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I sincerely hope someone from Apple sees this post on HN and escalate this to resolve the issue. I'm a Myanmar citizen and I have my mother and other relatives

I sincerely hope someone from Apple sees this post on HN and escalate this to resolve the issue. I'm a Myanmar citizen and I have my mother and other relatives living with fear there. The only way I can talk to my mother every day (to check in and see if she is okay) through internet VoIP calls (e.g., we use Viber and sometimes, Messenger if it's not overloaded/slow) is via VPN. I just realized that it's very likely ProtonVPN that she has been using (She refers to it as the 'VPN'. She is not a tech-savvy person, but the tech-savvy people there shared info via Facebook so she was able to figure out how to use the VPN to get around the internet restrictions).

postmodernbrute 6y ago
I wish more people see this and put the people most affected by this decision at the forefront, rather than privileging metaphysical concerns of the uninvolved and uninterested Westerner.
marcus_holmes 6y ago
I hope your family stay safe. I spent some time in Cambodia, and the parallels look chilling. I really hope Myanmar doesn't walk the same road. Anyone in Apple: this is what Cambodian-style fanaticism and genocide looks like when it starts. You can be on the right side of history, or you can make a profit. Your choice. Choose now.
- programmertote 6y ago
  Thank you. I worry very much about my mother and everyone there. Today, the military just wantonly shot and killed a 7-year old girl who was sitting on her grandpa's lap. The military is doing what it can to intimidate citizens. For anyone interested, this site documents SOME of the business interests of the military junta and its cronies. https://data.justiceformyanmar.org/ https://data.justiceformyanmar.org/
  - marcus_holmes 6y ago
    If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. That was the thing that chilled me to the core in Cambodia - the absolute wanton disregard for human life. People were killed for absolutely no reason. Later, they didn't even use bullets, preferring to beat victims to death. When the worth of a human life is less than the worth of a single bullet, that's so fucking scary it's hard to put into words. Like I said, I really hope Myanmar doesn't walk the same road. But I fear it will. And I fear that the West will sit around and do nothing because realpolitik means that these peoples' lives are worth nothing. And then there will be a great wringing of hands and wailing about human rights like there has been in Cambodia. Again, if you work at Apple, do something now. Or look back with guilt and regret.
    - programmertote 6y ago
      Thank you. The Myanmar military is no different than ISIS militia in that they have makeshift trucks loaded with guns and they roam around the city shooting anyone randomly on sight. I have made a comment with the pictures as an example here [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26562272 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26562272]. One thing you could do is to raise awareness about this and maybe donate, if you can, or support these groups: https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/ https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/ https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/ https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/

postmodernbrute 6y ago

I wish more people see this and put the people most affected by this decision at the forefront, rather than privileging metaphysical concerns of the uninvolved and uninterested Westerner.

marcus_holmes 6y ago

I hope your family stay safe. I spent some time in Cambodia, and the parallels look chilling. I really hope Myanmar doesn't walk the same road. Anyone in Apple: this is what Cambodian-style fanaticism and genocide looks like when it starts. You can be on the right side of history, or you can make a profit. Your choice. Choose now.

programmertote 6y ago
Thank you. I worry very much about my mother and everyone there. Today, the military just wantonly shot and killed a 7-year old girl who was sitting on her grandpa's lap. The military is doing what it can to intimidate citizens. For anyone interested, this site documents SOME of the business interests of the military junta and its cronies. https://data.justiceformyanmar.org/ https://data.justiceformyanmar.org/
- marcus_holmes 6y ago
  If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. That was the thing that chilled me to the core in Cambodia - the absolute wanton disregard for human life. People were killed for absolutely no reason. Later, they didn't even use bullets, preferring to beat victims to death. When the worth of a human life is less than the worth of a single bullet, that's so fucking scary it's hard to put into words. Like I said, I really hope Myanmar doesn't walk the same road. But I fear it will. And I fear that the West will sit around and do nothing because realpolitik means that these peoples' lives are worth nothing. And then there will be a great wringing of hands and wailing about human rights like there has been in Cambodia. Again, if you work at Apple, do something now. Or look back with guilt and regret.
  - programmertote 6y ago
    Thank you. The Myanmar military is no different than ISIS militia in that they have makeshift trucks loaded with guns and they roam around the city shooting anyone randomly on sight. I have made a comment with the pictures as an example here [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26562272 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26562272]. One thing you could do is to raise awareness about this and maybe donate, if you can, or support these groups: https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/ https://www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/ https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/ https://www.justiceformyanmar.org/