Burma Bans Blogs, Bitsblog Bit Bardest

In true Washington Post style, Bitsblog has been banned in Burma.   Michelle Malkin has the story.

As I noted the other day, Burmese bloggers have been crucial whistleblowers and eyewitnesses to history-supplying the world with round-the-clock coverage and photos of their oppressive regime’s crackdown. Now, just as the Western press is lauding their role, the military junta has reportedly cut off Internet access:

Oh by the say, as Michelle notes, they also cut accesss to the entire rest of the Internet as well.

Aside to Bit, do we have any readers in Burma?

Addendum I: (Bit)

You know, I now have a brand new HP 19in monitor with coffee sprayed all over it.

(Smirk)

As to readership there, we have had some hits from there, in the past, though not in the recent past….  perhaps a year ago, or so… though come to think of it, now, I don’t recall EVER seeing any hits from there in the Blogspot days.  I wonder if it had already been banned on the basis of it being on the Blogspot domain?

In watching this stuff going on, I’m curious as to the response of Burma’s neighbors, India and China, will be, if anything. China would certainly like a more socialist government there, and I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t be involved in all of this somehow. India, meanwhile, will be watching this from a purely defensive standpoint, and from that of someone who is going to be dealing witha great number of refugees.  They likely won’t be taking any overtly provacative actions, given China’s proximity, and interest in the region.

All that said, I can’t help but wonder how much of this unrest is being encouraged by Islamic extremists. And no, it’s not much a stretch, given the recent attacks in Thailand, as well as recent history in Burma itself.  The DPA last August, reported that several extremists have been arrested in the northwestern border town of Manipur, India.

Also, Burma has had a handful of Burmese nationals suspected to have ties to Muslim terrorist organizations in the past. In 2003, the Myanmar Times reported of a Burmese national arrested in Pakistan, suspected of being tied to al-Qaeda. In 2004, another Burmese man was arrested in Lahore, Pakistan, according to the Myanmar Times, for possessing “vital documents” linked to al-Qaeda operatives.

Such indications, to my mind shed new light on the reaction of the government there, which by the way has always been rather heavy handed, Burma has always been a  rather tightly controled society. So the enforcement we’re seeig now, while undeniably brutal, are not that far out of line with SOP.

I’m not sure which story I believe, yet, but it’ll be interesting as to how this plays out.

Addedum II:  (David L)   Retitled, a bee bit.