A little background on Burma

I thought I would provide a little background information on the current political situation in Burma for those of you who had never heard of the country before last September (not uncommon). The information is largely stolen from a recent travelogue of a former traveling companion of mine, Tom Grundy. Thanks, Tom!

Between 1987-88, the long-suffering Burmese people grew tired of their incompetent and arrogant military government and packed the streets in huge pro-democracy demonstrations. It was prophesized that Myanmar would finally become a free country on the auspicious date of 8/8/88 – instead, the state brutally came down on its own people, resulting in over 3000 deaths in 3 months. The socialist system was replaced with a capitalist one, the government doubled the size of the army (currently 400,000 strong) and called an election in 1990. The democrats won by 82% but were never allowed to take power; their leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was placed under house arrest, where she remains today.

Since 1988, the widespread use of forced and child labor has been systematic – the UN rightly calls this a 'crime against humanity'. Rape is used as a weapon of war against ethnic groups - women and children. At least 1,300 political prisoners are currently in detention, many of whom are routinely tortured (as the 'fieriest' corner of the British Empire, the junta inherited a large prison capacity). 1 in 10 babies die before their fifth birthday and there are more child soldiers (70,000) than any other country in the world. Nearly half the government budget is spent on the military, and just 19p per person per year invested in health. Over 60% of Burmese people live in extreme poverty, on less than 60p a day. Censorship is rife and people are afraid to speak out for fear of torture and detention. In an effort to clean up its image internationally, it hired a Washington DC public relations firm to help 're-brand' its despicable activities. It went on to launch 'Visit Myanmar Year 1996' after employing forced labour to build up its tourism infrastructure.

As we recently saw, it is suspected that thousands more peaceful protesters, led by monks - held in great reverence and respect in the communities they serve - were beaten or killed whilst standing up for their rights again last September.

Now after Cyclone Nargis 100,000 citizens are dead with many more likely to lose their lives as the government refuses foreign aid in order to keep the doors of their country closed.

Ways you can help - Demonstrations and Letter Campaigns

I am not one to post emotions on a blog, however, I have to share that I have had a very difficult time during the last few days trying to reconcile my typical privileged New York lifestyle with the reality that 100,000 Burmese people have died from Cyclone Nargis and many more stand to if the Burmese government continues to refuse aid from relief organizations hovering on the border just waiting for the go-ahead.

Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that all of the generous donations people have made over the last few days in response will be justly used. I say justly because right now the Burmese government is willing to accept the aid, but not the emergency workers that come along with it. In a place where a government beats monks, jails peaceful activists, not only fails to warn their own citizens of an impending natural disaster but also suppresses communication of this information, a whole lot of money with no accountability could be a very bad thing.

And so today, in addition to any donations you might have made through the Google promotion page or any other organization, I have two new suggestions of ways to get involved.

1. Attend a demonstrations.
Demonstrations have been organized in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston and Dallas beginning today and running through the weekend. (See below for details.)

2. Write a letter to the UN Security Council demanding that the government of Burma allow international aid and aid workers to enter the country and help the victims of cyclone Nargis.
If you aren't up to writing a letter from scratch, you can simply sign a template and hit send at: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1189/t/5102/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24494

That's all for now. Off to the United Nations!

Cezu tinbadeh,
Susan


New York City, Friday, May 9th (today!)
UN Demonstration, 3:00-5:00 PM
Location: Ralph Bunche Park, United Nations. 434d and 1st Ave

Candle Light Vigil, 7:00 PM
Location: Union Square
http://nyburmaroundtable.googlepages.com

San Francisco, Friday, May 9th (today!)
Protest/Rally, Speakers & Vigil
Rally 4:00-6:00 PM
Speakers 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Prayers & Vigil 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: San Francisco Federal Building/Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Office, 450 Golden Gate Avenue (@Larkin)
www.badasf.org

Washington DC, Sunday, May 11th
Prayer Vigil, 10:00 AM
Location: Burmese Buddhist Temple

Protest, 6:00 PM
Location: In front of SPDC attache (2300 California Ave)

Boston, Saturday, May 10th
Fundraiser, 12:00-4:00 PM
Location: Yoma Restaurant, 5 N Beacon St, Allston
http://harvardbam.blogspot.com

Dallas, Saturday May 10th
Prayer Service and Fundraiser, time tbd
Location: Thanksgiving Square, 1627 Pacific Ave (between Akard and Bryan), Dallas

Google Works to Help Victims of Cyclone Nargis

It is not uncommon for me to feel fortunate to be a Googler (a name those of us who work at Google go by). Afterall, we are working together to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. That's one important mission. And on top of that we work on cool projects, have great benefits and are quite the social bunch.

However, it is days like these that make me beam with pride and feel eternally grateful to be part of such a powerful, involved company. Here's why...

In response to the devastation in Burma, a team of people comprised of 20+ employees across several organizations - .org team members, product managers, marketing managers, webmasters, government relations folks, PR folks, etc. - have come together in the last two days to brainstorm and create solutions to assist with relief efforts in Burma. These efforts include launching a homepage promotion asking users to support victims; partnering with UNICEF and Direct Relief International, both on the ground in Burma, to ensure that every cent of these donations go directly to the relief efforts; providing cyclone imagery to better understand the damage.

You can check out the Google blog post for details:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/helping-victims-of-cyclone-nargis.html

For ease of reading I have also included the post with related links below.

Of course, in additional to being informed, I would like to humbly request that each of you consider supporting Google and these other hard working relief organization's efforts by donating to one of the organizations on the ground via the Checkout page Google has set up - http://www.google.com/myanmarcyclone/

Thanks in advance for your support!

Humbly,
Susan

Helping victims of Cyclone Nargis

5/06/2008 07:20:00 PM

Posted by Josh Mendelsohn, Program Manager

Over the past few days, we've followed the devastation left in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma). News reports have tallied more than 22,000 dead with another 41,000 missing. We're extremely saddened by the loss of life due to this cyclone, and hope you'd like to help assist with the relief effort.

As we did after last fall's wildfires in Southern California, we've created a Checkout Donations page so you can easily donate to UNICEF or Direct Relief International. Both organizations are working to directly assist the victims on the ground in Myanmar.

To help visualize the damage, there are Google Earth layers showing an animation of the cyclone's path (using satellite imagery from the Naval Research Laboratory) and the extent of the flooding using data from the UN Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). We'll keep posting information to the Lat-Long Blog as more data comes available.

There are also several Google Grants non-profits working to provide relief to those affected. Save the Children currently has a 500-person staff in the area, while Oxfam America has committed $800,000 to help NGOs meet the immediate needs of people. World Vision and Doctors Without Borders are also taking action with two of the most vulnerable populations in the crisis: children and the injured. We are pleased to be working with and supporting these organizations that are contributing directly to cyclone relief. We encourage you to visit them and consider lending them your support, too. For more details on these organizations and other non-profits providing support for the victims of the disaster, visit the Google Grants blog.

Cyclone Nargis

Friends,

As I'm sure most of you have heard, tragedy has struck Burma in a profound way for the second time in the last 9 months. This time it has taken the form of a horrific natural disaster that some sources are saying may have killed 22,000 people with another 41,000 missing.

A brief summary for those of you who haven't been following...
Last Friday, May 2, Cyclone Nargis moved into lower Myanmar along the Irrawaddy Delta of Burma and continued to move through the country through the course of the next day, devastating many rural cities as well as the countries former capital, Yangon. Half of the countries population, nearly 53 million people, have been affected by the cyclone.

Survivors are starving with water, food and power almost entirely unavailable. In places where scarce resources are available, prices for basic necessities have jumped over 300%. Fear of survival has resulted in looting. Tens of thousands of homes have been devastated and there are no supplies to begin building. Telephone and internet lines (with a few exceptions) are down.

To add to the devastation, Burmese people have become more disheartened to learn that their government had warning of the storm but made no effort to communicate it out. Instead, they evacuated their own people and possessions and focused on drumming up support for this weekend's upcoming constitutional referendum, for which they still expect people to vote. Warning did finally go out via foreign outlets, including Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, but the timing was much too late.

The military government has continued to disappoint its people as relief efforts are minimal. Many citizens have indicated that there were far more military personnel in the streets to squelch the monk-led peace uprising last September than there are now. Not as prominently in the news, it has also been reported that 36 prisoners at the Insein Prison were killed in "cyclone-related incidents" when the roof of the jail blew off and riots broke out. Insein is home to many important revolutionaries of the democracy movement in Burma, most of who are unjustly being held.

It is unclear at this time how we can best help the people of Burma. Though Burma is generally adverse to the help of foreign aid, they have indicated they will open up to assistance from the United Nations during this time of need. There is a UN presence on the ground in Burma and they are doing their best to assess the situation and understand the greatest needs. In a press conference hosted by Laura Bush yesterday, Bush indicated that the US Embassy in Myanmar will provide $250k in emergency support with a commitment to providing broader support if Myanmar will allow a U.S. disaster assistance response team to enter the country.

I will be back in touch as stories evolve and more information is available regarding ways we can help. In the meantime, I appreciate your prayers and positive energy for the people of Burma.

Regards,
Susan

- - - - -
Below is a press release published yesterday from the National League for Democracy of Burma:

National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)
News Release

Emergency situation in Rangoon
Because of the Cyclone called Nargis of 190 km (120 mile) per hour, ripped through Irrawaddy delta and hit Rangoon on the night of Friday, 90 percent of big trees and electricity
poles have fallen down and electricity was cut off. From Friday night on, there was totally black out at night in Rangoon. Water distribution system also damaged causing Rangoon
suffering from water shortage. Transportation was also affected due to trees blocking road and streets. Motor high way and rail ways stopped their function. Trains coming from Pegu
division had to stop at Hmaw Bi as they couldn't go forward Rangoon.

As there is no electricity, CNG cannot be bought for public transportation vehicles. Gasoline price jumped up from 5000 kyat to 1,500 kyat per gallon. Only today, some public
transportation buses can start their routine. Bus fares are 300 kyat for one or two bus stops and 500 or 1000 kyat for further places depending on distance; for example, 500 kyat from Shwepyi Thar Township to Insein Township, 500 kyat from Bahan Township to downtown and 1500 kyat from Okkalapa Township to downtown. It is said that a people started walking from his home in Hlaingtharyar at 8 o'clock a.m. and arrived to downtown at 6 p.m. Hlaingtharyar. Commodity prices also rise up; 1000 kyat for 3 duck eggs, 500 kyat for small bottled water, even 1000 kyat in some places. No shop is selling rice. All departmental stores were closed down fearing loot.

Some restaurants opened at first, but closed down due to lack of raw materials. There were some robberies in Thaketa, Dala, Botataung, and Kyeemyindine, township. Last night, it was reported that Nyaungbin Lay market was looted. Kyeemyinedine Night bazaar was also threatened so people from nearby quarters had to guard the bazaar. There was a robbery in Thein Byu market also. A mob in South Dagon attempted to loot some shops as there is nothing to eat or drink.

If there is no emergency assistance for drinking water, there will be a great trouble for people. Although people broke water pipe line, there is no water coming in the pipe line. People in the living quarters broke water pipe for extinguishing fire and distribute water among them. In some place near down town, water from water well was taken and distributed to people
living in the quarter. At that time, people from other places came by car and attempted to take water by pumps and clashes broke out.

The hard hit areas of the storm were Hlaingthar Yar, Shwepyithar, North and South Dagon, Dala and Seikkyi Khanaungto Townships. In Hlaingtharyar, roofs from the factories ripped
off and small houses in shanty town were gone with the wind. People had to live in monasteries for emergency shelter. Most of them had no food and shelter at all after the storm. Some houses near North Dagon were fallen down and remaining houses were flooded in the water.

NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY (Liberated Area)
2 - 2
All hospitals private and public cannot provide service so that most of patients were forced to discharge from hospitals such as Shwegondine Specialist Clinic, Asia Tawwin, Sakura in Sanchaung, etc. It was reported that roofs of Shwegondine Specialist Clinic flew away during storm and water came in from elevator way. Side pagodas in Shwedagon pagoda were
severely damaged and than umbrella of Naung Taw Gyi pagoda fell down. Kyaw Thun pagoda, Chauk Htat Kyee and Koe Htat Kyee pagodas also damaged. Stair ways of Sule
pagoda were also damaged and umbrella of the pagoda also smashed. All pagodas in Rangoon were closed down. At Rangoon quaysides and jetties, some ships were sunk. Thila
War jetty is one of the hard hit and cranes and some machinery were damaged there. Roofs of markets in down town Rangoon ripped off and closed down for security and
renovation. Small vendors in alleys sell food and meat. Cooking oil cannot be bought. No vegetable is available. The price for pork soars up to 8000 to 10000 kyat per one viss. It is
1500 kyat for a packet of candle, but not available. Prices for iron nail for roofing rise up from 3000 kyat to 3000 kyat per one viss. Price for one roofing sheet rises up to 15000 per
sheet.

It is reported that there were some casualty in Dala Township as people fell down into flooded water during storm. But casualty and the wounded cannot be estimated. Small ferry
boats in Rangoon River were sunk and one of them sank in them middle of river with full passengers. Nobody can estimate casualty, wounded, and damage in Rangoon. There is no
electricity, no water, no drinking water, no adequate transportation, almost no telephone connection in Rangoon. People in Rangoon had to rely on oversea radio for news and
information.

The authorities and army personals are clearing roads and trees and taking security only near the quarters where their military officials live. People living at the rest of Rangoon had to
take their own security and find their own ways to solve their problems such as food, shelter and clothes. People estimated that damages cannot be reconstructed within one or two
months. No police men or military people showed up for security. No authorities came and helped people. People from Rangoon were desperate and angry at authorities for lack of any assistance.

Information Department
National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)
Contact: U Nyo Ohn Myint, Mobile Phone No. (66) (0) 897003432
Email: nyomyint@hotmail.com
May 5, 2008

Burma Peace Vigil at UN Plaza

On October 24 I joined 30 or so Burma peace activists for a peace march and vigil at the United Nations Plaza in New York. I was impressed with the passion of the attendees, comprised of Burmese refugees, college students from a local liberal arts school, members of a particularly politically active local Buddhist monastery and other random folks who care about what's going on.

You can view photos of the event here: http://szphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3857830#223354442

The arrival at the UN Plaza marked the end of an 155 mile peace walk from Albany, NY, for a dozen of the rally attendees.
View an interview of one of the walk leaders here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBnUAGExVSA&feature=related
And an overview of the journey here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Hw55FE-hk

At the rally I met a number of interesting people and also shared a Burmese meal out of the back of a minivan. In true Burmese fashion, the Burmese leaders sharing the food with us insisted that we eat first and eat plentifully.

It has been almost two months since the monk/citizen uprising in Burma and subsequent violent retaliation by the Burmese military. The events of late September have faded from the news and all but been forgotten, with the exception of those who are passionate about the cause and actively seek out updates, yet peace is far from present in Myanmar. Groups like ASEAN and the UN continue to debate how best to deal with Myanmar and countries like the US contemplate how to effectively impose sanctions. Pressure is being put on the Myanmar government to re-publish death toll numbers from September riots as informed sources are confident the number is significantly higher than 5. Internet access (however shoddy) is yet to be restored.

I encourage anyone interested enough in reading this blog post to stay informed on the situation and attempt to effect change as the opportunities present themselves.

Burma -- What we can do to help

Susan's Email to friends and family requesting awareness and action on behalf of the people of Burma.
October 8, 2007

Mingalaba Friends and Family,

Sorry for another mass email (note, this is NOT a forward), but I've been spending a lot of time thinking about how someone as insignificant as myself might be able to make a slight difference in what's going on in Burma. I was overwhelmed by the number of "I wore my red t-shirt" responses I got from all of you after my last email so I thought you might be interested in making a difference again.

I've collected a few simple yet significant ideas of things we can do to help promote awareness and support the cause. For a little fun, I've divided them into specific hobbies/interest areas. I would really appreciate your support by participating in any or all of the below, and if you feel comfortable, encouraging your friends to do so as well.

If, on the other hand, my emails are starting to annoy you, please let me know and I'll take you off the list. :)

-- AWARENESS --

For online news readers and community goers ...

• Set Up a Google Alert -- Did you know you can set up an alert with Google News to receive updated news as it's posted to the web (or however frequently you like). Set up a news alert for Burma by entering "Burma" or "Myanmar" as your key word at the following site: http://www.google.com/alerts
• Join a Group on Facebook -- I recommend Burma:The Truth and/or Support the Monks of Burma
  
• Bookmark Some Blogs (or start your own) -- Some blogs straight out of Burma despite the internet crack down include:
  [1] http://burmesedayze.blogspot.com/
  [2] http://www.xanga.com/dawn_1o9
  [3] http://ko-htike.blogspot.com
• Tim (my brother) and I have also started our own blog at: http://susanandtimonburma.blogspot.com
  

For film aficionados ...

• YouTube Videos from Burma -- Check out some of the videos that brave videographers in Burma have managed to upload to YouTube despite the internet crackdown. Following are a few links:
  [1] Monks Praying Soldiers Shooting in Burma -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0heX0k8pnB0
  [2] Riot at Shwe Dagon Pagoda East gate in Burma -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcQ8zMpthis
  [3] Buddhist Monks Leading Protest in Rangoon Burma - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2_EKx2KZ9A
  [4] Brutality in Burma - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LymH0aPenBM

Also, if you're interested in some background information and a glimpse into life in Burma, I recommend the following:

• Links:
  [1] Burma protests -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/asia_pacific/2007/burma/default.stm
  [2] Burma's hardline generals -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3755684.stm
  [3] Burma's 1988 protests -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7012158.stm
  [4] Bush on Burma -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7015465.stm
• Books:
  [1] The River of Lost Footsteps, Thant Myint-U - http://www.amazon.com/River-Lost-Footsteps-Histories-Burma/dp/0374163421
  [2] Letters from Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi - http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Burma-Aung-San-Suu/dp/0140264035

-- ACTION --

For lobbyists ...

• Lobby Chevron, a gas company which pays millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties to the current military junta, TOMORROW, October 9, from 1:00 - 3:00 PM PDT via phone, (925) 842-1000, or fax (415) 894-6817. Ask for David O'Reilly, Chevron CEO. Learn more about this effort at: http://protestchevron.blogspot.com/
  

For petitioners ...

• Sign Online Petitions
  [1] Sign a petition calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to compel Burma towards valid national reconciliation: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/uscampaignforburma/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=730&t=HomePage.dwt
  [2] Sign a petition calling on the UN Security Council and Chinese President Hu Jintao to oppose a violent crackdown on the demonstrators and support genuine reconciliation and democracy: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1

For artists ...

• Tag Your Neighborhood with Orange Monks -- Join the worldwide "Saffron Revolution" by printing out a stencil from the following website, picking up a can of orange spray paint and committing a deviant art act in the name of a good cause. To download a stencil and see some photos of saffron revolution artists around the world, check out: http://saffronrevolutionworldwide.blogspot.com/
  

For videographers ...

• Create a Video for the Next CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate -- You can submit your video/learn more about this idea by going to http://www.youtube.com/debates
  

For prayerful people ...

• Say a prayer for the people of Burma and add them to the list of any prayer groups you participate in
  

For donors ...

• Donate Money - You can donate money to the US Campaign for Burma at: http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/join/joinnow.html (Note, I am not personally familiar with this organization, but they are referenced across the web and appear legit. I am looking into other organizations as well. If you're a Googler, fyi, I'm looking into setting up this organization for charitable gift matching. Stand by for more info.)

Once again, thanks for taking the time to listen! Please forward as you see fit.

Dada,
Susan

Red Shirts for Burma

Susan's Email to friends and family requesting everyone wear a red t-shirt on "Red Tshirt for Myanmar" day.
September 27, 2007

Friends,

Tomorrow, September 28, is "Wear a red shirt in support of the protesters in Myanmar" day. From the bottom of my heart I ask each of you as my friend to wear a red shirt to show your support.

http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_rightsalert&Itemid=178&task=view&alert_id=53

Many of you may have never heard of Burma/Myanmar before the news coverage this week, but it is a South East Asian nation full of altruistic people who have been exploited by an imposed military dictatorship for the past 17 years despite a free and fair democratic election won by the NLD (National League for Democracy) that should have put them in power in 1990. Aung San Suu Chi, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under the military dictatorship and leader of the NLD, was imprisoned after the election and has been under house arrest for 12 of our the last 18 years. As a result of this week's riots she has been moved to Insein Prison, a Burmese prison that plays home to many political prisoners and is known for its poor conditions and even torture tactics.

At least 9 people have been confirmed dead, and Burmese authorities continue to open fire on crowds of peaceful monk and civilian protesters. Many world authorities have issued warnings to the Burmese government, but they have continued their violent activity over the past two days despite.

You may or may not have any interest in this issue, but regardless it probably would not be too difficult to select a red shirt to wear from your wardrobe tomorrow in the name of a good cause. :) This may not be the widest spread movement, but it has to start somewhere. Also, the URL above links to a page that outlines other ways of getting involved, including contacting the UN-Secretary General.

I had the privilege of spending three weeks in Myanmar this summer, and can tell you that the Burmese people are among the most generous and kind people I have ever met. If anyone is interested in hearing about my experience, I am happy to share.

Getting off my soap box now. Thanks for listening.

Best,
Susan