Myanmar

The images of the violent repression in Myanmar have stirred something in me. Not just a sense of outrage, but also a deep appreciation for the freedoms that I enjoy as a Kenyan and for the people who sacrified their lives to make it happen.

source: Times online

Read more Burmese stories and about how bloggers worldwide took action on yesterday's "International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October".

Follow these brave bloggers and read about the reaction of the military regime in Burma at Times online:

"Armed with small digital cameras, they have documented the spectacular growth of the demonstrations from crowds of a few hundred to as many as 100,000. On weblogs they have recorded in words and pictures the regime’s bloody crackdown, in a city where only a handful of foreign journalists work undercover. With downloaded software, they have dodged and weaved around the regime’s increasingly desperate attempts to thwart their work. Now the bloggers, too, have been crushed. Having failed to stop the cyber-dissidents broadcasting to the world, the authorities have simply switched off the internet.

Now Ko Latt and his blogging comrades have abandoned their keyboards and gone underground, sleeping in a different place every night, watching and waiting to see if the democracy movement has been truly crushed or is simply on hold. “When things were hot on the streets, we were not the main worry,” Ko Latt says. “But as the situation cools down, they will follow us. They know who we are, they know we are bloggers, and I am afraid.”"

Follow Burmese bloggers and their resistance in Ko Htike's blog as well as on Burmese Bloggers without Borders.

(Picture taken by racoles.)

The Indian economy has been growing rapidly the last few years and necessarily requires enormous amounts of energy for it. As it is dependent on imported hydrocarbon fuels for its needs, it has an interest in those states which are potential energy suppliers. The stability of Myanmar is a matter of concern for India as it is considering investing US$ 150 million in natural gas exploration there.

• Mizzima News: Speculation over possible confrontation among Burmese generals
• Telegraph: Japanese man killed in Burma: Pictures
• New America Media: Photo of the Day - Monks protesting in Myanmar
• Channel 4: Burma - a journalist's report
• The Burma Campaign
• Profiles of "The Lady" Aung San Suu Kyi on the Telegraph and BBC

Find a dossier with information about the current crisis and its background in Burma on BBC online and related articles and sources in our archive.

Watch a video on how the peaceful demonstration turns into violence against the protestors on Telegraph TV.

As the situation in Burma escalates, the world can't help but notice the blatant disregard the ruling military junta has for basic human rights. Dedicated to realizing a democratic future, protesters have grown to an estimated 100,000 people.

In an extraordinary display of solidarity, Burma civilians created a human chain around the protesting monks to protect them against armed soldiers. Scenes such as these remind us that being part of a democratic system is often taken for granted. To find out more about Burma situation, take a look at Al Jazeera and BBC for detailed articles and multimedia content.

In an age of widespread communication technology, secret footage was smuggled out of the country and posted online to display the worsening situation.