Peace 4 Burma

Burmese activists love Imagine and Dust in the Wind, batteries ran out so didn't get any footage of them singing the latter in Burmese. Super cheesy, but cute.

On Friday 26th September, a candlelight vigil was held to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the Saffron Uprising. There had been a seminar earlier on in the day at Chulalongkorn University to take stock of what had happened in the year. On Saturday the next morning there was a larger gathering outside the Burmese embassy.

Mostly a depressing weekend, it's not news that nothing has been achieved and that Burmese people and monks live in worse conditions now. The international community at large failed them, the UN and ASEAN failed them and I guess I failed them too. It shouldn't have been a Peace 4 Burma rally, but instead an "are you ashamed?" rally.

Burma Referendum: HELL NO!!!!!

Human Rights Watch article - important to read.

The SPDC won't postpone the referendum and won't let foreign aid workers in. They will most probably use the aid to bribe the Burmese into voting "yes" which will entrench military rule in the country.

"Branding" human rights

Holy ass! An article about Burma in the Fashion & Style section of the NYT!

I don't know what to think of this video campaign "Burma: It Can't Wait". I do understand the power of celebrity and I am not against celebrities lending their voices to causes. The NYT article quotes Jack Healey of the Human Rights Action Center as saying that you have to add celebrity to the issues as "it's the nature of the business now."

But does it do what it is supposed to do? Does it popularise and mainstream the issue, does it inspire youth to place demands on the authorities and will it bring about the change we so desperately need in this part of the world? Will the rest of the world finally start asking the right questions and understanding what their responsibilities are?

People Power

Expressing solidarity with Burmese bloggers and activists that took the streets last week.