The manoeuvre is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee.
"Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman's pants* or sarong will make them lose their strength," Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.
*I'm pretty sure this is the British use of pants to mean underwear.
I would really love a fact check on this superstition. Everything I can google up cites this same source - representatives of this organization trying to run this campaign - and googling the organization just turns up more articles about panties. I can't find anything from before this campaign started.
I have some old underwear that I could stand to get rid of, I could even arrange for traces of menstruation if that would help, and frankly I think it's a hilarious protest if its basis is actually true. But, given that there are weirdos out there who would pay money for used women's underwear, I don't want to send my underwear out to strangers unless I am more certain that it would produce the desired effect.
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