:54PM|#

I say again, when the revolution in Myanmar comes, I'll suspend my opposition to capital punishment. In fact, I'll be toasting some executions.

VM|9.26.07 @ 1:59PM|#

d'oh!

King - you need a scorecard! It's like keeping up with all the I-AA teams that have beaten Michigan!

|9.26.07 @ 2:02PM|#

The sad part from a libertarian perspective is that they're protesting the government's increasing the price of gasoline...In short they're saying the government isn't exerting enough control over the market.

The Myanmar government controls their economy. Myanmar is fourth from bottom of the Heritage rankings, with only Zimbabwe, Libya, Cuba & North Korea as less free economies. They have to protest against the government change in prices, because the government controls everything.

As for the quote used in the headline, I think it's pretty stupid phrasing. "Religious shock troops" or "religious grenadiers" would be a more accurate description. From other sources, I have heard that the monks have been telling other civilians not to take part in the demonstrations, because they don't want others to get hurt.

J sub D - agreed. Nuon Chea, too.

Troll|9.26.07 @ 2:10PM|#

"Religious flying invisible spaghetti monster shock troops"

For a magazine called REASON you commenters sure aren't consistent!

Minion of URKOBOLD|9.26.07 @ 2:12PM|#

WE MOST CERTAINLY ARE CONSISTENT, AT LEAST PART OF THE TIME.

|9.26.07 @ 2:20PM|#

Nuon Chea, too.

Thanks for reminding me. A real reason to tip one is always appreciated.

|9.26.07 @ 2:25PM|#

I also support the unrestricted immigration of any Burmese who can get here.

Troll|9.26.07 @ 2:37PM|#

I also support the unrestricted immigration of any Burmese who can get here.

OK

|9.26.07 @ 2:54PM|#

If I were Bush, I would, in addition to urging restraint, send the seventh fleet there, draw up plans for attacks on the Junta's Bases, and just get the word out to the Junta without actually doing anything. At least make the thugs think we might bomb the crap out of their bases, maybe they'll show a bit more restraint.

Timothy|9.26.07 @ 2:58PM|#

All your base are belong to Tony Shalhoub.

Scop|9.26.07 @ 3:18PM|#

"Rangoon in a neighborhood, Scop, the neighborhood where Europeans were segregated."

I did learn something of grammar. In any event, the city is Rangoon, and the country is Burma.

lunchstealer|9.26.07 @ 3:33PM|#

You also learned to be a pedantic dick, but you won't get any gold stars here for it.

Yoda|9.26.07 @ 3:43PM|#

Begun this religious Clone War has.

Scop|9.26.07 @ 4:48PM|#

lunchstealer,

I guess that was aimed at me. Very classy. Very classy.

As for gold stars, I would not accept them from you, since they'd probably be pyrite.

Let's try to deal in other precious metals, shall we? I'm willing to try silver if you are.

lunchstealer|9.26.07 @ 5:31PM|#

Don't be a dick about what names people use and or about typos, and you'll get classy treatment.

Also, the whole gold/pyrite/silver thing comes off trying to sound cute. Not helping.