"Here in Thailand"

Dear Friends:

Here is a recent message that I got today from Wesley Robinson, a student leader from Indiana Wesleyan and creator of "Students Concerned for Burma."

Here in Thailand

Today at 2:36am

Jeff,

I'm here in Thailand and wow the situation looks grim. I have been in Mae Lae refugee camp doing health checks. I am amazed at the sickness. Some children have had simple fungal infections for over 3 years. A 2 week round of a $1 antibiotic will clear it. Partners is doing these health checks in about 5 different youth hostels in Mae Lae camp. That is all we can fund. Thousands more need help.

A second concern of mine is the shipping of Karen to third nations including the States. Everybody wants to go. Nearly every guy I meet is trying to learn english so he can leave. The States is taking young single, educated people from the camps. They are loosing all their teachers and medics in the camp. I certainly can not blame them for wanting to leave. I'm just concerned that they are going to be in for a shock when they get to the US. I wish there was a way to track, sponsor and help these guys.

Thirdly, the camp is not safe. The Thai govt. gave permission for the the Burmese army to cross their border and attack the camp. Even though thousands are being sent to third nations, the camps population is not decreasing. This is worrying the Thai. Yet, what do they really expect? A ticket out... everyone is going to enter the camp. Mae Lae is a predominantly Karen camp yet even the Burmese are entering the camp in hopes to come to the United States. The Thai govt. is now going from section to section of the camp and checking ID's. If you don't have one they are sending them back into Burma.

I really think we should find ways to increase media coverage. Anyways, I just wanted to update you on the situation from my observations. I have not been inside Burma yet, but only God knows what that looks like. Thanks for all your help. When I return I will phone you.

Wesj

Burma Plays Nuclear Card

Burma Plays Nuclear Card
By Aung Zaw
July 1, 2007

Assurances of peaceful intentions arouse o­nly skepticism

www.honoringhome.com website now up!

Our website for the documentary, Honoring Home, is now up!

7/20/07, Please Remember Aung San Suu Kyi...

In 1989, she was first arrested on this date.

Honoring Han

Join us, if you will, in the production of the documentary to honor our spiritual mentor, Han Lin.
www.honoringhome.com
Contact: JeffreyHellman@gmail.com 914/420/5103
or Sasha.Stefanova@gmail.com

The heart of Burma

"Burma is not an internal affair; it is an international affair. And the international community must stand up and do what is right. As Aung San Suu Kyi said and the banners of the Burmese activists plead:

“Please use your freedom to help promote ours.”

Burma Facts: Human Rights / Democracy / Freedom

* The U.S. State Department and two credible NGOs found in 2002 that Burma’s military regime is using rape as a weapon of war

* There are about 1,600 political prisoners in Burma, including 38 elected members of Parliament

* Millions of Burmese have been pressed into what the International Labor Organization, a United Nations agency, calls “a modern form of slavery”

* In 2002, more persons died from land mines in Burma than in any other country

* Burma was ranked the world’s fifth most repressive government by Parade magazine

* The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which passed the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly, declared that Burma’s regime is using ethnic cleansing against Burma’s ethnic peoples"

The International Campaign for Freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma

The International Campaign for Freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma

We are a small but determined loose-knit group of Burmese exiles and allies from the United States brought together by our shared passion for the Burmese people and our democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. We engage in grassroots activism to bring the world’s attention to the desperate human rights situation in Burma, the illegal ongoing incarceration of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the obligation of the rest of the world to take meaningful action to end the tyranny of the Burmese military regime.

We welcome your support. We need your time, your energy, your caring.
We are always looking to collaborate with other Burmese activist groups.

CONTACT: Maura Stephens, U.S. Spokesperson; 607-274-3829;
mstephens@ithaca.edu