North Korea and Burma treated their own people as slaves and trying to ignore the world out cry for humanity. Both regimes are isolated from the world for their cruel acts and extreme used of force. Both regimes are supported by China and Russia and both are ruled by army back governments.
Under the close watched by the West, North Korea successfully produce a nuclear bomb and long range missiles. Secretive government also build tunnels and storage rooms under ground to counter foreign attacks. The US and the West are trying to negotiate with the N. Koreans by offering them billion dollar deal to abandon their nuclear ambition.
Now Burmese generals are following the North Korea style tunnels and trying to seek nuclear technology. Burmese Generals thought if they have an atomic bomb, they will be respected by the West and counter the pressure from the USA for democratic change.
Two American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were captured by the North Korean border guards for crossing the border from China while they were making documentary for Current TV station co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. They were sentenced to 12 years with hard labor. After five months North Korean gave a signal to the former President Bill Clinton that they will release the journalists, if he come to visit North Korea. Bill did and met with North Korean Dear Leader Kim Jong IL, after those two journalists were freed based on humanitarian concern.
John Yettaw, an American Vietnam Veteran who secretly swim across the lake at night and illegally entered Burma democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s lake house was arrested by security guards after he stayed two nights in her house and swim back.
Aung San Suu Kyi and two of her helpers were arrested for breaching the terms of her house arrest. Yettaw was sentenced to seven years and Aung San Suu Kyi and her aids were sentenced to three years with hard labor. Later she and her aids were reduced to eighteen months under house arrest.
The US Senator Jim Webb, a democratic from Virginia, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee for East Asia and Pacific affairs, visited Burma one day after the sentenced was made for Yettaw and Aung San Suu Kyi. Webb also met with Burma’s supreme ruler, Gen. Than Shwe. Surprisingly Webb was allowed to meet Aung San Suu Kyi in the government guest house because the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon requested to meet her was rejected last month.
Burma is following the North Korean style maneuvering with the west but every country has its own unique position and political back ground.
The Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since 1993 and her term was nearly expired at that time John Yettaw incident occurred. The Burmese regime has a hard time to make an excuse to extent her house arrest according to their chosen law which only allow 5 years terms of house arrest. When Yettaw illegally entered her lake house, the regime grabbed the opportunity and put her on trail. Now Yettaw is free, but Aung San Suu Kyi has to spend her time under house arrest for another one and half year.
It is like the regime is using one stone to hit two birds. Extending ASSK house arrest until their plan election in 2010 is over because ASSK has tremendous support from Burmese people. At the same time releasing John Yettaw is a wise move to defuse the heat from the US government. The Burmese regime knows that if they do not release Yettaw, they have to take care of him and face more pressure from the US. Indeed, they are thanking Yettaw for doing his stupid stunt to swim across the lake and enter the opposition leader house at night which gave them a golden opportunity to lock their feared opponent.
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