Politics Before People- Another Burmese Disaster

As if the poor Burmese people hadn't already suffered enough under a brutally oppressive, communist regime, they suffered further loss and damage at a catastrophic level due, in part, to the ineptitude of a government that seems to place more importance on politics over people. That seems more intent on maintaining the socialist status quo, than saving people.

Granted, the Myanmar Junta had no control over the fact that Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit landfall in Burma, but it did have control over adequately warning the Burmese citizens of the impending dangers of the storm. It did not. There were few warnings and no evacuations. As a result, 80,000 people have been reported dead in one village alone, 44,000 plus are missing, it is estimated that the deaths will exceed well over 100,000, and at least one million people have been left homeless. Many of them children.

And, it has failed miserably in the aftermath. The government, supposed caretaker and protector of its people, is doing virtually nothing. The military out in force last year, so readily available and willing to shoot innocent monks during their peaceful demonstrations, have been of little or no help. It's been 5 days since the storm, the people are starving, there is very little clean water, bodies are rotting in huge piles, and there are fears many more will die from starvation or disease, creating an even greater humanitarian disaster that could well rival that of the Tsunami of 2004. Unbelievably, the military is thought to be profiting from the catastrophe by grossly inflating the prices of water and food, and "trying to sell things like roofing on the black market."


Relief agencies and aid groups are poised and waiting to enter the country, but the Junta is dragging its feet by insisting on reviewing each and every visa. People are dying, and they are reviewing visas??!!

The junta has insisted that foreign aid workers must "negotiate" their entry to the country. The United Nations said the regime has finally appointed a minister to review visa applications by aid workers, but that no permits have yet been issued.

Many countries have pledged monetary and physical assistance, including the U.S. which has pledged 3 million, but help is being thwarted on every level by a bunch of paranoid generals who somehow feel threatened by allowing an influx of foreigners into a country they've had complete control over for decades. Obviously, they would rather see their people die, than relinquish some control. The Burmese deserve better, and hopefully will finally do something about a group of leaders who have systematically dragged what was once a thriving, prosperous country into darkness and despair.

In the meantime, The Centre for Cross Cultural Research at the Australian National University (ANU) has said that, in spite of the fact that the Junta will more than likely hoard much of the humanitarian aid, this should not stop the world from coming to Burma's aid. The only people who have stepped into action, ironically, are the Buddhist monks. The Junta, threatened by that, has been waging a propaganda war. According to Monique Skidmore , of the ANU,

"There's a bit of a propaganda battle being waged between the military, they're trying to stop pictures of monks helping the population from getting out into the public domain."

The monks have been providing shelter and food at their monasteries for the displaced and suffering people. For those who would rather see their donations go directly to the Burmese people, rather than the military Junta, Avaaz.org is soliciting for the International Burmese Monks Organization and related groups, they

will transmit funds directly to monasteries in affected areas.In many of
the worst-hit areas, the monasteries are the only source of shelter and food for Burma's poorest people. They have been on the front lines of the aid effort since the storm struck. Other forms of aid could be delayed, diverted or manipulated by the Burmese government--but the monks are the most trusted and reliable institution in the country.

For more information, please go to FreeBurma.org

Risking Life for Art

The performing arts should be valued for more than its ability to entertain. In a far more profound and complex way it can be a catalyst for change- when it educates, enlightens, transforms, inspires. When audience members leave a theatre or other performing arts venue having been touched, somehow, by their experience, then we (as artists) know we have done our job. When it prompts people to action, even better.

Art, in its various categories- from language and visual arts to the performing arts- is all about communication, and can take on many different forms. In countries that embrace democracy, artists are usually allowed to create freely, without fear of governmental retribution. We are extremely fortunate, in the U.S., to be able to mount projects, if we so choose, that are critical of our government, without fear of retaliation. However, in nations where freedom is at a premium, artists are not so fortunate. They are censored, fired from jobs and thrown in jail for nothing more than being critical of those in power. In those lands, the various art forms either tout the official 'party line', so to speak, or become a political forum, of sorts. From political satire to outright criticism, artists risk their lives and careers to bring to light the injustices that prevail living under those kinds of autocratic regimes.

It's happening right now in places like Burma, Belarus, Venezuela.

In 1990 Par Par Lay, a 60-year-old Burmese comic who performs a traditionall Burmese vaudeville routine laced with political satire called nyeint pwe, spent 6 months in jail for offending the junta with his political jokes. In 1996, he was again sentenced to 7 years in a labour camp, though released after 5 1/2, after he and his troupe the Mustache Brothers dared to poke fun at the Junta in front of Aung San Suu Kyi and an audience of 2,000 including foreign ambassadors. One of the offending routines:

a "government dance," a comic rendition of a wily public servant stealing money from the poor.

His troupe was then barred, by the Junta, from performing for Burmese people, so they had to resort to performing for foreign visitors in Par Par Lay's house. On September 25 2007, Par Par Lay was arrested, once again, during the latest crackdown in Burma. So was another popular comic, Zargana. For weeks, no-one knew what happened to Par Par Lay. His wife, a dancer, said the following:

"I tried to find him, but I don't know where he is" [snip] "If the past is an indication, he must have been beaten a lot. I am worried about whether he is alive or not."

Thankfully, according to Amnesty International, both Par Par Lay and Zargana were released in late October, however Zargana developed a lung infection from the unsanitary conditions in jail. He was briefly detained, again, after he spoke to international media about his incarceration. And sadly, it probably won't be the last time either of them sees the inside of a jail cell.

In Belarus, the Free Theatre project was created (March 2005) in response to the oppressive, dictatorial leadership of Alexander Lukashenko. It is in part sponsored by former Czech President and playwright Vaclav Havel , and English playwright Tom Stoppard. Those involved have sworn to keep the project alive until Belarus embraces democracy. In the meantime, this group of unpaid actors, directors and technicians continues performing in spite of crackdowns by police, and being outright banned by the Belarusian government. You see, in Belarus only state-sanctioned theatres and actors are allowed to perform. Many of these 'underground' theatres exist through the sheer tenacity and courage of those collaborating, and performances are held in flats, houses and nightclubs. And even though the audiences are pre-screened and the location of the production is revealed shortly prior to the performance, the precautions aren't always helpful. A recent Free Theatre production of "Eleven Vests" (a play about violence by British playwright Edward Bond) was raided by police, and 50 people were detained for hours, including children and theatre artists from France and the Netherlands. In spite of these occurrences and the potential risk of losing jobs or even their freedom, Belarusian actors continue to find ways to bring their voices of dissent to the people.

And in Venezuela, actress Fabiola Colmenares was recently fired from Venevision for publicly registering her disapproval of the police violence against the on-going anti-Chavista student demonstrators. 2 people have been killed in those demonstrations, so far, in case you hadn't heard. (For more information on the situation in Venezuela, check out Kate at Colombo-Americana's Perspective, and Julia's The End of Venezuela As I Know It.)

Artists need to be heard, especially when something needs to be said. And you can rest assured that our voices will not be silenced. As long as we have an audience, and as long as we have a voice.

In solidarity with those who risk all for their art.

Email Virus Alert- Hackers exploit crisis in Burma!!

WARNING: Please be aware, that according to Sophos (a leading anti-virus company) an email purporting to be from the Dalai Lama, supporting the pro-democracy efforts in Burma, is actually a malicious Trojan virus. Do not open, for any reason!!

The email contains the following text:

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

Please find enclosed a massage from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in support of the recent pro-democracy demonstrations taking place in Burma. This is for your information and can be distributed as you see fit.

Best wishes.

Tenzin Taklha Joint
Secretary Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Sophos claims that:

When users open the attached document (filename: hhdl burma_001.doc), it attempts to exploit a Word vulnerability which in turn tries to drop a Trojan horse onto the victim's PC. Sophos proactively detects the malicious document as Exp/1Table-B and the Trojan it tries to install as Agent-CGU.

The email actually links to the Dalai Lamas website, to add legitimacy to the content of the email.

This is the height of vileness: exploiting a humanitarian crisis knowing full well that people will be tempted to open the document in an effort to keep up to date with information regarding the worsening situation in Burma, and to show solidarity with the Burmese people's valiant efforts to bring democracy to their country.

Totally despicable!!

October 4th, Free Burma blogger campaign!

Bloggers worldwide have started a campaign to support the pro-democracy efforts in Burma, which have turned deadlier over the past few days. They are inviting all bloggers, website owners and commenters to participate by not blogging on October 4th. Instead, they propose that all participants post a "Free Burma" banner on their blog/website with the words "Free Burma" underneath the banner. Detailed info and links for banner graphics can be found here and the official Free Burma site here. I encourage everyone to take part. I know I will.

In the meantime, there were demonstrations, of solidarity, in D.C on Friday and Saturday, in front of the Myanmar Embassy, and Kate over at Colombo-Americana's Perspective has some great photos, as does John of This Aint Hell. Lady Vorzheva also talks about the demonstration they had in Spain, and the Putin/Zapatero connection regarding their views on Burma.

It's now estimated that there have been far more killed then reported, but there is no way to know, for sure, as Internet service has been curtailed, and cell phone service has been disrupted. Much of the information, pictures and videos were being transmitted overseas via Internet and cell phone. Kate has some great updates here and here.

A great inside source of information is Abitsu.org (All Burma I.T. Students' Union). They report that General Than Shwe and his family are staying at the Burj Al Arab, in Dubai (U.A.E) a hotel that rates itself as the best hotel in the world. The cheapest rooms for one night in February 2008 are $2,274 per night on one travel website. With your own chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, what a bargain! For more candid photos by guests staying there, click here. Although I can't confirm if, indeed, Than Shwe and others are actually there, I wouldn't be surprised. Isn't this what most despots do, live in the lap of luxury while their own people suffer?! It's no wonder they refuse to give up power. But it makes it all the more foul.

U.S. Campaign for Burma also has some interesting info, including a video by Jim Carrey calling for U.N. action, and a copy of a letter sent to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki, by 25 Hollywood celebs (and yes, including some of our favorite loud mouthed leftists) asking for his personal intervention in securing help for Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

Whether any of this makes one iota of a difference, at least those of us who participate can feel that we at least did our part.

UPDATE:

In spite of the imposed censorship, Burmese bloggers both there and abroad keep on blogging. According to this blogger, Internet is back on line, so he continues to receive reports from the area. Here's another report re. General Than Shwe claiming he is in a Singapore Hospital.

H/T: Theospark