Myanmar’s killing fields and the weakness of the west

The killing fields of south-east Asia are tragically alive and kicking. Pol Pot, the butcher of Cambodia, may be long cremated. But the military in Myanmar are maintaining his heinous heritage. On Saturday, they indiscriminately gunned down over 100 people, including children. It was the bloodiest sequence in two months of continuous brutality, which has led to the deaths of at least 400 civilians. The demonstrators’ only crime has been to object to the unlawful overthrow of an elected government by the murderous men in uniform. The khaki has tragically trampled over this land of rich natural resources for much of its existence since independence from Britain in 1948.

‘The continuing military crackdown is unacceptable and demands a firm, unified and resolute international response’, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said. Joe Biden called it ‘absolutely outrageous’. Britain and the European Union joined the chorus of condemnation. But to no avail.