Cambodia and the media

[august spies]

Val's imput on the tragedy of cambodia and the region can bring out a good point that can end this argument about the media and right and left wing.

When the right wing of the US first launched their major (illegal even by their standards) attack against cambodia it was kept fairly quiet. Im sure val can give u a more accurate statistic but hundres of thousands of people were killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy some 600,000 people would die of the side affects, hunger, napalm, bad water, etcc.. this was completely ignored by all media, and of course since they caused it, the right wing government.

It was because of this that authoritarian genocidist pol pot was able to grab power. He couldnt have done it without the US right wing destroying the country, and also it drummed up actual support for his regime. Just like bin laden, could he be as powerful as he is today without the billions in US aid in the 80s to him and his followers?

Then after pol pot takes over, the media all of a sudden begins reporting on the tragedy (which they should have been doing all along), but they see it as something new, whereas the tragedy of cambodia had been going on for some time. After vietnam invades the governent is quick to go after vietnam, and inturn support the kymer rouge.

In fact all of this was going on at exactly the same time the media was completely ignoring another genocidist (suharto's) bloodbath in East Timor which was a very comprable tragedy to that of cambodia. But this tradedy in East Timor was not a side affect of US policy, it was a direct result of US policy. This is why it was ignored and censured.

Final point being, the media follows the line of the state, it is just the 5th branch of government, nothing could show a more clearer example. Also the right wing is to blame directly and indirectly for the entire bloodbath in cambodia and in Timor.



"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum(liberal and conservative) - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate."

 

[august spies]

what we can do for the region:

pressure cambodia and the UN to try former leaders of the kymer rouge who are roaming free as we speak in cambodia.

East Timor finally gained its idependence after 25 years of genocidist occupation killing about 1/6th of the total population. more can be learnt by going to www.etan.org

Look at your leaders in a different way, as imperial war mongers, and dont believe what they tell you without looking over their past history.

Use alternative sources of news, not the nytimes.

the tragedy of Burma is still going on. get involved here
www.freeburamcoaltion.org

o and especially for cambodia and burma get involved in the campaign to ban landmines here: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/mines/1999/index.htm

thousands of innocent people die every year in camboda buram laos, and elsewhere because of mines, mostly children. However the US refuses to sign the treaty banning them, because most mines and cluster weapons come from the US.

 

[sushi854]

Before everyone jumps in with the "Who cares? USA is great!" posts, take a minute to consider just how many people have died and how these people live their daily lives. The Indonesian occupation of East Timor lasted 25 years, but the majority of the killing (about 100,000 people) took place in a matter of three weeks (!), making the efficiency of those anti-independence militias right up there with Hitler and Stalin. This is how people live on a daily basis. The situation has improved, but only because of massive UN peacekeeping and economic aid. I realize that humanitarian aid is not always a compatable idea with a capitalist economy, and I agree that the capitalist system has proven to work better that any other system tried thus far, but it is far from perfect. I think that in a less than perfect world, ideology must sometimes be set aside in favor of realism. The realistic observation in this case is that an effort as small as eliminating landmines goes a long way towards promoting stability in the Third World. I know I won't convince many to see this point of view, but I do sincerely hope that, even if people gloat and scoff at the idea of providing aid to those who weren't born with our opportunities, they are at least deeply disturbed by what happens in these places.

 

[Biggles of 266]

and which country led the peace-keeping effort to protect East Timor and remove the militia? Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi! Almost makes up for blindly following the US and ignoring the Indonesian invasion...

Biggles