Hollywood (Agencies, BangkokPost.com) - Actor/director Sylvester Stallone suffered a series of death threats on the Thai-Burmese set of the upcoming movie sequel about heroic John Rambo.
He also provided Hollywood reporters with some unique accounts of events along the frontier that seem more out of one of the Rambo movie scripts than real life.
Stallone and his crew made the movie around the border of Thailand and troubled Burma, where he insists a "full-scale genocide" is currently going on.
The 61-year-old, who witnessed refugees fleeing from Burma to Thailand, and the crew received a "lot of threats" and were warned they'd be shot.
Stallone tells TV show Entertainment Tonight, "It's the most brutal regime in the world and the most secretive. It has an oppressive regime that (keeps all riches) for themselves. Everyone is forced into drugs or prostitution or slavery.
"People are escaping all the time (from Burma), coming over with gaping, maggot-infested wounds, their ears being cut off. You saw a lot of suffering, a lot of malnutrition.
"We were on the Salween River and we were told to get out because we were going to be shot."
Source: Website Bangkok Post – Thailand, 30-9-2007
Here an extract of some of the hundreds of comments made in different Forums which are read world-wide:
“The army crackdown on anti-military demonstrations in September 1988 left an estimated 3,000 people dead, hundreds of whom were monks who had joined the protests.”
“The crackdown has prompted almost universal condemnation of the regime, drawing harsh rebukes even from Burma's neighbours in South-East Asia.”
“Well, the more, the merrier. But having said that, I hope the Thai govt's response to the dictatorship in Burma isn't as sincere as its (initial) World War II allegiance to Japan/German.”.
I never forget a photo in the Bangkok Post of some weeks ago showing General Sonthi, the director of the September 2005-coupe, humble shaking the blood-polluted hands of the leaders of the Burma junta in a friendly good-bye as a pensioner at the end of September this year. Even venting his idea that his successor will not have different ideas concerning Burma as his ideas.
All diplomaticy? Like they say in the Netherlands: “a good neighbour is better than a far friend?
Well, the general did not seemed to be very diplomatic whilst making the Singapore-fuss in accusing them of spying which appeared to be a lie after all only to shake-up the Thai people. Indeed, Singapore knows all about diplomacy by giving general Sonthi a medal because of the good relationship at military level. My comments are stuck!
Antoni P. Uni – Bangkok 30-9-2008
