<<Analysts say these passions and emerging trends may in the longer term loosen the junta’s grip on power. But for now it’s business as usual: dissidents are arrested, a brutal campaign against ethnic minorities rages on and the military strides toward elections guaranteed to perpetuate its control.>>

Also states that the influx of foreigners post-Nargis ‘may be the most intense interaction Myanmar has experienced with the outside world since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1948.”

Also, from Agence France Presse: UN chief says will press Myanmar on democracy.

–Karen  

–Karen

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Dear All,

Please come and support us to raise fund for the victims of cyclone in
Myanmar (Burma).

We will have different kind of authentic Burmese food, Cold and Hot
drinks, Gift Items, and T-shirts at the event.  

Date: June 28, 2008 (Saturday)

Time: 12pm – 5pm

Location: PS-150,  40-01  43rd Avenue, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Thank you.

The Moegyo Team

–
“Joining hands to save people life in Myanmar (Burma)”
Together, we can make a difference!
http://blog.moegyo.org/

– Karen

8-8-08 for Burma invites artists to submit original artwork for a tee shirt that will benefit relief and advocacy efforts for the peoples of Burma. Artists are invited to view the photo galleries provided on the 8-8-08 for Burma website to inspire their work.

Submissions should be emailed to info@8808forburma.org as a PDF, by July 2, 2008.

–Karen

“What the generals truly fear is that if they allow US warships and foreign forces to come to the aid of cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta, people will soon rise up and the regime would be overthrown. That fear prevented the Than Shwe regime from allowing the US to come in and help.”

As the fate of more than 2 million remains unknown, local Burmese sources such as The Irrawaddy are good to remain tuned in to what’s happening on the ground.

Some of the it’s top stories include:

• Foreign doctors leave cyclone-hit Burma
• UN Official warns of ‘disastrous consequences’ for food without diesel
• Obstacles force donors to abandon the delta
  
• The troops have arrived at last, but where’s the aid?
• Nargi’s Number Game

  There’s tons more stories here.–Divya

The introductory excerpt to the piece:

“THE Burmese government’s criminally neglectful response to last month’s cyclone, and the world’s response to that response, illustrate three grim realities today: totalitarian governments are alive and well; their neighbors are reluctant to pressure them to change; and the notion of national sovereignty as sacred is gaining ground, helped in no small part by the disastrous results of the American invasion of Iraq. “

Read the full op-ed here.

–Divya

An excerpt:

<<Aid is also trickling over the Thai-Burmese border, a hotbed of activism against Burma’s regime. It’s a backdoor channel for aid groups unwilling or unable to go through the front. By tapping an existing underground network in Burma, they try to bypass official channels and put aid directly in the hands of the most needy. >>

–Karen

The Los Angeles Times has published a first-person account by one its reporters who traveled secretly and extensively throughout the Delta region.

An excerpt:

<<Over the last 16 years, I have reported on famine, massive earthquakes and a tsunami. Cyclone Nargis is the first natural disaster that required working undercover to write about the hungry, sick and homeless.>>

Also check out the L.A. Times Cyclone Nargis news roundup, photos, and videos.

–Karen

“Zimbabwe is in the midst of a slow-motion, man-made disaster. It is as if the cyclone in Burma and the earthquake in China were state-sponsored tragedies.”

Read the full article here.

– Divya

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A state-controlled newspaper said Wednesday that Myanmar’s military rulers were breaking no laws by holding pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for a sixth straight year.

The junta’s recent decision to extend Suu Kyi’s detention by one year sparked international outrage, with the Nobel Peace laureate’s party and foreign defense lawyers arguing the junta could legally only hold her for five years.

Read more here

-Lam