Horror in Burma
Sep 28th, 2007 by Dave Olson
It’s easy for citizens and journalists alike to take freedom of the press lightly here in the states. We spend a lot of time arguing about the ridiculous — Britney’s latest breakdown, John Edward’s haircut or hot weather in August.
Sometimes it takes something like the above photo from Burma to remind us all that in many places, journalism is not a game but a dangerous profession.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the man on the ground is Kenji Nagai, 50, a Japanese photographer who was one of at least nine people killed Thursday by Burmese troops cracking down on anti-government demonstrations in Rangoon.
Another photo shows Nagai, who was working for Tokyo-based APF News, continued taking photographs even as he was dying of his injuries.
The Burmese government has also moved to stop the flow of information about their brutal response to widespread demonstrations led by Buddhist monks. Already today, according to CPJ, they have disconnected nearly all cell phone service in Rangoon and are moving to block the Internet.
That makes the work of people like Nagai all the more important.