Burma's topics - tribe.net

Karen People

Erik — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:18:37 GMT

Anybody know of any online Karen support, news, etc. sites?

posted in Burma - 0 replies

A video

zigo — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:45:51 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnzQDFFGZgI

1976 Nobel Peace Laureate, Betty Williams, recounts her experience from visiting the children in a Refugee Camp for Burmese. Honest, Graphic, Real.

posted in Burma - 1 reply

PLEASE SIGN PETITION TO HELP BURMA

Lana — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 04:31:39 GMT

By signing you will urge China and UN to step in and pressure Burmese gov't to stop the violence:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?cl_tf_sign=1

Thank you!

posted in Burma - 0 replies

FREE BURMA CAMPAIGN * CALL TO ACTION *

bruceleroy — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:00:56 GMT

Now is a very important time to keep the pressure and visibility on this situation so all the
lives lost were not in vain.

this is a forward of a post from the "Support the Monks' protest in Burma" BLOG on FACEBOOK which has over
350,000 MEMBERS!!

if you are a member of FACEBOOK join the group here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24957770200

IF NOT there is great information on how to get involved below. PASS IT ON!

Thanks to all who are taking time to help

PEACE
NATARAJ
---------------------begin forward------------------
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TO ALL OF US WO HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE A STAND, A MESSAGE FROM NOBEL PRIZE WINNER ELIE WIESEL:

“I am thrilled to learn that so many young people, more than 350,000 so far, have so movingly responded to the Burmese people’s courageous struggle for freedom and dignity. You are their hope and ours.” -Elie Wiesel

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Chevron Protest on TUESDAY October 9th 2007

We will be holding the Chevron Protest! through FAX and PHONE calls on TUESDAY October 9th from 1.00-3.00 (pacific Time (9.pm-11GMT)

Chevron pays millions of Dollars in oil and gas royalties to the current military Junta. We demand that they put an end to these royalties escrow for the legitatimate elected government of Burma headed by Aung San Suu Kyi

1. Chevron corp.
6001 Bellinger Canyon
san Ramon, CA 94583
United States

Phone +1 925-842-1000
Fax +1 415-894-6817

Ask for David O'Reilly, CEO

http://protestchevron.blogspot.com/

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10-10-10 Campaign!
Call, email, fax Harper on Oct. 10 at 10am EST. Make sure emails have subjects which will be opened. Where is Harper in condemning violence used by the military? Why hasn't Canada stepped up and worked with other world leaders to pressure countries such as China, India and Russia to stop selling arms?

Oct (10th month). 10 at 10am, EST
Phone: 613-992-4211
Email: pc@pc.gc.ca
Fax: 613-941-6900
Facebook invite: http://trentu.facebook.com/event.php?eid=18247378640

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WHAT CAN YOU DO?
10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE PROTESTERS

1 - PROTEST- Look below in "Recent news" for details of worldwide protests.
2 - SPREAD THE WORD- Invite your friends to this group, email all your family and friends, write to local newspapers
3 - CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL- they will respond if enough people contact them.
4 - EMAIL COMPANIES STILL IN BURMA their email addresses are listed here http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3071
5 - SIGN A PETITION there are lots listed here
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3175
6 - KEEP UP TO DATE -READ SOME BLOGS/WEBSITES We've compiled some great resources http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3231
7. EMAIL YOUR NATION'S EMBASSY IN BURMA, asking them to open up their WiFi networks for our contacts to utilize. We've had reports that the internet is down to keep reports and pictures IN Burma, we need to do everything we can to make sure they get OUT. Your embassy's contact info will be on your country's ministry/department of foreign affairs webpage. http://www.alloexpat.com/myanmar_expat_forum/foreign-embassy-in-myanmar-directory-t5.html
8 - CONTACT EXTERNAL MEDIA. If you have any updates pass them to the press via details listed here http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3232
9 - BOYCOTT CHINA - Think about boycotting Chinese goods. http://leedsac.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3223
10 - BROWSE THIS SITE At the bottom of the page is the constantly updating wall with up to the minute news on protests and what is happening in Burma.
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OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO

WATCH THIS TELECAST FROM NEW YORK - TODAY
I am the Vice President of Communications at Asia Society. Together with Open Society Institute we are holding tonight a town meeting featuring Burmese activists and monks, live hookup to Thai border, and the UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar. I would like to get the word out, internationally, that people can listen to the town hall streaming live. There are two ways:
1) at 6p US Eastern time. Go to http://www.asiasociety.org/burma - or,
2) if you have a Skype login, https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/detailed.html?id_talk=3425490

I hope you will help us spread the word and get lots of listeners. Thanks so much. I can get you the full flyer with speakers' names etc if you email me at dlee@asiasociety.org or call 212 327 9364 (also you can go to http://www.asiasociety.org/pressroom/burma_townhall.html).
Many, many thanks.

DONATE money to the Democratic Voice of Burma:
""The Democratic Voice of Burma was established in Oslo, Norway in 1992 and is broadcasting radio and TV to Burma. Due to current events, transmissions have increased to 24/7, which is very costly. To donate visit their website at http://english.dvb.no/ "

CONTINUE EMAILING those associated with the Beijing Olympics
http://ubc.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6524045893
http://ubc.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3351

LOBBY your education institution's Student Council or Student Union to pass a resolution in support of the Burmese Peoples' Protests and in condemnation of the Military Junta's actions. While a symbolic gesture, it gives hope and keeps the issue at the forefront of people's minds.
http://studentsforburma.tiddlyspot.com/#Welcome

SUPPORT The Australian Coalition for Democracy in Burma. This is a group that has been working together with activists inside Burma for many years, and the Australian side is headed by a high-profile local council official. They are currently trying to get equipment INSIDE Burma to get news OUT - which ties in with what we're doing, as we're trying to SPREAD the news Far and Wide and KEEP it in people's minds. Information about their activities can be found at http://qutedu.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5100614153
and http://www.burmasolidarity.org
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***EMERGENCY NUMBER ISSUED BY UN IN BURMA***
Please be informed that the UN Designated Official in Rangoon has established a 24 hour hotline in case of emergency, especially during curfew hours. The numbers to call are: 01 554 597 or 01 554 625. Please pass this to all people inside Burma. This is a Rangoon hotline that should be reached immediately.
__________________________

**GROUP NEWS** Look how we have grown!
06/10/2007 357,034 members
04/10/2007 332,000 members
03/10/2007 317 000 members
01/10/2007 250,000 members
30/09/2007 214,000 members
29/09/2007 160,000 Members (100,000 in 1 day! That's over 1 a second!)
28/09/2007 60,000 Members
27/09/2007 30,000 Members
26/09/2007 12,000 Members
25/09/2007 6000 Members
24/09/2007 3,500 Members
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BURMA OR MYANMAR?
If you are confused why some people call it Burma and some Mynamar please read this article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7013943.stm

In brief - It's known as Myanmar in many countries and at the UN. But the UK&USA doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the regime that changed the name therefore still uses the pre-military dictatorship name (Burma).

HOWEVER, that being said, it's important also to recognise that some people choose to call it Myanmar as Burma was the name given to the country during British colonization.
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If you need to leave feedback or to see if an admin is online check the admin board http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=24957770200&topic=3237
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"The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear." - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

posted in Burma - 0 replies

Global Day of action - Oct 6 2007

Canyella — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:31:08 GMT

event info here: http://myanmar.tribe.net/tribe/servlet/template/pub%2CEvent.vm?eventid=f4ded9ea-bd02-4a6d-86cd-a34f64c29c69&published=true&nextpage=http%3A%2F%2Fmyanmar.tribe.net%2Flocal

posted in Burma - 0 replies

San Francisco Burma Peace Protest Blog

immortal_tara — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 06:50:13 GMT

Check out my San Francisco Loves Burma Peace Protest Blog

This blog will cover San Francisco Peace Protests related to Burma.

http://www.sanfranciscolovesburma.blogspot.com

More coverage coming on Monday at the Justin Herman Plaze protest planned.

posted in Burma - 0 replies

from myanmar to india by land???

manuel — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 22:40:45 GMT

is anyone is aware of the possibility of going from myanmar to india by land???
what a great experiance it would be.....
anyone has a clue???
paix

posted in Burma - 3 replies

travel to tribal areas

Michael — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 04:24:33 GMT

I do a lot of travel to esoteric places, such as Yemen, Mongolia, Mail, and Namibia, visiting tribal areas. Does anyone know how much of this sort of travel is possible in Burma, that is, where one can go and where one cannot go, both as regards governmental permission and as regards safety? My wife is a portrait photographer and takes lots of pictures of people. We have no interest in politics.

posted in Burma - 4 replies

How did people learn about Burma in this tribe?

Sat, 13 Aug 2005 01:58:04 GMT

I am Burmese so I know about Burma, of course. But I'm wondering how others get to learn about Burma. What were your first news/understandings or information? What were your first impressions? I remember growing up and no one knew what or where Burma is. Not that a whole lot of people do but at least there are more now than before. So I just wanted to know how news is spread.

posted in Burma - 61 replies

visa run..

*j* — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 13:56:03 GMT

want to go thru at mae sai, anyone done this, or have any info pertaining to??

much obliged,
aloha,
*j*

posted in Burma - 0 replies

From Rangoon to Pyinmana

Be-in — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 16:36:57 GMT

What do you all make of the SLORC's sudden relocation of the capital from Rangoon/Yangon to the middle of nowhere in Pyinmana? I looked up Pyinmana on mapquest and it really is the middle of nowhere. Literally.

The link below has a story about the situation from today's Washington Post. I was really struck by the bit in the article speculating that Gen. Than Shwe had aspirations of making himself king. One of the Burmese kings moved the capital from Sagaing to Mandalay on short notice, and this move may be an attempt to echo that one.

In any event, it's a strange thing to do. I'm reading Emma larkin's "Finding George Orwell in Burma" right now, and she makes the case that the reason it's so hard to see the repression is that everyone in the country is scared silly and thus acts like everything is ok lest they be outed as not playing along. If that's the case, what effect might the move have on the pro-democracy movement? Does this move isolate the government and mean that they will lose some control because they're up in the hills and not in the cities where they can keep watch over everyone? Or will it just not matter? Will everything stay the same and people fear the government even more because they are secretive and far away?

And what about this part of the article about the Irrigation Ministry trying to resign "en masse" and being told "no?" I mean, how long can you run a government that relies on people who don't want to work for you? Could this be the stupid move that eventually brings the SLORC down? In the end, the generals can't control the country by themselves. If their people won't take orders, they won't really have any power left.

Just curious to know what Phillippa and others who know the country better than me think.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/27/AR2005122701248.html

posted in Burma - 10 replies

Learning Burmese

OwenT — Sat, 28 May 2005 02:18:02 GMT

Hello anyone. Are there any good recommendations on books, tapes, i-net....schools, to learn a bit of Burmese?

-O

posted in Burma - 3 replies

Who IS the Burmese army?

Be-in — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 17:49:52 GMT

One of the things I've been wondering since I went to Burma is who *are* the guys in the army, and why are they there? If most ordinary Burmese hate the government (and it seems like most do), then why do they join up?

Is there mandatory service, i.e. a draft? If not, how does the army convince young men to join? Do they do it just for the money? And if they do do it just for the money, then do they really care enough about the SLORC to keep it in power at any cost? Who were all these well-dressed kids in uniform I saw in Pyin U Lwin? What's the appeal?

I guess I'm also asking a deeper question -- what's the other side of the story. Pretty much everyone in the world agrees that the Burmese military is bad. But hardly anyone looks into what motivates them. Why do they do what they do? What's their rationale? I assume that at least some of them actually think they're doing what's best for Burma. How much support is there in Burma for that view? Are there many people who support the government? If not, how does the government stay in power? The army can't shoot everyone. If there weren't any support, it seems like the generals would have to step down. How is it that the army has never turned on the generals?

Anyway, I'd love to get Rachel's perspective on this. One person in Burma told me that there would be no revolution because the Burmese people were simply too polite. It is true that they are very polite, but I can't believe that's the whole story.

posted in Burma - 2 replies

Ethics

Sedusa — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 01:55:13 GMT

has anyone travelled to Burma? with the military controlling it I feel obligated not to support them but I am intrigued by the country.

What are everyone's thoughts on the subject?

posted in Burma - 9 replies

Bush, Myanmar and Tyranny

Be-in — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 15:28:20 GMT

Condi Rice recently named Myanmar on her short list of "problem countries" where tyranny reigns. I don't dispute the point, but it makes me worry. We've all seen the price Iraq has paid for catching the Bush administration's attention -- ruined infrastructure, developing civil war, massive unrest and insecurity. Whatever one thinks about the Burmese junta, the situation in Burma today is undeniably better than the situation in Iraq.

Just curious -- would people support the Bush administration removing the SLORC by force and occupying Burma to restore democracy? Would we be greeted with flowers or an insurgency? Do you think there's any chance of it happening? I don't. Given the lack of oil, I think the most action the administration would take is a bombing campaign, and I'm not sure that would really work. Burmese oppression seems to be more decentralized, more rural, more hidden than anything you could fix with bombs.

Anyone have any thoughts?

posted in Burma - 0 replies

Tsunami Casualties

Be-in — Wed, 05 Jan 2005 16:58:43 GMT

I am very concerned that the Myanmar government is underreporting casualties from the tsunamis. Whether they're doing it intentionally or because they just don't know how many people died in the southeast (not all of which is under government control), I don't know. But when you look at a map -- if 110 people died half a world away in Somalia then it's hard to believe that only 86 died in Burma. Just for instance, the earthquake--not even the tsunami, the earthquake--is reported to have brought down buildings in Yangon.

www.myanmarnews.net offers links to news stories that paint a confused picture. Apparently there is satellite evidence that the damage wasn't so bad. But then, we're talking about 1650 miles of coastline, a lot of it without communications or censuses or other ways of knowing who was there before.

I got an email (in response to an inquiry) from the GM of the resort where I stayed in Ngwe Saung beach. They said there was no tsunami there. I can actually believe that because that part of the west coast of Burma faced away from the direction the tsunami would have come from. One news report I saw, however, said that there was damage in Rakhaing state, where the coast starts bending westward toward Bangladesh.

Anyway, has anybody heard any more definitive news? Does anybody know of a legal way U.S. citizens can contribute to disaster relief in Myanmar specifically? With the sanctions in place, and the junta such as it is, it seems tricky to get U.S. money to actual people who need help.

posted in Burma - 1 reply

"Burma" vs. "Myanmar"

Be-in — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 02:03:03 GMT

So where do people stand on this? "Burma," after all, is (a) the British colonial name for the country, and (b) a corruption of "Bamar," the dominant ethnic group who are not by any means universally beloved by the other groups in the country. "Myanmar" is the junta's choice for a name. But, when I travelled around Burma I met a lot of people who would openly complain about the government but who called their country "Myanmar." Not one person who I met there callled it "Burma." I understand that the use of "Burma" has come into vogue among a certain set as a way of signalling opposition to the junta, but based on my own experience I suspect this usage is much more popular among non-Burmese white peace activist types than it is among the Burmese themselves.

Personally, I use both. I find "Burma" to be much more aesthetically pleasing than the kind of nasty-sounding "Myanmar," but I also think that's just me imposing MY values. I tend to think that the country will still be called Myanmar after the junta is gone.

Thoughts?

posted in Burma - 5 replies

New photos

Be-in — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 01:56:36 GMT

As a reminder that Burma is, among other things, a stunningly beautiful place, I uploaded a bunch of new photos from my recent trip there to the tribe's album.

posted in Burma - 1 reply

Good News

Sedusa — Sun, 21 Nov 2004 07:43:56 GMT

peep this:

http://www.mizzima.com/Solidarity/November/21-Nov04-13.htm

http://www.kentuckylaketimes.com/news/nov04/myanmarprisoners/index.php?id=11200402

perhaps things really will change for the better?

posted in Burma - 3 replies

Decent, Easy to understand overview on Burma issues.

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 17:23:14 GMT

The full article: http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/bandow200409200837.asp

Partial Article:
Humanitarian crises encircle the globe. Violent resistance afflicts Iraq. Mass death from starvation and war threatens Sudan. Millions have died in other conflicts across Africa. So no one has much time for Burma.

But if only the right government officials removed some wrong bureaucratic barriers, 1,000 Burmese children could be saved. Orphaned in their government's war on its own people, they could trade helpless dependence in crowded refugee camps in Thailand for positive futures with loving families in America.

Burma, now called Myanmar by the military regime that has held power there for more than four decades, is among the world's poorest and most oppressed countries. The junta brutally crushed pro-democracy protests in 1988 but foolishly called an election two years later. The result was victory by the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San, a leading independence figure assassinated in 1947.

The government put Suu Kyi under house arrest, suppressed her party, loosed thugs upon democracy advocates, and closed the universities. Despite periodic hope for a more moderate course in Rangoon, the self-styled State Peace and Development Council always returns to repression.

At the same time the government has pursued a brutal war against ethnic groups seeking autonomy. At least a million people have been displaced within eastern Burma. Another 200,000 live in refugee camps in surrounding nations, the most heavily afflicted of which is Thailand. Hundreds of thousands more live and work illegally outside the camps.

Refugees began flooding into Thailand 20 years ago after government forces launched a sustained offensive. The primary victims are Karen and Karenni, many Christians whose ancestors were converted by missionaries in the mid-1800s. Today vast refugee camps sprawl across undulating green hills north of Mae-sot, Thailand, generating a solid carpet of two-story bamboo shacks.

A tenuous cease-fire now exists between Rangoon and members of the Karen National Liberation Army. But many of the Karen and Karenni have known no life other than as refugees in a war of extreme brutality. The ill-disciplined Burmese forces draft civilians as porters and routinely kill and rape villagers before destroying homes, clinics, and churches — and then sowing land mines.

Unfortunately, a refugee's life inside Thailand is fragile. The choices are illegal work, which risks deportation, or helpless idleness within the camps.

Bangkok complains of the burden, despite outside assistance. And Thailand has not signed the U.N. Convention on Refugees, leaving the latter with precious few legal guarantees.

Indeed, the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has business interests in Burma, desires to push the Karen and Karenni back across the border. Unfortunately, neither safety nor peace await them there. They can only sit nervously in the camps, vulnerable to cross-border attacks from Burma and threatening political initiatives from Bangkok.

The violent conflict has yielded thousands of children without parents. Many are orphans; some have been separated from parents who have disappeared and may be dead. A number have been abandoned — in this culture, a common practice when a father or mother remarries.

About 1,000 are under the care of Christian Freedom International, which conducts relief operations along the border, provides medical aid inside war-torn Burma, and runs schools and orphanages in the Thai camps. CFI is pushing to make these children eligible for adoption.

They are, however, stateless: not recognized as Burmese citizens, not Thai nationals, and not certified by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees as persons of concern. Thus, they are stuck in legal limbo — and in the camps.

Jim Jacobson, CFI's president, has taken the children's case to UNHCR officials, the Thai government, and the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, but all point accusing fingers at one another. The Thai ministry of the interior claims to have no objection and blames the UNHCR. Yet in the past Thailand has obstructed adoption efforts, perhaps fearing a new influx of refugees.

That isn't likely: Jeremy Woodrum of the U.S. Campaign for Burma notes that the Karen and Karenni generally flee only as a last resort, despite the abuses that they routinely suffer. The adoption of 1,000 orphans is not likely to increase the refugee flow.

However, the UNHCR says it cannot certify those of uncertain legal status; without U.N. sanction, the U.S. will not allow adoptions. But UNHCR says it cannot move ahead without prior American agreement. The embassy says the decision is for Washington to make. They just "kick it back and forth," complains Woodrum .....................

Full Article: http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/bandow200409200837.asp

posted in Burma - 4 replies

Good Links to Burma News.

Tue, 19 Oct 2004 20:18:40 GMT

• DVB: http://www.dvb.no/english/index.php

• Free Burma Coalition: http://www.freeburmacoalition.org

• Irrawaddy.Org: http://www.irrawaddy.org

• Mizzima.com: http://www.mizzima.com

• Burma Project: http://www.burmaproject.org

• BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3755052.stm

posted in Burma - 0 replies

From the Land of Green Ghosts?

mara — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:03:40 GMT

has anyone read, From the Land of Green Ghosts : A Burmese Odyssey, by Pascal Khoo Thwe? it's truly amazing!!!

posted in Burma - 2 replies