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.

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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.

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