Resistance to military rule in Myanmar remains steady 2 years after army seized power

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Western nations impose sanctions on military
On the diplomatic front, the military government thumbs its nose at international efforts to defuse the crisis, even those from sympathetic fellow members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose harshest response has been to not invite Myanmar's top military leaders to attend its meetings.

Myanmar's army government rejects virtually all efforts at peacemaking as interference in its internal affairs.

The resistance, by contrast, actively reaches out for international support. It won small, new diplomatic victories Tuesday as the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions meant to squeeze the military's revenue and supply lines. The British and Canadian sanctions are especially noteworthy, as they target the supply of aviation fuel, a move activists have been pleading for to counter the increasing number of airstrikes the pro-democracy forces and their allies in ethnic minority rebel groups have been facing in the field.

"Currently, both sides are not ready to seek a political solution," warned Min Zaw Oo. "The military stalemate won't shift significantly this year, despite more deaths and violence."