The ongoing human rights violations in Myanmar

Can you imagine what it's like to spend 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest?! Just ask Aung San Suu Kyi.

These are the stats I just read in a recent IHT/Associated Press piece:

"Myanmar's military, which has ruled since 1962 when they country was known as Burma, tolerates no dissent and crushed pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in September 2007. It holds more than 2,100 political prisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 before the demonstrations, human rights groups say.

The General Assembly "strongly" called on Myanmar's government "to desist from further politically motivated arrests and to release without delay and without conditions those who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained, as well as all political prisoners."

The resolution said those freed should include Suu Kyi and other leaders of her party, leaders of the 88 Generation, a group at the forefront of a 1988 pro-democracy uprising, leaders of ethnic groups, and all those detained as a result of the September 2007 protests."

Keep reading...

Myanmar cyclone survivors struggle to rebuild lives

It's December and we are still seeing articles like this...

KUNGYANGON, Myanmar: With tents still serving as homes and schools seven months after Cyclone Nargis lashed Myanmar, survivors say they are struggling to rebuild their lives as international aid trickles in.

Fisherman Htein Lin Aung, a father of three, says a new roof is out of the question as he fixes the engine of his boat beneath the tarpaulin covering of his bamboo tent outside the town of Kungyangon.

"We have been in difficulties since Nargis. The weather is also unusual now," said Htein Lin Aung, 37, whose house was one of hundreds of thousands destroyed by the cyclone.

The storm left 138,000 people dead or missing and affected more than 2.5 million, while Myanmar's government provoked outrage by initially hampering international aid efforts with red tape.

The military government relented after a visit from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. But rebuilding the southwestern Irrawaddy Delta, which suffered the brunt of the cyclone, is dragging on.

Click here to continue reading

2.5 million isn't a small number

The population of some countries can be way below 2.5 million...and this is just the number of people who were displaced by Cyclone Nargis.

They still need aid - What are we doing about it?

From the Myanmar Times:

Donor nations gather in Yangon for Nargis roundtable

MYANMAR hosted a meeting last week to update potential donors on the funding requirements for ongoing relief and recovery efforts in areas of the Ayeyarwady delta affected by cyclone Nargis in May.

Senior government officials, aid experts and representatives of donor countries met in Yangon on Wednesday, amid reports by the United Nations of continuing shortfalls in funding to support livelihoods for 2.4 million cyclone victims.

The High-level Roundtable on Post Nargis Relief and Recovery Efforts in Myanmar, as the meeting was officially called, was the second of its kind organised by the Tripartite Core Group (TCG), which is overseeing the relief efforts.

Click here to continue reading

Mumbai and human rights

Dear BuildBurma.org members and friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this message to you as our friends and family in Mumbai, India witness the devastation of their beloved city.

In the midst of these terrorist attacks, civilians have been killed and harmed, and their basic human rights have been violated.

And whether it is in Myanmar or Mumbai or any other part of the world, we must always stand together to fight for justice and against the violation of our right to live.

Smriti Mundhra, one of our core members, is in Mumbai right now, in the heart of the attacks, and has been keeping us updated on the situation through the night.

We pray for her and her family's safety and that the attacks end soon. Tomorrow will be a new day as the dust settles by the Taj hotel and the Gateway of India, and we hope for the recovery of the city and its people.

Please visit BuildBurma.org for updates on the situation in Myanmar and please visit the website of our partner, Alertnet.org, for regular updates on Mumbai and other humanitarian issues.

Warm regards,
Shruti

Myanmar junta jails comedian for 45 years

A secret court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced popular comedian and activist Zarganar to 45 years prison on Friday, the latest in a series of lengthy jail terms handed down on more than 100 dissidents, relatives said.

Zarganar, whose real name is Ko Thura, was detained in June after coordinating private aid in Yangon for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated huge swathes of the Irrawaddy Delta in May, killing 140,000 people.

Police seized his computer and several banned films, including the latest Rambo movie, featuring the U.S. Vietnam War veteran taking on the former Burma's ruling military on behalf of Christian ethnic Karen rebels.

Click here to read more

MSF report - People dying due to lack of treatment

Thousands of people are needlessly dying due to a severe lack of lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment in Myanmar, says international humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontiere  (MSF) in a report released today. Unable to continue shouldering the primary responsibility for responding to one of Asia's worst HIV crises, MSF insists that the Government of Myanmar and international organizations urgently and rapidly scale-up ART provision.

An estimated 240,000 people are thought to have HIV/AIDS in Myanmar. Of these people, 76,000 are in urgent need of antiretroviral treatment, yet less than 20 percent of them are currently able to access it.

Click here to continue reading

Do these videos help...?

Or do they cheapen the cause?

Woody Harrelsen + Jennifer Aniston on Burma

We're still waiting for Burma...and Woody Harrelson

UN chief Ban may drop plans for Myanmar visit

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday he would drop plans to make a long talked-about visit to Myanmar unless he is confident it would achieve tangible results in promoting democracy.
Ban has been asked by the U.N. Security Council to do his utmost to pursue reforms in military-ruled Myanmar, which drew international condemnation a year ago for a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters led by monks.
Ban's special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, made a sixth visit to the former Burma in August, but failed to meet the 63-year-old Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who has been under house arrest for most of the past five years.
A visit by Ban has long been discussed but no date had been set. Ban made a first visit to Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in May to pressure the junta to cooperate more with international aid workers. Ban said he would remain "constantly and personally engaged" in Myanmar. "I would be willing to (make) a return visit to Myanmar at an appropriate time, but you should also know that without any tangible or very favorable result to be achieved, then I may not be in a position to visit Myanmar," Ban told reporters. "I'm now in the process of making some groundwork which may allow me to consider my own visit, but ... I need some more time. I will have to consider all the circumstances, (and) when would be appropriate timing for me to visit," he said.
Western countries have condemned as a sham a May referendum on Myanmar's army-drafted constitution, part of a seven-step "roadmap to democracy" that is meant to culminate in multiparty elections in 2010 and end a nearly 20-year political stalemate.
Gambari has met government officials on his visits to Myanmar but has made little progress in promoting dialogue with Suu Kyi or the release of political prisoners.

B8 EVENT - 8-8-08 GLOBAL JUSTICE FOR BURMA

Meet monks. See art. Connect.

Learn about Burma. Collaborate for justice.

B8 - GLOBAL JUSTICE FOR BURMA

8-8-08.

The first day of the Olympics.

The 20th anniversary of the 8-8-88 protests and massacre in Burma.

Join the Global Justice Center, the International Burmese Monks Organization, alldaybuffet, Serene Communications, U.S. Campaign for Burma, the 88 Generation Students of Burma and hundreds around the world to help bring Burma's Senior General Than Shwe and his military regime to justice at the International Criminal Court.

Wear red in solidarity.

B8 GJB Locations

Delhi, India
Delhi Habitat Center
Lodhi Road, New Delhi
www.indiahabitat.org

London, United Kingdom
TBD

New York City, United States
Eli Klein Fine Art
462 West Broadway, New York City
www.elikleinfineart.com

San Francisco, United States
Frey Norris Gallery
456 Geary Street, San Francisco
www.freynorris.com

More info:
www.globaljusticeforburma.org

A ray of hope - Inside Myanmar - Part 4

From our friend S- in Yangon

I had better say 'happy holidays' from Myanmar. Over the past few weeks two important holidays have occurred. The first, Wazo, arrived with an auspicious Burmese full moon, an occasion when many young men exchange faded t-shirts and loungyi's for an apprentice robe, entering the monastery to spend the next few months in religious study and meditation. (and for many- relief work) Across the country well-wishers donated robes, bowls and burgundy velvet sandals to the soon to be monks. Appreciative of the monasteries' continuous hurricane relief work, there was quite a turnout this Wazo. (It's been a long year for the monks.)

In a slight contrast, the second holiday, Martyr's Day, was non-celebrated. Anticipating a different sort of appreciation, larger cities and towns observed trucks brimming with riot patrol police and militia on patrol....festivities we limited for the most part.

There are a multitude of reasons to celebrate,however. It is not hard to be overwhelmed when looking at the vastness of the situation in the south of the country, especially as it seems affected population estimates increase daily-as the food supply continues to decline. But the many small efforts and successes also seem to be ever increasing. It was a pleasant surprise that the national newspaper reported last week that 'everyone may make donations freely'. Just as surprising, in Southern Bogalay, one of the worst affected areas, a prominent monk was able to obtain permission to bring in a group of foreign doctors- the first to have visited the area.

I learn of more and more local business's and individuals that have stepped in and set up small scale relief/reconstruction efforts in some of the most remote areas, some of who are now partnering with NGO's. At an even more local level local NGOs, of which there are few, are inundated with local volunteers, many who have overcome the most tragic of circumstances to assist others...I met one man who lost his wife and all four children to a storm surge- he’s now coordinating prevention efforts in his village. It is astonishing that the in face of such difficult circumstances hope is far from being lost.

Stay tuned - Global Justice Center

We will be working on an initiative and series of events with the Global Justice Center - Titled B8 - on 08-08-08.

Details to follow shortly.

Inside Burma - Part 3

A recent email from S-

"The stories currently floating around, range from tragic to almost unbelievable. Not long ago masses of high nutrition biscuits were donated for distribution to those in need, ultimately they ended up being rationed to a particular uniformed group...given without instruction, many were hospitalized from consuming too many. (As the story goes) Another story is one of a small extremely rural village that only recently had a school built. For the first time ever two young students studied and took a medical exam to begin nursing school. To the surprise and pride of the village both passed. They would have been the village's first graduates- had the two survived the Nargis...So here, over a cup of sweet burmese tea I find comedy and tragedy both.

Those working on the relief effort have stories too, although quite a bit more technical and numerical. It seems that as a few days ago some 50,000 people have run out of food. Hopefully through cooperation relief will be provided until the next harvest, but it will be an effort. Some of the outlying island areas have towns that have lost seventy percent of their population, with only a few children remaining. But slowly, help seems to be reaching those sort of people. All and all, its pretty hard to tell, but I can attest that there are many dedicated people doing the best they can."

Monsoons and chainsaws

I was just on the AlertNet website and came across this blog post by Chris Northey - CARE's Emergency Team Leader in Myanmar. It just shook me awake from the comfort of my office in Manhattan.

Rain and sadness in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar
10 Jul 2008 11:33:00 GMT10 Jul 2008 11:33:00

It's raining every day now in Myanmar, very heavily; monsoon season has clearly arrived. It's not the gentle rain we're used to at home - more like someone tipping a bucket of water over your head. I can't help but think of people stuck outside in this rain with no shelter and it pushes you to do more.

Since I came back from the delta, I've been very busy in the office and we've had more staff join the emergency programme. It's very easy to get caught up in the detail of budgets, proposals, warehouses, planes, cars and procurement, and forget that a line on a budget sheet represents a village that CARE is helping, that it represents a person and their family. The sound of the rain reminds you of this.

Click here to read more

Ferry sinks in Irrawaady Delta

Click here for the full story

Inside Burma - Part 2

From my fellow high school alum who is in Yangon right now:

"The rain beating down on the corrugated roofing here is so vigorous it sounds like the white noise of a disconnected television. It's currently the monsoon season, meaning that at least four times daily huge clouds purge themselves of a tremendous amount of rain. Normally, this is a good thing- bringing fresh water to the rice paddies and other crops while washing away the hot season and the red betel nuts stains from the streets. Now, it seems that the thunderclaps bring about anxiousness. For many people memories of the hurricane are still fresh.

As the streets and ditches flood here in the city, I can only hope that the temporary repairs and tarpaulin roofs will keep those in the delta dry, many who recently have had to return home prematurely.There are certainly more relief agencies here than ever before, and it’s the first time I've ever seen so many foreigners (of the professional kind) meandering about Yangon's dilapidated streets (searching for products they are unlikely to find.) Not being able to travel many places without hard to obtain special permission, they are working with local staff and preexisting agencies to get supplies and assistance into the worst hit areas. Organizations have also had to contend with the rain.

I'm told that many roads are nearly impassable in the rural areas, flooded and turned to mud. Combined with the restrictions, that has kept help from reaching all who need it- confining most efforts to the larger towns and cities. Regular citizens, are compassionately filling in the gaps as much as they can, (which is absolutely beautiful.)

One ray of hope, is that one local, having just returned from a marginalized region told me 'they are tough people, if anyone can figure out how to survive, they can. They've been doing it for years...' I hope so, as the current and biggest concern is food. The hurricane not only destroyed many rice paddies and seed stock, but has also saturated much land with sea water, which until pumped out effectively destroys the lands fertility. Not great news for those entirely dependent on crops for food and income- which is most.

I've noticed that troubles aren't just in the South. Prices everywhere have risen. Bus fares have doubled and food costs have risen rather substantially. A 75 pound bag of rice that cost 16,000 kyat before the hurricane is now 25,000 kyat. While certainly a lot of rice, enough for a family of four for a month, many earn as little 30,000 kyat a month and are concerned about the future. In Burmese language, after saying 'hello, how are you?' it is customary to ask 'have you eaten?' pronounced, 'Saw bee pee la?' the normal response is 'Saa Bee'-'I have eaten' Everyone is hoping that, to that definition at least, things will get back to normal."

News from Myanmar

This is from a former classmate of mine from boarding school whose name, for security purposes, will not be mentioned. He/she is currently in Myanmar right now and will be giving us first hand updates on the situation there. He/she will be trying to go to the hard-hit region, however that may be difficult right now.

"Arriving in Yangon over a month after Nargis' fury, I was surprised to find the former capital city still in state of disarray, as the airplane circled over Yangon International's two shaky airstrips, I could easily see that huge trees had been blown over and uprooted throughout the city. The new lack of greenery laid an aerial view to parts of the city previously concealed. Many ramshackle houses and smaller buildings had clearly sustained damage from the storm with large sheets of corrugated iron roofing lying about. Upon landing, the airstrips were the busiest I've yet seen- with one other airplane arriving from Bangkok and a few UN helicopters furiously heading south, there are five or six in total I'm told. Once on the ground the randomness of the destruction became more evident, large mansions were obviously quite damaged with repair crews hanging from bamboo scaffolding, while scantily constructed teashops ten feet way are untouched. Small wooden Buddhist stupas stand tall next to massive ancient trees uprooted with branches broken and stripped entirely away.

You wouldn't believe it ...By some stroke of randomness I unintentionally arrived on Aung San Su Kyi's birthday, and from the taxi window i could see the streets were well guarded to prevent any dissent. As a result the traffic was nearly standstill being that some of the main roads were blockaded with barbed wire barriers. (The next day, I heard that indeed there were some happenings- but were dealt with quickly.) The peoples general attitude seems to be pretty glum as almost everyone in the city sustained some damage, and many have relatives further south- which is well known to have to taken the brunt of Nargis. Many have donated much to monasteries and local efforts, but now don't have adequate funds to fully repair their homes, so the reconstruction is a slow process. In the nicer areas of the city electricity and water have been restored, but in many areas that hasn't happened.

There are the odd crews of soldiers and groups cutting away at some of the larger trees and clearing rubble from the streets, so its nice to see the two working on the same cause for once...OK well thats all I have to say for now, as you may gathered all is safe here, and I am enjoying the fresh air after the grey bangkok smog and the hellish heat of Islamabad."

Burmese Blogging About the Cyclone

I remember meeting some remarkable Iraqi leaders a few years ago. They were all women. There was the only female judge, who had also survived an assassination attempt, women who promoted arts and culture, and women who blogged, among others.

Blogging has become an important part of news reporting and communicating - I just read this article on the BBC website about victims in Myanmar blogging about the dire situation there. Check it out

BuildBurma shout out

Check out istheresomethingicando.com. Thank you to Kanani Yates for the BuildBurma mention.

We still have a long way to go folks.

Meeting of minds

Last evening I went to the Global Fund for Women's 20th anniversary gala at Cipriani. It truly was quite something. Not just the decor, attention to detail, fabulous meal and program, but the energy in the room.

Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan and Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Libera were being honored. The remarkable women from the head of the Global Fund Kavita Ramdas to the Abigail Disney to former Irish President Mary Robinson were truly inspiring in their speeches and efforts.

I went with my friend Suphala who performed (fabulously) at the dinner. Afterwards she and I spoke about non-profit events, galas, moneys spent and in this sea of charities, how does one select certain causes? Is there a satiation point?

What was actually refreshing about the event was the lack of "society" which is quite typical of many New York-based galas.

Instead, at the dinner last night, messages were clear, personal agendas were contained, and the looming issue of women's rights advocacy in repressive countries was discussed at length.

In the same way, peoples' rights have been horribly violated in Myanmar. And now even foreign aid workers, agencies and news services are being accused of mis-representing the actual situation in Myanmar - stating that they are exaggerating. You can get the latest update here

4 weeks later...

And barely a fraction of the 2.5 million displaced people have received aid.

Instead they are now being evicted from camps, as government officials believe that these villagers may get 'too used to' this type of lifestyle, living off donations.

What a sick sick world this is.

But we must still persist and do everything we can in our power. Whether it is volunteering, fundraising, or even putting up comments on instant messenger or social networks - it's the least we can do as we sit as our desks, in our protected homes in first world countries and complain about chipped manicures and our lukewarm coffee.

Click here for a complete update

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend, families and friends across America gathered together to barbeque and celebrate. But what often lacks in these get-togethers is observing the reason behind Memorial Day - honoring the lives lost in military service.

Not to put a dampner on this traditional holiday, but how often do we really remember the history behind such days?

I spent my Sunday at a friend's birthday party. While we did have our fair share of revelry, what was special at that gathering was the discussion we had about Myanmar, about international affairs, and about what people could do to get involved.

We've made a few BuildBurma.org Tshirts in various designs and sizes (which can be seen in our Facebook group) and have been distributing them around.

Whether it's online or offline, getting your friends and those around you to take an interest in human politics is important - we should all be human rights advocates by nature else we are committing a grave crime against our own being.

Myanmar Video

Click here

MSF in Myanmar

Click here to read the interview with Medecin Sans Frontiere emergency coordinator Jean-Sebastien Matte on what MSF is doing in the Irrawaddy.

Latest Myanmar Updates

Click here for complete coverage

Ban Ki-Moon in Myanmar

Reuters: U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is seeing first hand the suffering and devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, as he tours the worst-affected Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar. Relief teams have reached only a quarter of the victims, so while the country's officials say that the situation is under control, Ban Ki-moon is hoping to convince the junta to accept more outside help.

As Myanmar requests a staggering $11 billion in aid pledges, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan warns that donor countries will be reluctant to commit money until they are allowed to assess the damage for themselves. Meanwhile, the European Union has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution urging the U.N. Security Council to consider forced aid shipments.

Click here for the whole story

Fundraising target raised!

It's really been exciting that within a few days of launching we were already halfway to our original fundraising target of 10K. Yesterday Alson Capital offered 5k to help us reach that goal! Yes, they are amazing.

So we have raised our target amount to 15 K.

Another highlight was the comment from Irene Lee who made a donation - "I'm from Myanmar. Thank you"

This is why we started this effort and will continue raising money and more importantly continue to raise awareness.

A big thank you to all our generous donors.

Reuters: Myanmar mourns dead, U.N. reports aid progress

20 May 2008 19:24:52 GMT 20 May 2008 19:24:52 GMT* Myanmar starts three days of mourning

* WFP gets permission to use helicopters for relief

* U.N. chief Ban on his way to Yangon

* Myanmar to allow Japanese aid workers (Recasts with WFP helicopters, adds U.S. comments)

By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON, May 20 (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta has given the World Food Program permission to use helicopters to send aid to cyclone survivors, the United Nations said on Tuesday, as flags flew at half-staff across the country to mourn the dead.

The first day of a three-day mourning period passed in torrential rain and diplomatic prodding of the reclusive generals to allow more international aid after Cyclone Nargis hit in early May, leaving 134,000 people dead or missing.

The junta in the former Burma has allowed relief flights to deliver supplies to Yangon, the largest city, but had balked at aerial access to the southwestern Irrawaddy Delta, where an estimated 2.4 million people were left destitute.

"We have received government permission to operate nine WFP helicopters which will allow us to reach areas that have so far been largely inaccessible," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told reporters before departing for a visit to Myanmar.

Continue reading here

Why do we care about some disaster's and not about others?

A great piece on Yahoo/Live Science

Also to note: Yahoo.com has really been active in updating its news feeds and has consistently featured Myanmar in its pressing news section. 

Reuters: ASEAN to coordinate Myanmar aid effort

* ASEAN to coordinate international relief effort

* U.N.'s Ban to visit Myanmar on Wednesday

* Myanmar declares three days of mourning

* Donor conference in Yangon on May 25 (Adds U.N. secretary general visit on Wednesday)

By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON, May 19 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations will take the lead in an international aid effort for cyclone-hit Myanmar, but the military junta will not give Western relief workers unfettered access to disaster areas, Singapore said on Monday.

"We will establish a mechanism so that aid from all over the world can flow into Myanmar," Foreign Minister George Yeo said.

He was speaking after hosting a regional meeting to prod the generals to accept large-scale foreign aid and expertise for up to 2.4 million people left destitute by Cyclone Nargis.
The details were to be worked out with the United Nations, which announced later on Monday that a donor conference would be held in the cyclone-hit former capital, Yangon, on May 25.

Myanmar agreed to accept nearly 300 medical personnel from its neighbours in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the foreign ministers said in a statement.
A few have already sent teams two weeks after the disaster which left 134,000 dead or missing. But aid workers from outside ASEAN will only be granted visas on a case-by-case basis.

"We have to look at specific needs -- there will not be uncontrolled access," Yeo said after the meeting which named ASEAN chief Surin Pitsuwan to work with the United Nations on aid delivery.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar on Wednesday, when he plans to visit the country's Irrawaddy delta area which was hit hardest by Nargis, his spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters.

"His objective is to reinforce the ongoing aid operation, see how the international relief and rehabilitation effort can be scaled up and work with Myanmar authorities to significantly increase the amount of aid flowing through Yangon to the areas most affected by the disaster," Montas said.

Continue reading here

It's all in a name

We got feedback from various people regarding the choice of our name. Why BuildBurma.org and not BuildMyanmar.org or MakeMyanmar.org, and so on?

We're not using 'Burma' as a way to reject 'Myanmar' as the country's legal name. In fact, we do recognize this difference and one can observe from our content that we consistently refer to the country as Myanmar.

BuildBurma.org is simply a name, a branding tool, something that is easy for people to remember and approach.

Should the world help even if Myanmar pushes back?

From the Reuters blog

From Reuters: Myanmar's Buddhist monks fill cyclone aid void

17 May 2008 03:25:45 GMT 17 May 2008 03:25:45 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Aung Hla Tun

KUNTHECHAUNG, Myanmar, May 17 (Reuters) - With a loudhailer in one hand and a clipboard in the other, the bespectacled Buddhist monk calls out names from a long list of villages devastated by Cyclone Nargis.

One by one, maroon-robed monks in the crowd milling round the make-shift relief centre put up their hands before coming forward to accept a carefully measured quota of food for his village.
Welcome to emergency aid delivery, Myanmar-style.

With foreign agencies on a tight leash and only a trickle of relief coming in from the military goverment, the Buddhist monkhood has become a major conduit for help to the 2.5 million people left clinging to survival in the Irrawaddy delta.

Given the monks' unquestioned moral authority in the devoutly Buddhist southeast Asian nation, private donors are happy to see the shaven-headed men in maroon taking charge of goods brought down to the delta in rickety trucks, vans and boats.

"It gives us great pleasure and joy to see our donations transferred directly to the beneficiaries," said Ko Myo, a young businessmen from Yangon, the former capital. "That's all we expect out of our contribution. Nothing else."

Outside the tent, dozens of monks and villagers wait their turn patiently. Many sit in the boats that will take the needed supplies back to their shattered communities.

Praise for the senior monk, or Sayadaw, who establised the relief centre is universal.
"Most people wouldn't have survived long if the Sayadaw hadn't arrived in time," one man told Reuters. "Some places have run out of food completely."

"MAGIC WORDS"

The monk in question, the Venerable Nyanissara, is a Buddhist patriarch who is as close to being "untouchable" as it is possible to be a country run by a ruthless military junta.

The 73-year-old was in Paris the night Nargis struck with its 120 mph (190 kmh) winds and 12-foot (3.5 metre) wall of water that slammed into the delta. He immediately cut short his Buddhist lecture trip to return home to start relief work.

Now, in a tent beside a stagnant waterway in the district of Bogalay, where at least 10,000 people, probably many more, were killed, he personally overseas the handing out of aid.
"Today we distributed rice, salt, clothing, drinking water, and soap to 27 villages," he told Reuters as a mobile phone rang on the table in front of him.

"We have distributed over 100 tons of rice and more than 3,000 tin roofing sheets so far. We are trying to distribute more," said the monk, much of whose funding comes from a global network of rich, well-educated disciples.

As with September's protests against the soaring cost of living, when the going gets tough in Myanmar, people typically turn to the monkhood, the only institution that can stand up to a military machine that has ruled almost unchecked for 46 years.

Nyanissara's elevated status means soldiers at checkpoints on roads into the delta dare not interfere with his supplies. Just the words of his mission -- "Sitagu Missionary Association" -- on the side of a truck are enough to allow it safe passage.

"Bringing things by car here is very difficult now because the authorities ask us to hand them over," Ko Myo, the Yangon businessmen, said.

"But these are magic words," he said, pointing to "Sitagu" painted on the side of a van. "Nobody has laid a finger on it so far." (Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Official toll of the dead and missing hits 133,000

The numbers keep rising, time keeps passing.

The junta continues to stall and restrict aid despite huge international pressure.

CNN doesn't even mention Myanmar on it's homepage.

BuildBurma.org on Facebook

Please check us out on Facebook and join our group. 

Awareness is infectious. Pass it on. 

Making Movies Out of Molehills

On our BuildBurma.org Facebook group Vinay Lobo wrote:

"Not just the hurricane....They've been suffering military oppression and murder since the 60s and no one gives a f___. Their women are raped, their kids and men tortured and killed...food burned...highest no. of child soldiers in the world....highest number of internally displaced people...its cambodia all over again and it'll only get attention when its over and someone makes a fucking movie out of it."

I didn't know they had the highest number of child soldiers in the world. Truly. It's amazing how much we know, and how little we also know at the same time.

I'm not pretending to be an expert on world affairs, this is a space and a forum where we can learn such things.

The goal of BuildBurma.org is to encourage dialogue between artists, politicians, construction workers, students, everyone from around the world who want to discuss such issues, using the current devastation in Myanmar as the discussion platform.

Before and After photos

Look at this! (Courtesy of the BBC)

No names, not even numbers

A few weeks ago, I went to a talk put together by the PEN organization titled World Voices Literary Festival. One of my clients Mia Farrow was speaking with French journalist and activist Bernard-Henri Levy about the dire situation in Darfur.

One of the things that Mr. Levy said that struck me and I will never forget is the fact that in situations of genocide, not only are names forgotten, numbers are also miscalculated. Imagine not having even a number on this earth for you.

The number of people who have been killed in Myanmar from Cyclone Nargis varies from 68,833 to even 127,990. Imagine. We're not sure whether we can account for around 55,000 people. That's crazy.

The government's numbers are even more bizarre - Stating that 34,491 people have been killed.

It is true that in times like these, it is hard to calculate numbers...but guesstimates of such varying degrees is what is frightening.

Another storm is coming!!

I learned today that another storm is heading towards Southern Myanmar, to the same area that was devastated by Cyclone Nargis.

Click here for the details

I cannot even imagine what it could feel like, to have everything taken away from you - family, food, shelter, your friends - and then you see another black cloud approaching. It's one of the most hopeless situations.

In the rebuilding of this region, while people will be given medicine, food and water (hopefully soon), while their houses are being made, they will also need psychiatric care to mend their hurting minds and their broken hearts.

Sunday, May 11th

We were out buying a Mother's Day gift for my boyfriend's mom when he got a news alert on his Blackberry. It read:

"BODIES FLOW INTO HARD-HIT AREA OF MYANMAR: The bodies come and go with the tides. They wash up onto the riverbanks or float grotesquely downstream, almost always face down. They are all but ignored by the living. In the southern reaches of the Irrawaddy Delta, where the only access to hundreds of small villages is by boat, the remains of the victims of the May 3 cyclone that swept across Myanmar are rotting in the sun. "These people are strangers," said Kyaw Swe, a clothing merchant who said he expected the tides to take away the six bloated bodies lying on the muddy banks near his collapsed home. "They come from upstream." Villagers here say it is not their responsibility to handle the dead. But the government presence is barely felt in the serpentine network of canals outside Bogale and Phyarpon, devastated towns in the delta, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm."

Today a Red Cross boat, after an eleven hour journey into the region, sank. It was carrying food and aid for 1000 people. My heart too sank when I heard about this. The boat had hit a tree that was submerged under the water.

But one can't lose hope. Relief and aid WILL get there. And when it does, we will begin only our first baby step of recovery to build Burma, nurture Myanmar, back to health and to heart.

This time last week

A chill was sent through the spine of the world on Saturday, May 3rd, a week ago, when Cyclone Nargis hit the southern shores of Burma.

It is now May 10th. A whole week later and those 1.5 million survivors are waiting on aid. They are without shelter, without food, without water.

Imagine every homeless person you've walked by on the streets of New York or your own city and multiply that number a million times. It's hard to believe but it's true. It's a reality -There in that Irrawaddy Delta 100,000 souls were washed away.

It is a crime against humanity to be comfortable in our own skins and not make this disaster our problem.

And that is all we are asking of you. Start to care. Talk about it. And act.