In 1989, I was glued to the television for weeks watching the pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square make their peaceful case for democracy. The entire world could watch because of the footage that was broadcast.

In Burma, foreign journalists are banned. In 1988 information about the junta’s crackdown was limited, and verbal. But thanks to the internet, which even the most oppressive of regimes don’t quite seem to be able to quash, ordinary citizens in Rangoon are sending updates, photos, and videos to the world through sites like:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7011884.stm

There may not be many more reports making it out of the country, as the regime moves to limit bandwidth further, so read while you can.