8/28/08
8/24/08
8/23/08
About Mun Aung "Battle of Peace"
Hi All,
If we put 1988 uprising and Burmese songs in one bucket together, then mix them up and when we pull something back from that bucket, there is just only one thing we can get out of it and that is "Mun Awng".
He is a singer, a revolutionist, an artist, a freedom fighter, a symbol of strong 88 spirit, a father, a husband and a peace lover.
Please see Australia national tour poster and other fliers as attached.
He was born in March 21, 1960
His first album called "8/82 Innya" was released in 1984 and he became one of the most famous singers in Burma, followed by
second album called "Moe Lone Mhyine or Vanda Orchid" in 1986;
third album called "Zeinza Marna Nyan" and fourth album called "Lun Ya the Nya tyay Lon par say or Wish; to pass the longing nights".
1988- Feb 1993, he was in regiment 102 and 204 at All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) as freedom fighter soldier fighting against Burmese military junta in Thai-Burma border.
"Freedom for Peace" album was released in 1992 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Resettled in Norway in 1993 and he was working in Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) until 1996. "The route of freedom" was released in 1998 in Norway and now he is living in Norway with wife and a daughter.
The objectives of this national tour are as followed;
"To achieve wider political awareness among Burma democracy lovers and achieve maximum level of political momentum within our movement,
To achieve stronger collaboration between several different generations, and
To showing concrete support for upcoming one year anniversary of saffron revolution day"
He is available for any media work or interview regarding the tour.
In Solidarity,
Ko Thu (a) Thomas Soe
614 21418 449
If we put 1988 uprising and Burmese songs in one bucket together, then mix them up and when we pull something back from that bucket, there is just only one thing we can get out of it and that is "Mun Awng".
He is a singer, a revolutionist, an artist, a freedom fighter, a symbol of strong 88 spirit, a father, a husband and a peace lover.
Please see Australia national tour poster and other fliers as attached.
He was born in March 21, 1960
His first album called "8/82 Innya" was released in 1984 and he became one of the most famous singers in Burma, followed by
second album called "Moe Lone Mhyine or Vanda Orchid" in 1986;
third album called "Zeinza Marna Nyan" and fourth album called "Lun Ya the Nya tyay Lon par say or Wish; to pass the longing nights".
1988- Feb 1993, he was in regiment 102 and 204 at All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) as freedom fighter soldier fighting against Burmese military junta in Thai-Burma border.
"Freedom for Peace" album was released in 1992 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Resettled in Norway in 1993 and he was working in Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) until 1996. "The route of freedom" was released in 1998 in Norway and now he is living in Norway with wife and a daughter.
The objectives of this national tour are as followed;
"To achieve wider political awareness among Burma democracy lovers and achieve maximum level of political momentum within our movement,
To achieve stronger collaboration between several different generations, and
To showing concrete support for upcoming one year anniversary of saffron revolution day"
He is available for any media work or interview regarding the tour.
In Solidarity,
Ko Thu (a) Thomas Soe
614 21418 449
8/22/08
8/20/08
One of Burmese Community Leaders, Mr. Paul Kyaw's Talk in front of WA's Parliament
ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE PARLIAMENT,PARLIAMENTARIAN FRIENDS OF BURMA,DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES & GENTLEMEN,& PEOPLE OF BURMA
Today is the 8th of August, the 8th month of 2008. We are gathering here to show our support & unity to the most oppressed people of Burma. Today the bells are ringing as the sign of sorrow in the cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in Japan to express the condolence and anguish of the Japanese people to the victims of atomic bomb back in 1945. It is also a warning of danger to the world when the ARMY turns to be the RULER of a nation. Burma has been under the military rule since 02/03/1962. The night they robbed the power of the nation they killed Mi Mi Thike the son of the 1st President of Burma Sao Shwe Thike. But shamelessly they broadcast it as a bloodless coup. Four months later they killed hundreds of the Rangoon University students in the name of peace and order. They even blew up the historical building of the Student Union in the campus where the movement of independence of Burma was born.
The Burma army killed and killed the hungry and innocent people whenever the crisis arose. In 1987 Burma was branded as the Least Developed Nation ( L.D.C ) by the UN. The army demonetised the currencies without any compensation. On 8888 the entire people of Burma joined hands and expressed their desire of human rights and democracy in peaceful demonstration. Again they killed.
In 2 days time China will celebrate the biggest ever Olympic Games in Beijing exactly at 8:08 pm on the month of 8th of 2008. That means 8888, the lucky number for Chinese. We will commemorate our mourning day of 20th anniversary 8888 in every corner of the world where the people of Burma are residing. The army used excessive force to crush down the people demonstration. After 8888 the army openly declared that they will pave the way for democracy in discipline and go back to the army barracks. Unfortunately that never happens.
Today Burma Army built up to 400,000 to 450,000 strong army including 70,000 child soldiers without any external threat. Every 100 people in Burma have ONE soldier while they have ONE trained teacher for every 100,00.
Look at today statistic of Burma.
2.5 million people are displaced.
About half million are taking refugee in refugee camps.
One million are living illegally in neighbouring countries.
40% of children are malnourished.
ONE in 5 children dies before they reach their 5th birthday.
3000 villages are deliberately destroyed.
Inflation rate is more than 40%.
Civil war is still raging for 60 years.
The army is reaping US$150 million per month from the offshore gas revenue while the grass-root are weeping in and suffering in hunger. Electric power is only for the army and elite’. People are living without electricity. But they spend more than 50% of the revenue to build up the army.
They misled the people just a few days before deadly NARGIS. While neighbouring nation India warned them a few days before the cyclone. They declared in their newspaper that NARGIS was not harmful. It would be only 50 mph. People were absolutely unprepared. More than 130,000 people perished in the deadly cyclone.
They banned US Aircraft Carrier from delivering food, medicine and fresh water. They misused many aids for their own benefit. People have to help the victims behind the scene. Many social workers were arrested for helping the victims. Many victims died after cyclone because of the man-made disaster.
The people of Burma are branded as the “ Rice-eating robots” by the scholar Dr. Nancy Hudson-Rodd. The people of Burma are also human beings like any other in the world. People should not go the bed hungry. The people power of India, South Africa, the Philippines and Thailand did work. Aung San Suu Kyi was named the Mandela of Burma. As a matter-of-fact she is the Mandela without De Clarke. Those countries gained victories over the dictators as the rulers were human beings. The story of Burma is different. All the events show that the rulers of Burma are no human beings. They have no consideration apart from the power.
Today we, the people of Burma, call upon
The United Nations, E.U, ASEAN, USA, UK & Australia
Not to turn the blind eye to the people of Burma.
We urge you to take serious ACTION not the SANCTION.
When Australia liberated E. Timor we were in tears of joy.
We want to write a new page in our history of Burma to let our children know that;
IN 2008 AUSTRALIA LIBERATED BURMA. AUSTRALIA IS OUR GREATEST FRIEND.
CHILDREN NEVER EVER FORGET AUSTRALIA.
Paul Kyaw
0433 55 1845
8/15/08
8/13/08
Democracy Movement Needs More Financial Assistance, Say Activists (From Irrawaddy)
By Wai Moe
Wednesday, January 16, 2008,
The international community has united in condemning the Burmese military government but financial assistance to fund pro-democracy and civil society groups remains limited, activists say.
Since the early 1990s, funding agencies from Western countries have provided annual grants and other funds for Burma’s democracy movement, particularly the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the International Republican Institute, the Danish Burma Committee of Denmark and the Norway-based Norwegian Burma Committee (NBC).
However, most international donors underestimated the democracy movement and opposition groups in Burma and along the border, Nyo Ohn Myint, the head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
He said many international NGOs and foreign experts who work on Burma issues miscalculated the democracy movement and were ill-prepared for a civil uprising like that in September 2007.
“NGOs that could influence donors at the international level thought Burma’s democracy movement was going nowhere (before the monk-led uprising),” he said.
“So they (NGOs and Burma experts) recommended that donors not increase grants to political campaign groups that could shape the political landscape to perhaps remove the regime.”
He said NGO workers can not think like government officials on Burma issues.
During the “Saffron Revolution” in September, several dissident groups based on the Thai border faced serious funding shortages, he said. Worse still, no emergency funds were available to border pro-democracy groups that have connections with activists and monks inside Burma.
“Donors should rethink how to provide funds to democracy movements in an effective way,” said Nyo Ohn Myint, who fled Burma after the bloody crackdown in 1988.
He said grants and funding provided by international organizations were usually small.
“It makes us ‘mission impossible’ (to achieve change),” he said.
The exiled National Council of Union of Burma which includes several key ethnic leaders received US $20,000 from a Western donor for “inside political work,” he said.
He asked, “How can we do inside movement work with this amount?”
Some political groups formed by activists and dissidents have channeled funds and other assistance to inside Burma, but they have never publicly acknowledged their work.
During the crisis, some activists inside Burma said they could accomplish more if they had much needed assistance. In the past, some prominent activists were arrested simply because they could not afford transportation fees or money to rent a safe place to hide.
Aung Moe Zaw, the leader of the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), said a few international funding agencies are interested in providing assistance to Burma’s fragile democracy movement.
“But we need more aid for the democracy movement,” he said. “I mean not just money alone, but also other capacity building assistance.”
He praised the Washington-based NED of giving support to the movement.
“The NED is the only one that openly supports our democracy movement,” the said. The DPNS receives grants from NED.
The NED provided more than US $3 million to Burmese dissident groups, civil society groups and Burmese media groups in exile in its 2006 annual budget.
Burmese dissidents say, however, the amount of aid to the movement is small and lacks a long-term plan and consistency.
Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said money and international assistance is essential during a critical period.
“We need to make sure there are funds available during a time of crisis,” he said, referring to the September uprising.
Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner and the co-founder of the AAPP in Mae Sot opposite Myawaddy, said grants provided by international groups to the Burma movement are less than the value of a missile (dropped on Iraq).
Comparing the West’s funding of democracy-building projects around the world, particularly in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said, “We just receive pocket change.”
A prominent activist who is involved in political training in Burma agreed that grants are inadequate.
“If we want to see change in Burma, these small grants won’t make any significant change,” he said. He requested anonymity because he wants to maintain a good relationship with donors.
Activists point to the military regime’s investment to maintain and prolong military rule.
“Look at how much money they (military rulers) spend to run the military machine,” said Bo Kyi.
UN reports estimate the regime spends more than 40 percent of the national budget on the military.
The armed forces budget has increased over the past decade.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008,
The international community has united in condemning the Burmese military government but financial assistance to fund pro-democracy and civil society groups remains limited, activists say.
Since the early 1990s, funding agencies from Western countries have provided annual grants and other funds for Burma’s democracy movement, particularly the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the International Republican Institute, the Danish Burma Committee of Denmark and the Norway-based Norwegian Burma Committee (NBC).
However, most international donors underestimated the democracy movement and opposition groups in Burma and along the border, Nyo Ohn Myint, the head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
He said many international NGOs and foreign experts who work on Burma issues miscalculated the democracy movement and were ill-prepared for a civil uprising like that in September 2007.
“NGOs that could influence donors at the international level thought Burma’s democracy movement was going nowhere (before the monk-led uprising),” he said.
“So they (NGOs and Burma experts) recommended that donors not increase grants to political campaign groups that could shape the political landscape to perhaps remove the regime.”
He said NGO workers can not think like government officials on Burma issues.
During the “Saffron Revolution” in September, several dissident groups based on the Thai border faced serious funding shortages, he said. Worse still, no emergency funds were available to border pro-democracy groups that have connections with activists and monks inside Burma.
“Donors should rethink how to provide funds to democracy movements in an effective way,” said Nyo Ohn Myint, who fled Burma after the bloody crackdown in 1988.
He said grants and funding provided by international organizations were usually small.
“It makes us ‘mission impossible’ (to achieve change),” he said.
The exiled National Council of Union of Burma which includes several key ethnic leaders received US $20,000 from a Western donor for “inside political work,” he said.
He asked, “How can we do inside movement work with this amount?”
Some political groups formed by activists and dissidents have channeled funds and other assistance to inside Burma, but they have never publicly acknowledged their work.
During the crisis, some activists inside Burma said they could accomplish more if they had much needed assistance. In the past, some prominent activists were arrested simply because they could not afford transportation fees or money to rent a safe place to hide.
Aung Moe Zaw, the leader of the Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), said a few international funding agencies are interested in providing assistance to Burma’s fragile democracy movement.
“But we need more aid for the democracy movement,” he said. “I mean not just money alone, but also other capacity building assistance.”
He praised the Washington-based NED of giving support to the movement.
“The NED is the only one that openly supports our democracy movement,” the said. The DPNS receives grants from NED.
The NED provided more than US $3 million to Burmese dissident groups, civil society groups and Burmese media groups in exile in its 2006 annual budget.
Burmese dissidents say, however, the amount of aid to the movement is small and lacks a long-term plan and consistency.
Bo Kyi, the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), said money and international assistance is essential during a critical period.
“We need to make sure there are funds available during a time of crisis,” he said, referring to the September uprising.
Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner and the co-founder of the AAPP in Mae Sot opposite Myawaddy, said grants provided by international groups to the Burma movement are less than the value of a missile (dropped on Iraq).
Comparing the West’s funding of democracy-building projects around the world, particularly in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said, “We just receive pocket change.”
A prominent activist who is involved in political training in Burma agreed that grants are inadequate.
“If we want to see change in Burma, these small grants won’t make any significant change,” he said. He requested anonymity because he wants to maintain a good relationship with donors.
Activists point to the military regime’s investment to maintain and prolong military rule.
“Look at how much money they (military rulers) spend to run the military machine,” said Bo Kyi.
UN reports estimate the regime spends more than 40 percent of the national budget on the military.
The armed forces budget has increased over the past decade.
Fat NGO by Sayar Sein
Nonprofit Executive
Want to change the world and bank big at the same time? The median salary for nonprofit executives is -- brace yourself -- $327,575, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Here's how to do it: Though reaching the executive level will probably require a master's degree or higher in nonprofit management, business administration, or public administration, nonprofit workers won't have to fight for jobs. The Foundation Center, an NYC-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting other charitable organizations, reports that there are currently 1.4 million nonprofit agencies in the U.S. with more added every year.
Sayar Sein ------------ ---
8/11/08
8/10/08
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)