In nations where dissent is a crime, there may be continuing and Unreported disasters

[Boojatta]

When they suffer a natural disaster, you may hear statistics or details about suffering. However, if the people who are suffering from the disaster are governed by an authority that refuses to allow aid to enter the country, then what else has been happening that is not reported? Is it assumed that if a cyclone can strike Burma then it can strike America, but that Americans are immune from the hazard of living under a seriously evil government?

Earthquakes don't pick out potential members of what the British call "her majesty's loyal opposition" in a country where any kind of opposition is by definition both non-loyal and criminal. Should ordinary Americans feel a responsibility to help victims of random circumstance if they aren't making any effort to help in the long-term project of developing methods for helping victims of malicious, authoritarian governments?

The good news is that the "People's Liberation Army" in China might actually in some cases benefit people and alleviate the effects of the earthquake. However, what about the secret police in China? Do the secret police in China have no abilities other than detection and punishment of thoughtcrime?

What's the most effective way to help people who live where dissent is outlawed? Is it possible that some magazines, newspapers, radio stations, or TV stations could make a contribution to helping those people?