Monday, October 8, 2007

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

-- 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 ...
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
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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
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Burma Photos Posted

Susan's Email to friends and family announcing posting of photos.
August 7, 2007

Mingalaba Friends (that's a Burmese "hello"),

You are receiving this email because at some point you've expressed interest in my recent trip to Myanmar (Burma). If you are no longer interested, feel free to delete this email now. If you are still interested, despite the fact that I've been back for weeks now and this trip is old news, please read on.

After countless hours of fine tuning and posting photos, my Myanmar gallery is finally complete. That's the good news. The more difficult news (for you, at least) is that I've managed to whittle it down to no less than 228 photos. In such an extraordinary country that is so rarely traveled, I had a hard time filtering out shots, particularly of people, as I'd like to paint as thorough a picture as possible. (My recommendation would be to use the pull down menu on the upper right to select "all thumbs", or else maybe you can just bookmark it and return when you get a chance. In either case, I appreciate your patience.)

http://szphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3098133/

A few extremely inarticulate thoughts about my experience in Myanmar...
Myanmar is an extremely impoverished country, currently under a tightly controlled military imposed government. The majority of the nation's heroes, members of the NLD (National League for Democracy), who legally won Myanmar's first democratic election in 1989 and should be in power today, are under house arrest or imprisoned in prisons under poor conditions. This includes noble peace prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Due to the political situation, Myanmar is under trade embargo with most countries. This is both good and bad as the embargo keeps the military in check due to a poor economy yet at the same time leaves everyday citizens struggling to feed their families. Though the military government allows tourism (28 day visas only), the areas where tourists are allowed to venture are extremely limited.

Traveling through Myanmar it was at times easy to forget what an awful disposition the people are in. The landscapes were more beautiful and pristinely undeveloped than any other country I have traveled to, and the people were hands down the most unassuming, generous people I have ever met in my travels. My brother and I were invited into huts for tea or modest homes for dinners in every city we visited. On one occasion an extremely poor family who lived in an open roofed hut and made a living preparing food for the occasional tourist on an outdoor burner just feet from where they slept prepared a 7 plate dinner for us, followed by dessert, and then a presentation of gifts to each of us for nothing more than our company and friendship. It was during intimate exchanges like this one that people would share their true feelings and personal stories about the harsh political and economic situation in Myanmar -- stories of how educated men have resorted to driving tri-shaws (bicycle taxis) for a living to feed their children who they can only see on the weekends as they live hours away in the countryside, family members who have lost loved ones in student protests where the military opened fire in retaliation, family members who haven't seen brothers and sisters for years as they have been exiled from the country for trivial reasons.

Now on that depressing note, you'll notice that all of the Burmese people in my photos look much happier than perhaps you and I sitting at our desks all day staring at computers or behind the wheel of a car in commute traffic. I would say that that's because they are. Somehow despite the poverty and the political oppression, all of the Burmese people my brother and I encountered were cheerful loving people who seemed to appreciate the important things in life - family, friends, community - and enjoy each moment. Needless to say, this certainly put our privileged lives into perspective and had us re-evaluating our priorities in life.

Without going on and on about my experience in Myanmar, which I already have, I'd like to put out there that if anyone is interested in hearing more about Myanmar or perhaps would like to be pointed in a direction where you can find out more about what's going on there, I'd be happy to chat. My brother and I have also discussed potentially putting on some sort of event to generate awareness and raise funds for organizations that do outreach in Myanmar (which are far and few between as the government mostly doesn't allow them). More on that when it happens.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy email, assuming you made it to the end, and I hope you enjoy the photos.

Da da (Burmese "goodbye"),
Susan
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