Nargis Help Online via humanitarian.info
Short note: WorldWideHelp have got the NargisHelp Wiki up and running, packed with information goodness....
Cyclone Nargis, you know? via humanitarian.info
So it all kicked off in Myanmar this week, except that it didn’t, because the military regime has managed to bungle the response to Cyclone Nargis. We could get into a long discussion about the whys and wherefores, and there’s some frightening talk about the “right to respond” over-riding sovereignty, but let’s stay focused on [...]...
Burma: China Should Push to Get Aid in via Human Rights Watch News Releases
India, ASEAN Also Need to Push Generals to Accept International Help
China, India, Thailand and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should work to convince Burma’s government to lift restrictions on international assistance so aid can reach survivors of Cyclone Nargis, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Postpone Referendum to Save Lives via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Let International Aid in for Cyclone Survivors
The Burmese government should postpone the constitutional referendum scheduled for May 10, 2008 and focus on relieving the horrendous human suffering from Cyclone Nargis, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged the Burmese government to stop blocking aid efforts and lift restrictions on international aid agencies so they can respond immediately to help survivors....
Will Burma’s leaders let aid in? via Poverty News Blog
from the BBC By Philippa FogartyBBC News, BangkokIn the days after the 2004 Asian tsunami, military rulers in Burma said that they did not need any international help.Highly suspicious of foreign aid agencies, the regime said that it could provide for the thousands left homeless without any external aid.But it appears as though the sheer magnitude of the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis could perhaps force a shift.With the death toll from the disaster an estimated 15,000, and with hundreds of thousands without shelter, Burma's government looks more willing to accept overseas help.Shantha Bloemen, a Bangkok-based spokeswoman for Unicef, described the situation in Burma as an "enormous emergency"."The scale of this disaster is - as we have been discovering in the last 48 hours - just... Burma: Referendum Is a Sham via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Governments Should not Endorse Vote on New Constitution
Burma’s May 10 referendum on a new constitution is a sham process aimed at entrenching the military, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today....
Face-to-face with AIDS, poverty and conflict in Burma via Poverty News Blog
from the Somerset County GazetteA CROWCOMBE man is helping distribute aid in one of Asia's poorest countries, coming face to face with AIDS, poverty and conflict.Richard Butterworth is working with the Government's Department for International Development, which manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to end extreme poverty.He moved to Burma with his wife and their son in August last year - just weeks before thousands of Buddhist monks started protests against the military government.He said: "At first it was quite exciting, as though this was the moment where things were going to change for the better."But after that it got quite scary and very disappointing that nothing was going to change."Then there was the aftermath where there was a major crackdown by the military - there... Child mortality via Mekong River Reviews
T.R. wrote a moving entry about the situation in Burma - Putting a Human Face on the Politics of Poverty which included a reference to an entry I wrote about the high child mortality rate in the country. Unicef, in its annual report State of the World's Children, estimated that the under five mortality rate is 104/ 1,000 live births. In the post written on the Tricycle blog, there was a link to another article. The original article was taken off the site so I did a little more digging.According to an article in the The Irrawaddy, 7 Feb 2008 ( Unicef chief says International Newspapers misstated Facts ), Dr Osamu Kunii had sent a letter to the Minister of Health apologizing for his comment, where the AP article had quoted him as saying that between 100,000 to 150,000 children under five...
Burma: Heed UN Envoy on Constitutional Reform via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Time for Action, Not More Empty Promises From Military Rulers
The Burmese military government should adopt expected calls from UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari to allow an open and inclusive political process ahead of a planned constitutional referendum in May, Human Rights Watch said today. Gambari arrives in Burma on March 6, 2008....
Burma: Arrest of Journalists Highlights Junta’s Intolerance via Human Rights Watch News Releases
China, India Should Press for Release of Political Prisoners Before Referendum
The Burmese government’s arrest of two journalists and its decision to extend the detention of a prominent opposition leader demonstrate its continuing contempt for political freedoms despite its preparations for a constitutional referendum in May, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Referendum a Sham Unless Repression Ends via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Credibility Will Depend on Government Changing Course on Basic Rights
Burma’s referendum on a new constitution planned for May should be conducted in an atmosphere of freedom and respect for basic rights, and not as a hollow exercise in the military’s sham political reform process, Human Rights Watch said today....
chanphenglew @ 2008-01-28T21:19:00 via Mekong River Reviews
Just a reminder that Burma, or Myanmar, is still a mess. Amnesty International reports that there are more arrests. The Telegraph had a story about a poet being arrested for writing a poem that's a love poem on the surface but the first word of each verse spelled out a satiric message about the head of the junta. The Bangkok Post story is about one activist who is still free - but at great cost to her personal life.Who will come to Nilar Thein's rescue?Bangkok PostActivist is on the run from Rangoon's regime while her family and nation suffersBy KYAW ZWA MOE Who remembers Nilar Thein now? She was actually well-known about four months ago. But today few seem to remember her. Four months is a long time in today's fast-moving world. Nilar Thein is a fugitive with a price on her head. She has...
Burma Has Second Highest Child Mortality Rate in Asia via Poverty News Blog
from The Irrawaddy News Magazineby Min Lwin and Associated PressSan San Aye, a farmer living some three miles from town, had no idea why her two-year-old son was suffering from chronic diarrhea. She took her child by foot to see the doctor at the government hospital nearest her town, Pale, in Sagaing Division of upper Burma. However, her baby died on the way.This disturbing story is just one of hundreds of tragedies that happen in Burma every day.Dr Osamu Kunii, a nutrition expert in Burma with the United Nations Children's Fund, said that between 100,000 to 150,000 children under five years of age die every year in Burma. That’s between 270 and 400 daily—and many are dying from preventable diseases.Kunii was speaking Wednesday at the launch by UNICEF of its annual report, "The State... Burma: Boycott Gems Funding Military Repression via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Consumers and merchants should not buy jade, rubies, and other gems from Burma until the military government ends its repression, which is partly funded by gem sales, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called for a boycott in advance of a gem auction scheduled from January 15 to 19 in Rangoon....
Hope lingers, but not for democracy, in Burma via CIPE Development Blog
There’s an old joke “call me what you want, just don’t call me late for dinner” that sadly seems to reflect reality in Burma/Myanmar these days, which is facing a food crisis. Like Zimbabwe, Burma used to export foodstuff to its neighbors; now it faces shortages. In a country where most people subsist on less than $1/day, a bowl of noodles costs about 80 cents. Four months ago, price hikes triggered a wave of protests that elicited a crackdown that transfixed the world. After the world’s attention shifted from the immediate crisis, however, little else improved. There’s more pre-crackdown ‘normalcy’ on the street, but many activists and monks remain underground or ‘disappeared’, according to recent Al Jazeera coverage. One...
Burma: Crackdown Bloodier Than Government Admits via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Arrests Continue Amidst International Inaction
Many more people were killed and detained in the violent government crackdown on monks and other peaceful protestors in September 2007 than the Burmese government has admitted, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. Since the crackdown, the military regime has brought to bear the full force of its authoritarian apparatus to intimidate all opposition, hunting down protest leaders in night raids and defrocking monks....
UN: Impose Burma Arms Embargo to End Child Soldier Use via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Burmese Government’s Steps to Address Problem Are Wholly Insufficient
The United Nations Security Council should impose an arms embargo on Burma in response to the Burmese military government’s continuing recruitment of children for its national army, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Targeted Sanctions Needed on Petroleum Industry via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Foreign-State-Owned Companies Are Major Investors in Burma’s Oil and Gas Fields
The United Nations Security Council should act to prohibit any new investment in Burma’s oil and gas fields and block company payments that help sustain Burma’s brutal military rule, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Gem Trade Bolsters Military Regime, Fuels Atrocities via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Importing Countries Should Ban Burmese Rubies and Jade
China, Thailand, the United States, and other countries should completely block the purchase of gems from Burma that help finance military abuses there, Human Rights Watch said today. The group issued its call for targeted sanctions on Burma’s gem business ahead of the opening of a major gem auction in Rangoon this week....
UN: Push Burma for Real Reform via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Pinheiro Visit Chance to Spur Change
The United Nations Security Council should redouble efforts to prod Burma’s generals into starting a genuine political dialogue and ending human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Threat to Expel Top UN Diplomat via Human Rights Watch News Releases
UN Envoy, China, Should Push for Real Reform
Burma’s threat to expel Charles Petrie, the top United Nations official in the country, shows the military government’s intolerance for even the mildest criticism, Human Rights Watch said today....
Burma: Fully Cooperate with UN Envoy via Human Rights Watch News Releases
China, Russia and India Should Support Efforts of Gambari
The United Nations special envoy on Burma should demand that the military government commit to the creation of a structured mechanism for negotiations with opposition parties and civil society on a quick transition to civilian rule, Human Rights Watch said today. On Saturday, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, begins his second visit to Burma since the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in September and October....
Government bows to pressure to boost aid for Burma via Poverty News Blog
from the GuardianTania Branigan, political correspondent The government has promised to double the amount it gives in aid to Burma after coming under pressure from MPs, but will still provide only half the funding the Tories have pledged.Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, announced Britain's support for health, education and humanitarian support schemes would rise from £9m this year to £18m by 2010.But the Conservatives immediately attacked the "disappointing" increase and pledged to raise aid four-fold if they won the next election, in line with the recommendation of a recent Commons report.Andrew Mitchell, the shadow development secretary, said he was disappointed by the government's failure to act on the international development committee's advice and...
Burma: Children Bought and Sold by Army Recruiters via Human Rights Watch News Releases
UN Security Council Group to Consider Violations Against Children in Burma
Facing a military staffing crisis, the Burmese government is forcibly recruiting many children, some as young as age 10, into its armed forces, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today....
Burma: Army Attacks Displace Hundreds of Thousands via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Grave Abuses in Ethnic Minority Areas Fuel Growing Humanitarian Crisis
Burmese army attacks on ethnic minority villages have forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians in eastern Burma, creating dire humanitarian conditions, Human Rights Watch said today....
Poverty driving Burmese workers east via Poverty News Blog
from the BBC By Philippa FogartyZaw Aung left Burma because he could not afford to feed his family.The 31-year-old worked as a farm labourer near the new capital, Naypyidaw.But his wages did not cover basic necessities for his wife and three young children, and he could not find a better job.So two years ago he paid a broker just over $400 (£200) for passage to Thailand.With 40 others, he sailed across the Chan river estuary in southern Burma to the Thai town of Ranong.Then he made his way to Mahachai, a port city about an hour south of Bangkok, where he found a job in a seafood processing plant.The hours are long and he misses his children, but he has no regrets. "If I'd stayed in Burma, I don't think the situation would ever have got better," he said.Eastern exodusZaw Aung is not alone...
Burma: Security Council Should Impose Arms Embargo via Human Rights Watch News Releases
Weapons Sales by India, China and Russia Fuel Abuses, Strengthen Military Rule
The United Nations Security Council should impose and enforce a mandatory arms embargo on Burma because of continuing massive violations of human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. India, China, Russia, and other nations are supplying Burma with weapons that the military uses to commit human rights abuses and to bolster its ability to maintain power....
It’s still raining via Mekong River Reviews
As soon as I get myself together, I'm heading for the gym. Before that, I'll post a few links which I gathered this morning, after my inappropriate waking time (I'm getting better though - crashed at 8 pm, woke up at midnight, read for an hour and work up again at 5 am).I re-arranged my links bar, with The Irrawaddy news magazine on top. Based in Bangkok, they have consistently provided the most accurate news on what's been going on in Burma. Most of the staff are Burmese, with some technical assistance from native English speakers. The site is up again, after having taken a suspicious hit from a virus last week.Burmanet is also on my side bar. They aggregate news from all sources on Burma. I even have the feed on my live bookmarks bar.I also found this moving interview by John Pilger My...