"Burma VJ" (video journal) is a moving and shocking account of a recent Buddhist revolution against a totalitarian government. The popular protests that broke out across Rangoon in 2007 were brutally suppressed by police state tactics. Yet, they continue.
PART VI
This movie relies entirely on documentary footage shot by undercover reporters risking their lives to get the movement on film. It has been pieced together to form a picture of the events that took place over months.
It covers the initial protests led by Buddhist monks and nuns. Demonstrations broke out in response to a rise in fuel prices. This was a trigger on top of many government abuses and oppression. The movie also captures the brutal crack down by authorities.
A History of Revolution
Similar uprisings have taken place in other Buddhist countries: Tibet, with Chinese communist repression, Cambodia, with a violent reaction by the fascist Khmer Rogue regime, Nepal, a revolution spurred by Maoists and taken down by nervous pro-China government forces, Thailand, as Red and Yellow shirts or pro- and anti-government parties shut down the country, Laos, Vietnam, and Afghanistan (formerly Buddhist Kapilavastu), where American forces were instrumental in destroying rebellions.
