November 21, 2008

Burma's most famous comedian has received a 45-year prison sentence for...

... for what???
Zarganar was arrested with sports writer Zaw Thet Htwe in June after organising deliveries of aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 people dead or missing when it pulverised the country the previous month.

13 comments:

Revenant said...

He's lucky he's famous. Normally he'd just be killed.

Synova said...

It's sort of twisted....

But... diverting aid and distributing it outside of the oversight of government authority?

Consider the insistence of the UN to be the clearing house and central organizational authority for tsunami aid and how snotty they got that the US didn't wait but our Navy was making decisions they thought should be cleared with them first.

The fact that the people would see someone other than the government as the source of the aid is just frosting.

Wince said...

Maybe we can send Al Franken on a one way "fact finding" mission to rescue his fellow comedian?

Oh, I forgot, Franken would have to be funny to be a "comedian."

Nevermind.

Ophir said...

...at the country's notorious Insein prison.

This made me laugh. But yeah, totally sucks for him.

Eric said...

Well, you can't have just anyone distributing food. After all, when people start to think food can come from somewhere other than the government, who knows where it could lead?

bearbee said...

... for what???

For living under a totalitarian system run by paranoid sociopaths.

But then totalitarian = paranoid sociopaths.....yes?

Freeman Hunt said...

Once again, that terrible character flaw so common to people in government is displayed: the overwhelming desire to control others.

Trooper York said...

Hey I have a bunch of sportwriters I would love to send to Burma starting with Mike Lupica and Frank Deford.

Synova said...

Consider proposals for national health care... the sort where those doctors who provide care outside of the system are made criminal.

The mistake is in thinking that the issue is power for power's sake or control for the sake of control.

If we think like that we'll miss similar things happening right in front of us.

Instead... consider that the Burmese government has done everything that it's done because those in charge think that, in the end, it will be better for the people. Every non-cooperative monk and every grandstanding comedian undermines that process and prolongs strife. Every time someone undermines the government more people die... but those refusing to cooperate don't care, selfish bastards!

Kirby Olson said...

Communists can't stand humor.

Unknown said...

I want to visit Burma. For real.

Better to go while there is an oppressive government, before all the tourists get there.

Dactyl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dactyl said...

"Zarganar was arrested...in June after organising deliveries of aid...which left 138,000 people dead or missing..."

He delivered aid that left thousands of people dead or missing! No wonder he's in jail.