I read an article in 1999. It's about an English girl, 27 years old Rachel Gowing went to Burma and staged a solo protest in Rangoon calling for a democratic change in Burma. She handcuffed herself to the lamppost and sang a pro-democracy song in Burmese. She was sentenced to seven years in prison for this crime by Burmese military junta. (She was later released after serving two months). In a leading newspaper, it wrote about her story, and in that article, I still remember the idea, not in exact word, "How can tourists visit to Burma today? The regime might arrest the person who may have just whistled 'We shall overcome", a widely popular song of world activists and NGOs". After 9 years, this scenario became real.

Nowadays the regime is scared of mere chanting prayers and Metta Sutra.
"May all harms vanish
May all anger vanish
May all sufferings vanish". The prayers in just about loving kindness and non-threatening to the junta. The regime is afraid of even monks who chant prayers and Metta Sutra of Lord Buddha. They are suffering from a delusion. They see someone wearing religious clothes --Traditionally Burmese men and women wear earth-tone clothes in religious ceremony--. are and feel they may be trouble makers; see someone tying Sutta thread (cotton wrist band), it may be as a signal for anti government movement.

These days, when the senior abbots talked about Dewadat (apostate monk who defied Lord Buddha), they thought they were being targeted. Then they banned preaching of sermons by the abbots and seizing the audio tapes of these popular sermons distributed widely among the population.

Similarly they still show no guts to talk with the opposition. They defended themselves from talking with the opposition leader by issuing Announcement (1/2007) which set pre-conditions for talks with opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. On the other hand, the opposition forces have already told them that there will be ample room for the armed forces in future Burma with due dignity and pride. More importantly, the democratic opposition makes it clear that the struggle is not aimed at abolishing the armed forces, but just calling for reforms in governance and negotiation instead, in consideration for the sake of the country and its people. Even then, they are still reluctant to meet the opposition.

Addtionally, world media is their enemy, they think which is threatening to their survival. Then they are trying to control and restrict the use of internet by issuing draconian rules and regulations and switching connection off and on. Recently, the regime hiked the license fees of satellite dishes drastically, which is tantamount to a virtual ban of the use of these dishes. They seem to believe that if the people were isolated and dozed with state propangada, the people will believe what they say. But obviously, the people don't rely news in their state-media outlets and state-run newspaper 'New Light of Myanmar' just mere nothing to them. Since violent crackdown on sangha protest, Burmese people will no longer believe all their propaganda.

Furthermore, since after September sangha protest, Burma issue reaches attention to international community's radar. The violent crackdown makes the legitimacy of the regime in all time low and currently in international relations, it hurts them as the most serious setback. In whatever regional and some bilateral meeting, in international conferences, Burma becomes an agenda to be discussed. Burma issue is now on the UNSC's radar screen as well. Literally, international policy makers are asking to the SPDC, "what's your points?".

Former Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew called the regime's generals as 'rather dumb' in his recent interview. But the regime failed to launch a diplomatic protest against Singapore. If they have self-confidence, they must summon the Singapore ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and must hand over a protest note for this insult. And even more they can say a strong condemnation to island-state and can threaten that lee's loose tongue might hamper bilateral relation between the two countries. Now how they responded to this remark seems self-admitting. In comparism, there was diplomatic tension between Thailand and Singapore recently. The Singapore government gave a democracy lecture when Thai military staged a coup in September 2006 and then the Singapore received ousted former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatara in Singapore on a private visit. The Thai government protested to Singapore through diplomatic channels and the Thai caretaker government threatened to stop the ongoing military training programs to Singapore soldiers in Thailand under the ASEAN plan. Tension between Thai and Singapore was heightened considerably and could be resolved only after some months. In addition, last year, Indonesian government retialiated island state for one diplomatic hitch by ending their sand export to the island's construction business.

But the Burmese military regime which losts their self-esteem dare not do such diplomatic manoeuvres. If say so, they might even lose their heaven for their precious medical tourism site.

Moreover the US Secretary of State Ms. Condolezza Rice put the Burmese junta in a box of 'the last outposts of tyranny' in her speech. And the first lady Laura Bush publicly called for the regime to step down if they cannot fulfill democratic reforms. But the regime did not dare respond to these two ladies in anyway even by way of diplomatic protest. If they have self-confidence, they can still do something, but when they know they are wrong they just have to suffer. It is very much obvious that the regime morlae is all the time lowest and losing its self-confidence.

The regime is like the pampered and spoiled child of a family. It's like the bully at the home who lost its self-confidence and bullies other younger and weaker children, but kowtow to bigger and stronger children. They rule at home, but turn tail abroad. But the bully regime of Burma is more dangerous than the spoiled child. They holds 400,000 strong army to bully its owned people and racklessly spoiling and damaging its natural resources and its future potential. The spoilt child may break toys and dolls, but the regime damage the whole country and its generations.

After the September monk-led movement, the regime's self-confidence has reached its lowest ebb. Though they say something they know well themselves they cannot do it. They dare not arrest some people, especially the artistes of 'Thee Lay Thee' variety
dance troupe. The regime first sacked them out for their performance and then recalled and reinstated them in their previous posts.

At the same time the people have become bolder knowing that they cannot tolerate the bully anymore. It is obvious from their voices from radio interviews on their grievances more vividly and boldly. The regime doesn't want to hear these voices. They are just pretending they hear nothing and they are so close to the camel in Aesop's fables, digging its head in the sand. They cannot survive any longer in this way and cannot find a solution either.