Will This Ever Happen In Laos ?

Date: Sep 27, 2007

Will This Ever Happen In Laos ?

Date: Sep 27, 2007

I don't believe that the monk (in any country) should be involved in politic.

Date: Sep 27, 2007

I certainly hope not.

Date: Sep 27, 2007

The Burmese situation is totally different with our country. Last time my friend from Burma told me:"The situation in Burma is really bad. The country is almost close to the word. All positions from chiefs villages to Ministers, Prime Minister and President are occupied by military people. People live in poor condition. Some people even can have food for eating one time a day. That's why it happened like that".

Yes, every thing happened for reasons.

paris_vientiane · Guru

you can maybe criticize Lao goverment for many things... but the politic situation in Burma is far far worse than Laos! it's very different!

I hope this story will find an happy end!

-- Edited by paris_vientiane at 17:46, 2007-09-27

samakomlao · Guru

For the latest news, 9 people died from this protest, including one Japanese journalist

Date: Sep 27, 2007

Why shouldn't Monks have a say in politics? Apparently in Burma, they've had their hands in politics for a long time.

If Monks were to rise against the government in Laos, who's side would you take?

It will never happen anyways, because the Communists used Buddhism as a key to win the people over, and it worked. After the 1975 takeover, the government reformed Buddhist structure there and it has won praise from the international community for that.

chiip · Guru

You are absolutely right !

Date: Sep 28, 2007

My professor told me that in 1950 the Lao monk also protested Lao government, during that time the Lao government want to use French letter like Vietnamese use French letter, the Lao monk never allowed Lao government change Lao letter into French they want to keep and use Lao letter.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

My professor told me that in 1950 the Lao monk also protested Lao government, during that time the Lao government want to use French letter like Vietnamese use French letter, the Lao monk never allowed Lao government change Lao letter into French they want to keep and use Lao letter.

Interesting to note. I'm glad that never happened, the Lao alphabet is uniquely ours!

On another note... which a bad one to say... it looks like corrupt minds think alike... well maybe not so.

http://www.mizzima.com/MizzimaNews/News/2007/Sep/98-Sep-2007.html

The Lao government should really kick these ppl out.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

To views No 3. That was my professor of Lao literature in National University told me, should not expressed bad idea to me.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Don't you know that they are not all the real monk, but just wearing monk's costume to join the protest

Date: Sep 28, 2007

I don't know those monks in Burma were real Buddhist monks or false monks. Here I refered to real Lao Buddhist monks protested to Lao government in 1950 for keeping Lao alphabet.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Religion has always been involved in politics in Laos, Thailand, Burma and elsewhere. The former king was the head of the Sang ha, so part of his political power was derived from the fact that he was considered closest to Buddha.

To the person above, it is untrue, the LPRP did not use Buddhism to win the support of the people. After 1975 they actually tried to prevent people from practicing Buddhism because it went against marxist-leninist theory which says that 'religion is the opium of the masses'. The LPRP originally wanted to make Laos completely secular (ie. non-religious), but they changed their policy because people quite simply refused to listen to them. People in Laos continued to practice Buddhism. Now that marxist-leninist theory is not suitable as a political ideology in the contemporary period, the LPRP has begun to embrace Buddhism. But don't forget the past. The revolution was not a pro-Buddhist one.

And yes, Buddhist monks have always played a role in politics. This is why the clergy in Laos is very closely controlled by the government, so that they cannot express criticism of the government. Whether they would want to or not is a hard question to answer because there is no way to ask it in Laos without getting into trouble.

But the main reason why protests are occurring in Burma is because the large population of "urban" people is suffering economically. Laos has a very small city population and they are currently becoming very wealthy, so they have no reason to protest against government management. The rural population, even the large group of people who are suffering economically in Laos, do not have the unity or the means to protest about it. So the only way this kind of thing will happen in Laos is if the economy goes bung and the urban population lose all their wealth. This will only happen if the Thai or the Chinese economy goes wrong, because Laos really doesn't support itself economically anyway.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Monks have a long history of political activism in the region. Don't you know that 'Rage Against the Machine' album cover with the monks setting themselves on fire in Cambodia? or was it Vietnam? They were protesting against the war. Anyway, it is silly to say that monks are not political. They always have been. It is just that the Lao government does not want them to be, so it makes a point of emphasise their 'peaceful' nature - a very wise policy for a regime attempting to maintain authoritarian political power, because if any popular uprising is going to occur it needs the support of the organisation that people 'believe in' the most, and that is the Buddhist clergy.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

That is so sad, that person who argues the monks are fake ones. How can you say such a thing? It is obvious that these are monks. Anyone who knows anything about Burma knows they are monks. You have no humanity, you are just a cruel person who has no values, you would sell your mother if someone offered you enough money.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

You little rich city kids don't even know what is going on in your own country:

In June and July in Huayxai, and in the whole Bokeo province, political and military tensions occurred in the aftermath of the arrest of Vang Pao early June in the United States. The rumour said that two Hmong villages from the bank of the Mekong, Ban Xay Chaleun and Ban Fay (two villages of Hmong “returnees”), received money from Thailand to stir up a rebellion in the region. Lao soldiers were sent from the neighbouring Namtha province to crush the “rebels”. A shooting occurred near the two Hmong villages quoted above and, according to unofficial interviews with several residents in Huayxai, two villagers were killed. Over several weeks, young people from Huayxai were requisitioned to operate as local militia in the evening. They wandered in the streets for several weeks, some of them drunk and visibly excited, searching for any “suspect” that is anyone looking more or less as a “Lao Sung” (the Lao name for Hmong). In this dreadful climate, more than 300 people were arrested, just because they were at the wrong place at the wrong moment. After few days, and interventions of local influent Hmong leaders, most of them were liberated. Currently [as of early September 2007], and according to local sources, 30 people would still be in jail, of which some would hold foreign passports.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

I strongly support No 3, did you know the news about Thai Buddhist monks during the last two month and did you know about Cambodian Buddhist monks in last month? What are they doing for their countries? The monks also love their own countries. The Lao people respected the Buddhist monk as their parents and teachers.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Religious and politic, whatever you wanted to think, but believe in Western society they know all things you enjoy in day in day out, most come from Physics and Sciences, take an example a Plasma TV, a Fridge....a Computer, Internet etc all these stuffs are from SCIENCES and TECHNOLOGY not from a single religious. Religious helping us to avoid doing bad and wrong things. Most rich countries deep down inside of the people they don't really believe in GOD but because the freedom principle they allow people to practice, but most just enjoy what they have which are MATERIAL. Materialism.
What happens in Myanmar or Burma, is quite complex. There is a woman (Aung SS) maried an english man, came back and elected by the burmese to be the President, but the generals saw her as somekind of foreigner, that's why they never accepted her, or to let her to rule the country. This problem may not be solve easily.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

Don't you know that the ruling clique uses monks, Wats, temples and pagodas for their own benefits. They earn money form foreign tourists who pay for the fees to vist the Wat and the temples, but they don't give even a penny to help preserve, restore or repair the Wats and the temples. Look at That Dam in downtown Vientiane, no body cares to rebild or restore it.

Date: Sep 28, 2007

confused What are you talking about mate? what in downtown Vientiane, the broken drain, along the street or watt in bad shape? idea

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Something similar happens almost every day. Why do you think those Hmong run away to Thailand?

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Many people have been killed more than the number the government had reported.

Date: Sep 29, 2007

What the freak are you on about Plasma TV man? I'm sure if you walk down the street in St Louis or whichever suburban nightmare you live in you will find Lao kids in gangs shooting each other, religious fanatics trying to blow up abortion doctors and many forms of poverty on an extreme scale. How many plasma TVs do you own? How many people do you think can afford them, even in America? The answer is, only a very few people. America is a crumbling empire whose citizens are armed to the teeth and kill each other in numbers averaging 50,000 per year. It exports its war to other parts of the world, but sooner or later the plasma TV will be smashed, but religion will still be around.

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Lcd and Plasma tv are cheap now, can't you afford to buy one, do you have job? It sounds like you like religious, do you want to convert to Islam, you want to follow people like the Teliban, because these people don't need Plasma tv or music or movies....only allahhhh allahhhhhh. biggrin

Look I bought one LCD TV just for 800 australian a 81 cm LCD TV for 800 australian dollar. So don't you have the money to buy one. idea

Of course religious will be here forever but LCD and Plasma tv also are going to stay with us for a longlong time. biggrin

Unless you follow The TELIBAN. biggrin

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Seriously, I have no idea what you are talking about. Have you considered going to university? High school? You shouldn't have dropped out so early. There must at least be a second-rate technical college for freaks like you in your area. Go take a course loser, you will still have time to wank in front of your plasma screen.

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Once again, the demonstration had been crushed by the power of "GUN BARREL"...
A Japanese photographer was shot and killed by soldier.

Date: Sep 29, 2007

You are right to say that the situation in Lao is very different: The Lao PDR Government has a real legitimacy, earned since the time when fighting against the old regime before 1975, which was corrupt, didn't care about poor people, especially in the countryside and allowed the USA to bomb large parts of its territory. Lao is now open to the outside world, has its place internationally, the economy is developing fast, and there is a very serious will of improving governance.
The Burmese Government on the other hand is only in place by brute force, by suppressing people, no other purpose than their own enrichment!

I hope Lao will continue in its path. May the new generation of leaders and government officials always remember why they are there in the first place and not take on the ways of the former royal regime!

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Sabaidee puon sahai

I agree with you the above comment said that things happened in Lao are totally different to the one in Myanmar or Burma. Many normal lao people sacrified their life in the past, so LAO can have independence like we see today. Do not forget lao people who died for this purpose.

samakomlao · Guru

So as Lao people, what can we do to help people of Myanmar ?

Date: Sep 29, 2007

"so as Lao People what can we do to help the people in Burma?"
Well, don't allow airplains to land carrying the corrubt rulers family, like what happend yesterday at the airport. How about a statement from your leadership condeming what is going on there? Not one word out of the Lao Govt saying that it's bad to kill monks.

Sorry, a government that doesn't allow free elections is destined to the same fate, that's what they worry about in Vientiane today. How legitamat is a government that allows foreigners in to hunt down and kill women and children? (Vietnamese kill Hmong)

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Once again, just like in 1988, only the voices of condemnation around the world, but practically not much the world can do. And the military dictators of Burma succeeded again in topple the demonstration.

Sad, yes indeed, very sad cry

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

To the person above, it is untrue, the LPRP did not use Buddhism to win the support of the people. After 1975 they actually tried to prevent people from practicing Buddhism because it went against marxist-leninist theory which says that 'religion is the opium of the masses'. The LPRP originally wanted to make Laos completely secular (ie. non-religious), but they changed their policy because people quite simply refused to listen to them. People in Laos continued to practice Buddhism. Now that marxist-leninist theory is not suitable as a political ideology in the contemporary period, the LPRP has begun to embrace Buddhism. But don't forget the past. The revolution was not a pro-Buddhist one.

I thought they had only tried to surpress the Animistic parts of the religion. You know, poog-kaen, etc. I guess I was wrong.

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Laos condemned already the behaviour of the Burmese regime, more exactely in a statement by ASEAN, that was signed as well by Lao foreign minister Thongloun.
The statement expressed "revulsion" to Myanmar's foreign minister at the violent repression of demonstrations and strongly urged the military government "to exercise utmost restraint and seek a political solution."

The statement said the ministers "were appalled to receive reports of automatic weapons being used and demanded that the Myanmar government immediately desist from the use of violence against demonstrators."

Date: Sep 29, 2007

Do you have a link to that article? I want to add it to the wikipedia article.

Date: Sep 30, 2007

Here's your link
http://www.aseansec.org/20974.htm

Date: Sep 30, 2007

I might add further that this is a statement by ASEAN which could be said to speak for all it's members just the way the UN does. Individual countries adding strong statements of condemnation is another matter alltogether. I doubt LPDR will do so.

Date: Sep 30, 2007

Individual countries adding strong statements of condemnation is another matter alltogether. I doubt LPDR will do so.

Why you would need Laos to condemn the Burmese junta many times? Other ASEAN countries also did the same way. I wonder whether your mind is normal or not about Laos?

Yes, individual countries like USA, British or EU strongly criticized Burmese government, you know what? They are not members of ASEAN, so they did separately.

Date: Sep 30, 2007

The answer to this topic is simple: would never happen in Laos. As someone said earlier:"The Lao Government has a real legitimacy, earned since the time when fighting against the old regime before 1975, which was corrupt, didn't care about poor people, especially in the countryside and allowed the USA to bomb large parts of its territory. Lao is now open to the outside world, has its place internationally, the economy is developing fast, and there is a very serious will of improving governance".

We Lao people in Laos love peace and our leaders. So, please don't expect would do otherwise. I repeat the answer again. What had been happening in Burma would never happen in Laos.

Date: Sep 30, 2007

I want to refer to the person who ended his comment by saying vietnamese kill hmong, I believe this person had an agenda, whether he is the descendants of the corrupted past regime of Lao, or follower of despotic corrupted warlod Wang Pang as Columbia of USA stated, Vang Pao was a despotic warlod this article also published in ASIATIMES.COM in 2005. One thing I want to point out is that I saw pictures of hmong in CHINA, SAPA VIETNAM...in FLICKR.COM so to say vietnamese kill hmong is CHONG HONG, PUARK PAW KAO BOR BEE, MOD JARM LEOW. CHONG HONG.

Date: Sep 30, 2007

Let's say that if lao monks start walking down the street with signs that say "we don't want to be the tool of the lao government any more" (because so many monks were used as spies domestically and abroad) what do you think is going to happen - will they be arrested or shot at ?

idea

Date: Sep 30, 2007

Government sent more troops...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070930/ap_on_re_as/myanmar

Date: Oct 1, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

Let's say that if lao monks start walking down the street with signs that say "we don't want to be the tool of the lao government any more" (because so many monks were used as spies domestically and abroad) what do you think is going to happen - will they be arrested or shot at ?

Our monks would never do that. They are really good for our Lao people and Lao people also respect them. Nobody would do crazy thing. We look for the bright future.

Date: Oct 1, 2007

Vietnamese will kill all bad Meo Hmong and they will not kill good Meo Hmong.

Date: Oct 1, 2007

Never use Meo again, you don't want to ever be called "mook-lao" do you?

Date: Oct 1, 2007

Meo always change its name, sometime change to Lao soung sometime Hmong.