"Why'd You Say Burma?" "I panicked!"*

I was completely mistaken yesterday in calling the country experiencing protests and curfews "Myanmar". Myanmar is the name the ruling junta placed upon them. The country is called Burma, and the Burmese are out in the streets despite attempts at oppression. And I'm glad the Washington Post is using the proper nomenclature, too.

Burma's military rulers imposed a nighttime curfew and banned assemblies Tuesday after thousands of Buddhist monks defied warnings and mounted another day of pro-democracy protests to the cheers of crowds in the streets of Rangoon.

Although Tuesday's demonstration was allowed to proceed peacefully, several truckloads of soldiers and armed police were seen taking up positions in Burma's largest city late in the day, according to news agency reports and videos e-mailed out of the isolated Southeast Asian country.

Here are some really good pics coming out of Burma, via a flickr user.







(* - The title is from an old Monty Python sketch)

UPDATE: Much like Darfur, the key to stopping this oppression appears to be China, the country with the most direct influence on the junta.