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WORLD: Horrors of the Saffron Revolution exposed by underground video
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent10 Jul 2009
A video journalist who masterminded the exposure of the slaughter of protesting monks in Burma is seeking international support against the country's military regime.
The man, known for security reasons as Joshua, will be guest of honour at the London premiere of a full-length documentary made from footage shot by underground camera operators.
Speaking shortly after arriving on his first visit to Britain, Joshua said he was touched that Burma VJ will receive a network of simultaneous "saffron premiere" screenings in honour of the 2007 Saffron Revolution - named after the monks' coloured robes.
He called for international support for video journalists who have been tortured and jailed for recording the Burma government's bloody response to civic defiance and smuggling the footage to a worldwide audience.
The documentary has won a high level of support in Britain, where Sarah Brown, the Prime Minister's wife, showed it last month to guests including Mariella Frostrup and civil rights campaigners. From America, Richard Gere has sent his support.
Joshua hopes Burma VJ will lead to thousands more supporting the campaign to topple the regime.
He was in Thailand when the 2007 uprising began, but was in contact with his network of video journalists. Their footage includes a Japanese journalist being shot dead by government soldiers and a close-up of a beaten monk found dead in a Rangoon river.
"I lost lots of my colleagues including my best cameraman, Ko Win Maw, who was tortured in prison and is paralysed," he said.
By the end, half the 20 video journalists with Joshua's Democratic Voice of Burma were in hiding or under arrest. But the brutality had encouraged more to come forward. "Now we have over 50 journalists on the ground and a lot more are waiting for training. We have very few options for fighting back but filming is one of the very effective ways to shame them."
The London premiere of Burma VJ will be hosted by Vivienne Westwood at Bafta on Tuesday.
Reader views (1)
Joshua certainly has my support. Burma truly needs sorting out. No country should be faced with a military junta in this day and age.
- Tony Islander, Herts, 10/07/2009 16:52
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