The need to help Burma

By admin on May 13, 2008 • ( 0 )

If there was ever a time where the human race needed to unite for common good, it has to be NOW, re: the situation in Burma / Myanmar. On 2 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis ripped across the coast of Myanmar (Burma), bringing misery and devastation to tens of thousands. The situation as it now stands is as follows:

Risk of disease
Limited access to supplies
Relief workers being blocked from coming in to the country to help
A disaster fund set-up at http://www.dec.org.uk – Disasters Emergency Committee
The military junta appearing to ego trip!

The latter is what is being reported by the world’s media. It is unbelievable that the paranoia the Junta is exhibiting is blinding their own strife.

I read today that the possible rise in the death toll could rise from 100,000 to 1.5 million people.

From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1300003.stm
I noted that:

Burma has been under military rule since 1962; the regime stifles almost all dissent
Burma is one of Asia’s poorest countries; its economy is riddled with corruption
Burma is seen as a pariah state by the West, which maintains sanctions; China is its main ally.
Senior General Than Shwe is the country’s top military leader and heads the SPDC, the body of 12 senior generals that runs the country and makes the key decision.
Prominent pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, has had various restrictions placed on her activities since the late 1980s.

What can we do about the Junta ignoring pressure from nations, leaders, humanitarian groups and the UN?

Let us organise a day when everyone of us can meet outside each and every Burmese embassy around the world. A kind of world rally to ask for the Junta to hear the voice of the people. Or, we can do it electronically by leaving messages at all their websites.
Let us get a global alliance together and assess the practicalities of actually forcibly dropping supplies into the affected regions.
Let us talk to the Chinese to convince them that they must get the Burma military chiefs to see sense.
Let us keep the debate alive with your political contacts.
Get your company to set-up a fund
If you work for a multi-national find out what they are doing or can potentially provide in terms of help/assistance.

What happened to helping others at a time of need?
Or, are we all just hoping that eventually it will resolve itself by ‘others’ helping.

We are the others. We need to push for help.

This weekend the Times reported that Burma’s ruling generals were distributing satellite dishes! Surely the twelve ruling leaders will see sense if they see the world protesting against their sense of nonsense!

Lets just visit their Embassies website and leave them a message to say that together we can make a difference.