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.
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