It is sad that there is no sign of freedom even in time of 60th Independence Anniversary. The Junta controls everything now. In these days, because of the experiences of the September Saffron Revolution, all news media in Burma is strictly censored and tightly controlled by the military junta. All daily newspapers, radio and television stations are under regime's supervision.

The 60th Independence Anniversary in Burma was just like any other day. Six members of the NLD were detained to repress true rememberence of Gen. Aung San who is all but written out of the history books in Burma.

As Kyaw Zwa Moe, a journalist from Irrawaddy magazine, puts it

"Independence didn't bring liberty, prosperity or happiness to the Burmese people," he said.

"When we talk to young people in Rangoon and in the country, they don't even notice today is Independence Day."

There is truly nothing to celebrate and the restrictive military government is closing off it's people from the world more and more every day.

Prior to the Independence Day, Burma's military junta surprisingly made a futile attempt to control sources of information that the country's general public keep going to access. Without earlier warning, the military junta has instructed to the satellite dish owners to follow a verbal order imposing a huge amount of 1 million kyat for the annual satellite television tax. The order has been taken place as an observable jab to prevent people watching international news broadcasts. The action signals that Burma's Independence is non-existing now.

Dish owners who have to pay a 6,000 kyat ($ 5) license fee in last year were informed that the fee for dishes had been unexpectedly raised to 1 million kyat, about ten times average income of a government senior officer.

Last week a newly formed umbrella group, the Steering Committee of Mass Movement or SCMM, issued an open letter to the government calling for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners including those arrested during the September uprising.

"If we start genuine dialogue one day earlier, the country will benefit by one day; but the country will fail if the talks are delayed," said the umbrella group in the open letter. "So we are willing to work together with a constructive attitude and approach to meaningful and inclusive dialogue as soon as possible."

The group is comprised of 12 pro-democracy and professional groups, including the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, the 88 Generation Students group, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, the Burma Muslim League for Peace, the Burma Lawyers' Union, the New Generation Journalists Union (Burma), the Organizing Committee of Mass Movement (Mandalay), the Committee of Mass Movement (Rangoon Division), and The Association of Writers and Artists.

There is still some Burmese language radio stations - BBC, VOA, Radio Free Asia and Democratic Voice of Burma. Ironically cheap radio's from China make these programs easily available in Burma.

Gen. Than Shwe did not attend ceremonies but ordered a message to be released to the public calling for unity under the "roadmap to democracy". A plan which only tightens the generals grip on power while pacifying international critics lacking a backbone to take more serious action, or who have willingly put themselves in a position to have their hands tied by Russian and Chinese veto's on the floor the of the United Nations Security Council.