BURMA DIGEST

This week in London, the fundraising event for the Internally Displaced People (IDP) of Burma hopefully would display enough photographs of families who are affected by the undoubtedly brutal military junta. The images in today’s media play a significant role in shaping our views on events around world. The most recent notable example of images overtaking the words is the war in Lebanon. Last week in the Guardian newspaper in UK, Amir Gissin of the Public Relations Department of Israeli Defence force admitted the defeat of his department over the powerful images of human casualties in Lebanon.

In his own words he said his English-speaking spokespeople could not compete with the power of the pictures of civilians killed in the Israeli attack on Lebanese towns like Qana. He described his new role as someone who runs Israel’s Explanation Department. The Hizbuallah terrorist group of the Palestinian movement cause havoc for Israeli government in the global media with heaps of pictures of innocent civilians killed by the Israeli attack. The plight of refugees in IDP is overlooked by the global media in the face of powerful images of Lebanon and many other parts of Middle East. It is not to suggest that Burmese democracy movement can go down the same road of violence in Middle East in order to cater the global media awareness and ultimately win the sympathy of people around the world.

The presentation of images is crucial in swaying public’s opinion in the world. The sign for images taking over words is prevalent in today’s world. According to the sources close to the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Aung San Suu Kyi claim that both the party and Nobel laureate have secretly urged the Burmese exile radio stations not to broadcast the news on human rights abuse into the country with the fear that it would deter people from rising against the regime. The said argument laid out by the NLD deserves endorsement from the point of view of political motivation amongst people inside Burma. The merits of the argument can be measured in it’s own right but the current trend of images overtaking words in the international media can not be ignored.

A number of documentaries have been produced on the Internally Displaced People of Burma but it seems it has not sufficiently won the hearts and mind of the world population. In my own opinionated views the refugees in the IDP camps don’t narrate their stories powerfully to the camera or there is a cultural element in narrow defition which prevents them from showing their emotions with concrete backing evidence. Reviewing a most recent documentary made by Evan Williams shown on The Dispatch program on Channel 4 in UK, the refugees from IDP come across overly hospitable to the journalist, which almost made their imageless ordeal of destitution caused by the military regime as stories from novels.

In London one can often come across journalists who moan about not getting enough materials from Burma. The news materials that the Burmese democracy movement provides to the journalist should be a worthy enough for them to fight their corners with the TV Channels. Evan Williams used incredibly old video clips in his documentary which surprised many Burma watchers in UK with professionalism of the journalist.

The virtue of democracy cannot be fought with propaganda laden war alike the military junta does but the presentation of truth with style and accuracy cannot be overlooked at it in making a case for world’s attention or seeking attention. I do not argue a case for refugees from IPD to weep with clutching pictures of their loved ones to the camera but it is necessary if there is a need to so without manufacturing the events. The advocacy groups working with the IDP people can work towards smuggling digital cameras across several villages affected or risk being affected by the atrocities of junta. We now in the world with approximately 2 billion TV viewers and they have mammoth power to mobilize their governments and react to the Burmese military junta’s atrocities.

Amir Gissin talked last week of plans to get Israeli video onto sites like YouTube which he said were viewed by opinion “shapers”. And his cousin Dr Ra’anan Gissin, formerly Ariel Sharon’s media adviser, has endorsed the idea of having picture power at the country’s disposal ready for future conflicts. Referring to Israel’s opponents, he put it in his usual direct way: “You need to shoot a picture before you shoot them.” Ironically, Gen Than Shwe’s daughter’s video appeared on the YouTube before the Ariel Sharon’s pictures.

Yes your suggestion is 100% right. Had the Burmese pro-democracy movement been properly doing the media exercise they would have been in power now.

Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .