Tiananmen Redux

By David Aikman

The Burmese Army's crackdown on the country's brave young monks, who protested in the capital's streets, is becoming really horrible. The government admits ten people have been killed. But literally thousands of monks and civilians have been taken away from monasteries and homes, and foreign diplomats in Burma, not wanting to be identified, have speculated that those killed by the regime could run into the hundreds. British ambassador Mark Canning speaks of the international community's "revulsion" at what has happened.

Ironically, the only country that seems to be in a position to influence the generals away from violence is China, which supports Burma wholeheartedly and cracked down on its own democratic movement 18 years ago. But China's interest is mainly in avoiding instability on its southern border, not in brokering a transition to democracy.

China set the precedent for this type of military suppression nearly two decades ago.

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