Zarganar was given a 45-year prison sentence last week after he was convicted on charges related to interviews he gave to foreign media outlets, expressing disappointment over the way the government has dealt with the disaster.  A court inside Burma’s Insein prison sentenced him to 14 more years on Thursday, bringing his total prison term to 59 years, his lawyer said.

Burma’s military, which has held power since 1962, tolerates no dissent. It frequently arrests artists and entertainers regarded as opposing the regime.

It has further ramped up its crackdown on dissent since Buddhist monks led pro-democracy protests in September 2007.

The government holds more than 2,100 political prisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 in June 2007, before the demonstrations, according to international human rights groups.

The military government’s wave of harsh sentences has been condemned worldwide by Western governments and human rights groups. They contend that the sentences make a mockery of the ruling junta’s professed plan to restore democracy with a 2010 election.

Zarganar’s lawyer, Khin Htay Kywe, said he was convicted Thursday for causing public alarm, a reference to his interviews with foreign media, and for communicating with exiled dissidents, among other charges.

Zarganar, whose birth name is Maung Thura, was among at least 100 people to receive sentences of two to 65 years since early November. Many of the trials were held in closed sessions, sometimes without defense lawyers or family present.

He has been imprisoned several times before, including a three-week stint for providing aid to those who demonstrated last year.

Compare this to the Kangaroo T-shirt activists, and you understand why not many people pay any attention to Singapore’s political activism efforts.

SDP Assistant Secretary-General, Mr John Tan, along with Shafi’ie and Isrizal, were slapped with a $5,000 fine and sentenced to 15 days and 7 days imprisonment each, respectively, for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a kangaroo in a judge’s gown during the defamation hearing between Lee Kuan Yew and the Singapore Democrats.

Compared to the Burmese case, the penalties imposed here seem almost paltry. And compared to Zagarnar’s actions in speaking out for the 84,000 countrymen who have died, the wearing of Kangaroo T-shirts is a ludicrous, laughable attempt at activism.

Then again, do visit Chia Ti Lik and MollyMeek, who have such wonderful perspectives on the Kangaroo T-shirts.

Anyhow, votes and public opinion are not won when you do something silly like that, then make a lot of noise when you get — expectedly — arrested and convicted.

Until Singapore activists stop these farcical acts they call “civil disobedience”, Singaporeans are going to continue to believe they deserve what they got coming.

For those who missed the news (WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN???), here is Obama’s victory speech.

“Change has come!” says Mr Obama. But has it really?

We can only hope.

Compare Barack Obama to Singapore’s president S. R. Nathan.

Both are from a minority race in their respective countries, both numerically and politically. Both are now presidents. And as we know all too clearly, the latter has done nothing for this country except make a public appearance to wave at the public a few times a year.

We congratulate Mr Obama on his victory, and applaud the Americans for being bigger than racism.

Hopefully, the 44th U.S. President will bring about the “change” he has been promising, and do more than just sit around and collect a multi-million dollar salary. Oh wait, Obama isn’t going to get a multi-million dollar salary! Sorry, I forgot, the U.S. President earns five times less than his Singaporean counterpart.

Sen. Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States. It is worth pausing a moment just to digest that reality.

A very liberal, 47-year-old rookie senator with no military background – who is not only black but has a last name eerily similar to the man who masterminded the 9/11 attacks and a middle name identical to that of the man whose country we foolishly invaded in response to those attacks – is about to assume the nation’s highest elected office. Three years ago, an aspiring screenwriter peddling a script with this story line would have been laughed out of every studio in Hollywood.

But rub your eyes and cue “Hail to the Chief,” for here he comes: President Barack Hussein Obama.

What does Mr. Obama’s victory mean?

It means that America has shown the world yet again it is capable of the improbable, the transformational: A majority-white country has elected a nonwhite president. Having traveled this year to speak about our elections in a diverse quartet of countries – Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa – I can assure you that people in all four were both rooting overwhelmingly for Mr. Obama and fully convinced the American people were incapable of electing him because of his race.

The Baltimore Sun

Elated supporters took to the streets of Chicago, Washington, Atlanta and other cities across the globe, dancing and cheering for their candidate.

“This is the most wonderful night of my life,” said an emotional David White, who grew up during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

White said he remembers when African-Americans couldn’t go to amusement parks and didn’t think a day like this was achievable.

“I’ve seen this country vindicate itself,” he said. “I welled up with tears just looking at the turnout … I just thank God that I was alive to see it.”

CNN

Truly, I am happy Obama won. Now, perhaps it is time for change to come to Singapore too!