Help in Burma / Myanmar

I’ve been following the news in Myanmar for several years. I conciously noticed Myanmar as one of the most miserable places on this planet the first time around 2000 in San Francisco, when some friends and I went to a Burmese Restaurant. We were part of a supper club, picking the cuisine by following the alphabet and matching it with a country starting with that letter. We picked Burma for B, just to learn that officially it was Myanmar.

It feels like there is nothing we can do to help, but there is! Read on to learn what you can do to help the Burmese people!

Full Article

The following information has been taken from the Interdependence Project’s Newsletter.

Below are a few very concrete ways you can help the situation. The basic rule of interdependence is this: every action matters. Please take the small time and mental effort necessary to make a difference. Please forward this widely.

With Compassionate Wishes,

Cassie M., Ellen, Cassie P., Ethan, and the Crew
The InterDependence Project
http://www.theIDproject.com

1. There are upcoming protests planned for Sat. Oct. 6th.

For more information: http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/
(this website contains disturbing images and news of what’s actually going on.)

2. Take part in a letter writing campaign sponsered by Amnesty International.

(if you participate then visit their website- http://web.amnesty.org/pages/mmr-270907-action-eng and check the box that says- Yes, I have taken this action)
You can copy and paste this sample letter into an e-mail or a document to print out:

Dear Minister:
I am deeply concerned by the reports that hundreds of monks and other peaceful protesters, including well-known comedian Zargana and member of parliament Paik Ko have been detained.
I strongly urge the Myanmar authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally, unless they are to be charged with recognizably criminal offences. I call on the authorities to ensure that, while they remain in custody, all the detainees are held only in official places of detention, and are given immediate access to lawyers, their families and any medical treatment they may require. I also call on the authorities to ensure that the detainees are not subjected to torture or any other ill-treatment.
I call on the authorities to ensure that all people in Myanmar are able to peacefully exercise the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly without fear of harassment, intimidation or arbitrary detention, in line with international human rights standards.

Yours Sincerely,

Please send appeals to:
Foreign Minister Nyan Win
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Naypyitaw
Union of Myanmar
Fax: +95 1 222 950 OR +95 1 221 719
E-mail: mofa.aung@mptmail.net.mm
Don’t forget to sign as a member of the Interdependence Project!

3. Please sign an online petition to Chinese Officials:

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/uscampaignforburma/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=730&t=HomePage.dwt

Chinese action is crucial to pressuring the military dictatorship!

4. Please Sign the petition that will appear in ads in the Financial Times and the South China Morning Post tomorrow.

There are 500,000 signatures already from around the world and they are aiming for a 1 million.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/u.php

avaaz.org is a new international grass-roots group.