Image via WikipediaOn Twitter, Friday, I admitted: I’ve been shamefully, intentionally, avoiding news about the cyclone in *Burma/Myanmar. It’s much worse than I’d imagined.
- @digitalmaverick yeah. pop 53 million. 1.5 million affected/endangered. 60,000 “officially” dead. Junta seizing supplies/barring aid workers
- Wall Street Journal article about the hope that at least this disaster could begin the end of the oppressive Junta regime.
- Will there be calls for an invasion?
- some social media context: Myanmar crackdown on bloggers
THE best idea I heard in 2007 was from Hans Rosling: approach international strife by connecting, one-to-one, with individual people outside our own cultures. Seek to better understand complexities behind the problems.
So I asked: Has anyone been able to find bloggers or other individuals in Myanmar who are getting word out from the ground?
Please subscribe to at least one of the information sources below and share them widely. (Twitter replies, Google and comments on this draft post turned up the following:)
- FEEDS/TWITTER:
- @mmblogs is twittering links to Myanmar bloggers’ posts. (thanks @admore)
- @marshallk scraped this feed of Myanmar bloggers’ voices and also posted a widget (and code) in this post
- BLOGGERS & DIRECTORIES:
- Rule of Law (tip: @stales)
- Rule of Law on Cyclone Nargis (LOTS of resources and a detailed map here)
- Global Voices Online
- Read this blogger who will be headed into the region shortly. She blogs on the Our World Community Ning group (tip: @jefdee)
- Myanmar Blog Directory
- Sharbar: Myanmar Blog Directory
- NEWS SITES:
- Mizzima
- Irrawady
- Democratic Voice of Burma
- Here is an update from the Doctors without Borders Website
What can be done?
Not much. The junta government is seizing aid supplies and turning back relief workers at the borders. That government is itself extremely wealthy from Natural Gas sales to Thailand.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Something as big as this should have made it on the news. Odd, that. I have no idea how things like this work (media connectiveness and availability that is), but perhaps someone should get in touch with the press contacts of the Humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross in order to hash over details? The aforementioned organization’s press contact list is located here [http://www.redcross.org/general/0,1082,0_124_,00.html] Even though it says that only members of the press are allowed in, perhaps they would be willing to listen to someone if s/he were to explain just what is going on in this network?
Music For Relief will join the recovery efforts in Myanmar/Burma by making an initial donation of $10,000 to World Vision which is already mobilized in Myanmar distributing food, water and providing shelter to the several hundred thousands people affected by Cyclone Nargis. We encourage all of our supporters to collectively match this initial contribution by donating at least $1 each. Help us reach our goal of $20,000 for relief to Myanmar/Burma.
TO DONATE, PLEASE VISIT http://www.musicforrelief.org/donate
The government is also rich from sales of rubies, jade and jadeite (the government sponsors several massive sales each year). It’s a tough situation, many of the top jewelry companies have stopped the purchase of rubies from this region (Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany etc.) but the country still makes a fortune off selling jade and jadeite to China and others. This has been a subject of some debate because the gem boycott also hurts artisanal mining–a great piece by Marc Choyt on Fair Jewelry explains it better than I can here http://www.fairjewelry.org/archives/146.
It’s always been a tough situation because it is so hard to reach the people who need the aid but now with this tragedy it has reached critical mass.
Social media can help organize distribution of $ and supplies via individuals traveling into the country. Governments, the UN and other existing organizations can’t do it, but non-existent organizations, which is to say, a flashmob type of internet group action can get it done!
http://twitter.com/true
Thanks Pistachio! Writing like this helps IMMENSELY. Caring helps. Even if you can take no direct action – keep the heart open. Nope, I can’t exactly prove it, yet the energy of compassion itself shifts tides of matter.
“Practically”, it easier for Burmese expats to get into country and circumnavigate the government, they’re used to it. My friend O_____ is Burmese, and returns to do stealth humanitarian projects in his village each year. He is selling artwork to go back ASAP. So far, he’s tapped his email network for help (he’s not Internet savvy, so no link as yet).
BTW, he has not been able to reach anyone in his family as of yesterday,
Me- @eve11, @pissyrabbit, and @TRUE (those are our Twitter accounts) are working on curating an art sale via Etsy. O_____ is an artist, and we can also tap into our NYC and NOLA artist connections.
Gathering donated art (also crafts, fashion, graphic novels, zines, really any lovely cre8ion) for sale is 1st step.
If you would like to contribute, Twitter eve11 or email me, crossroadsdispatches /at/ g m a i l \dot\ com
Wow, now I just feel ignorant for knowing very little about this… especially for a self-proclaimed news junkie. Shows how consumed one can become with one specific news story (ahem, Obama-Clinton saga) if the media allows it to be so.
I say we all start spreading this, and maybe driving people to @eve11 or Music for Relief? Maybe we need to create an online home for this effort??
Please keep us informed if you find any links to bloggers publishing from within Myanmar/Burma.
Thanks, In the mean time we can pray.
Hiya @stephen. I know the draft is a bit hard to follow, but there are a TON of links in there to bloggers, feeds, blog directories + 2 news sites.
@all thanks for what you are adding. Complex problems don’t have simple responses. It is small, but listening to, sharing and magnifying the local voices is potentially very important.
There are some voice actors in the United States who are trying to raise awareness via free PSA’s – please feel free to include them in podcasts.
http://www.voiceovertimes.com/2008/05/09/psas-for-myanmar-cyclone-aid-available-free-online/
Here are some additional web sites:
Deomcratic Voice of Burma http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1223
Here is an update from the Doctors without Borders Website
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=2665
Update: I’ve thrown up a Chip In page to help my Burmese friend O_____ gather funds for supplies so he can go as soon as possible: http://panmesa.chipin.com/burma-cyclone
If you prefer to fund an organization, rather than an individual, friends recommended Foundation for the People of Burma, http://www.foundationburma.org/may-cyclone-message.php
Folks wanting to learn more about the Burmese situation in general, I recommend this book, “In Search of George Orwell”, by Emma Larkin (review: http://www.spikemagazine.com/splinters/2004/12/in-search-of-george-orwell.php)
… to continue my rant off twitter, social media big wigs have lost a big opportunity to jump in and try to do something for Burma.
Where are India and China, the junta’s old time buddies, fast on the draw to extract wealth from Myanmar but a tad slow vice versa. The King of Thailand and his Daughter have sent – at their own expense – a few airplane loads of medical supplies, electrical generators etc. and have not worried too much who’s going to benefit from said aid. Unfortunately the West with lots of their “stringy aid” i.e. conditions and meddling attached are as much to blame as the present despots for the present situation.
Hi Laura:
Thank you for this. I have been following the developments via Canadian television (notably the CBC). They have been following it extensively, including the challenges around getting aid into the country. I may have tweeted some of the information. I didn’t realize there was a lack of information getting out elsewhere; will try to tweet a little more as I learn new things.
Visas are needed to get into the country to give any sort of aid or do any sort of reporting, and visas applications were (at least earlier in the week) being turned down as you mentioned. Only a few reporters who already had visas have managed to get in.
A number of Canadian social agencies were going there to neighboring countries to try to get in from there.
Personally I have always supported the name Burma as Myanmar is what the current regime calls the country, the regime which put the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. I noticed with interest that traditional Canadian media, which has called it Myanmar the last several years, switched to calling it Burma with recent events. I also notice that some of the social aid agencies have purposely been calling it Myanmar, as if to better ingratiate themselves with the government in power.
Coincidentally this week Canada granted Aung San Suu Kyi honorary citizenship. See: Toronto Star May 5, 2008
Question:
Smuggling in southeast Asia is legendary. You can smuggle just about anything – diamonds, weapons, human beings.
Those smuggler networks already have palms pre-greased, etc. The fixes are in, and the right people know when to look the other way for some of the most reprehensible goods being trafficked in the world.
If we’re talking networks, someone must know someone else that can competently smuggle things IN to the country as well – food, supplies, etc.
The question:
With the right amount of resources, does anyone know any of the “right people” to contact about smuggling aid into Burma? Use the existing smuggler infrastructure.
I guess I’m a stickler for direct action. I’d go myself if they allowed me.
My friend 0 can secure a Visa to his own country, and has a firm date for his flight in next few weeks (I’m declining naming specifics). Last time he was in Burma (quite recent) he returned to USA airport with $5 in his pocket. The needs of the Burmese people are so great — without any deadly cyclone heaped on — that he always spends his last cent there buying and preparing food or clothing or whatever is needed (he carries in medicines,water purifiers, books, educational materials, or items that are difficult to find in Burma). Typically he self-funds his trips by selling his art, yrt he only just returned so recently there’s barely time to fundraise. If you want to chip in, http://panmesa.chipin.com/burma-cyclone
Anyhow, I also agree most national “aid” comes with too many strings attached. A gift is a gift — no expectations, stipulations. Having witnessed the generosity of the Thai people and government first-hand and contrasting that to my experience with US Embassy, I have to say they embody motto of “just do it” (and right action) which works wonders in emergencies. I was able to board Thai military plane – without a stitch of ID – after surviving the tsunami, for instance. Ah, well, that’s enough. Thanks, Pistachio!
Thanks for sharing this, Laura.
It seems to be difficult to get accurate news from the ground in Burma, so hopefully there are some iReporters who can get the word out.
Thanks for this! I just reblogged it for you
http://tinyurl.com/4e6qtp
There’s a wiki too
http://www.nargishelp.info/index.php?title=Main_Page
Thanks for taking the time to organize this information. I have passed it along….
Want to help? Here are 3 good bets:
1.”O” the artist/Myanmar national who is personally traveling there with all the aid we can muster. Chipin now: http://panmesa.chipin.com/burma-cycle OR buy from the ETSY auction OR @missrogue + http://www.CitizenSpace.us will hold fun-raiser artshow featuring O’s work in San Francisco, THIS Sat 5/17, 6-8 pm
2. Medicins Sans Frontiers (Dr.s Without Borders) is already active within the country.
3. Save the Children is also active and on the ground there.
Are there other groups that already have an aid presence IN Myanmar? PLEASE comment!
Hello Laura, many many thanks for sharing this post. You have said it very well.
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