Burma Cyclone

As NGOs are having trouble getting into Myanmar, a group of Burmese monks in New York has raised more than $2 million, which will be sent directly to monasteries in disaster-stricken areas.

Avaaz.org is raising money for them (at the moment: $ 1,734,275). Visit their Web site to find out more about their support of the monks.

A video I shot over the weekend can be found here.

- Lam

Ban Ki-Moon’s recently addressed the United Nations Press Corps “to publicly press the repressive regime in Myanmar to allow a larger number of foreign aid workers to help with the humanitarian crisis created by cyclone Nargis,” wrote UN expert, Bhaskar Menon. See the full blog post here on “Undiplomatic Times” - a blog about international affairs. Also visit the UN News Center here.

–Karen

The International Organization for Migration has assembled a team of relief experts and has appealed to the international community to cough up US $ 8 million for cyclone response. They have provided a breakdown of where the financing gaps are and how much impact the funds can have here. Those in the U.S. can donate on the same page and internationally you can donate here.

For more information please contact:

Chris Lom
IOM’s Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand
Tel.+66.819275215
E-mail: clom@iom.int

–Divya