Both Burma and Thailand have a habit of addressing reality with illusory disdain, as if reality does not matter. When events such as Cyclone Nargis occur, and there is a great deal of suffering, those ruling the country do not view the suffering in humanitarian terms the way the West does.
More than 30,000 people were killed when a destructive cyclone hit Myanmar early this month. But the number of casualties is rising since aid is only slowly reaching the cyclone-ravaged regions. Clean water remains inaccessible. Cholera and other diseases are spreading fast in hundreds of communities. International groups estimate more than 1.5 million people are affected by the disaster.
This week the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka decided that prison officers had violated the rights of a man, Tony Fernando, who was severely tortured while he was in prison custody in 2003. Despite the five-year delay, the judgment and compensation are welcome news in Sri Lanka.
