Nov 24, 2009 (DVB)–International involvement in Burma’s domestic crises has to date had little effect on resolving ongoing ethnic conflict in the country, an influential British think tank said yesterday.

Furthermore, pressure from the ruling junta on armed ethnic groups to transform into border guard forces could “bring renewed instability to Burma”, according to a report published by Marie Lall, associate fellow at Chatham House.
While the United States has only recently announced it will begin dialogue with the junta after years of sanctions and isolation, Burma’s regional members have long practiced a policy of engagement with the regime.
Yet neither isolation nor engagement has resolved conflict between the Burmese army and the country’s multiple armed ethnic groups; conflicts that pre-date Burma’s independence from Britain in 1949, Lall said.
“An understanding of the ethnic conflicts, the political significance of the ceasefires and the economic and political seesawing between ethnic minority groups and the army is essential to understand Burma’s political future,” she says. The report follows in the wake of a shift in US policy to Burma, with Washington announcing recently that it would begin dialogue with the junta.
Yet Burma observers have claimed that the international community, including the US, is not placing enough emphasis on the plight of the country’s 135 ethnic groups, many of whom are marginalized by the majority Burman government.
“I think the international community is not so aware that the conflict is really the basic problem in Burma; it’s not democracy, or against military rule,” said Harn Yawnghwe, senior advisor to the Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC).
“If the problem of the ethnic nationalities cannot be resolved, then you are not going to solve Burma’s wider problems.”
He added however that the US was beginning to show signs of an appreciation of the importance of the role that ethnic conflict plays in Burma’s instability, “and they seem to be saying that you need to resolve it, so I think that is the right step”.
The conflict between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Burmese government has stretched over six decades, and is thought to be one of the world’s longest running.
Lall also pointed to an outbreak of fighting between Burmese troops and an ethnic Kokang group in August this year as an example of the fragility of ceasefire agreements that 18 of the country’s armed ethnic groups hold with the government.

TUESDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2009 10:56 S.H.A.N.

Consent to transform itself into a Burma Army run home guard force would speed up the release of Maj Gen Hso Ten, the ceasefire Shan State Army (SSA) ‘North’ was advised by junta negotiators, according to sources close to the SSA leadership.

The message was conveyed to major generals Loimao and Gaifa, currently leader and deputy leader of the group, by Lt-Gen Ye Myint on 14 November.

“That’s a king’s ransom,” quipped a source on the Sino-Burma border.The group had informed Ye Myint only about 200 officers and men had agreed to the proposed change of status. The remainder of the group had refused to sign up, particularly the 1st Brigade, which, with more than 2,500 armed fighters, is reputedly the strongest among the SSA’s 3 brigades (1st, 3rd and 7th), whose estimated total strength is 4,500-5,000. (The Burma Army’s estimate, according to a confidential document that came out early in the year is 1,411 not including the 7th Brigade.)

Hso Ten, 74, is highly regarded by the SSA leadership, especially by Maj Gen Pang Fa, Chief of Staff of the SSA and Commander of the 1st Brigade. “Naypyitaw is certainly trying to bring him around,” said a border watcher from Thailand. Pang Fa, 58, is known to be close to the Wa leadership, that is also resisting Naypyitaw’s attempts to convert them into a militia force.

Hso Ten, was detained in February 2005 together with the Shan State’s biggest party Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) leaders. He was sentenced to 106 years and is currently serving his term at Kham Ti, Sagaing Division. The SNLD leader Khun Tun Oo, 66, who was sentenced to 93 years, meanwhile is being held further north in Putao, Kachin State.

The SSA ‘North’ is facing a tough job, according to some sources. “The local people have urged them with 3 not-tos: Not to surrender, not to return to the armed struggle and not to leave them to the mercies of the Burma Army,” said a retired senior commander. “But there are also other people who say they should return to the struggle.”

Apart from the SSA ‘North’ and the United Wa State Army (UWSA), four other ceasefire groups have yet to agree to the militia proposal made by Burma’s ruling military council: Kachin Independence Army (KIA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), Kayan New Land Party (KNLP) and New Mon State Party (NMSP).

Maj Gen Hso Ten

I’ve always balked at the question, “Are you religious?” because it’s such a loaded question and because the word religion has connotations in the English language limited to its Latin root. Nor have I liked the term “spiritual” because it too has negative connotations (as in New Age, fruit loop, etc.). But this experience has been the thing I’ve done so far in my life that has felt the most true, the closest to my heart, that I’m rethinking how I would answer the question. In Burma, people just assume I’m Buddhist, so they skip the question and instead ask “Is your family also Buddhist?”

Before leaving the US, I asserted that probably I’d never call myself a Buddhist since I could never adopt the cultural component of the religion. This was before I lived and practiced in a Buddhist country. Meditation in the West is made available to people as an independent thing, something that can be integrated with other faiths and belief systems. But after observing 8 of the 227 precepts that monks in the Buddhist tradition practice (what nuns and lay people in a monastic setting observe) and understanding the value of morality in committing to a spiritual life; and after reflecting on just how much faith I had to have in the Dhamma in order to end up here, as well as to really build the foundation for earnest meditation practice, I feel differently.

Since I’ve been interested in the Buddha’s teachings, I’ve always been skeptical about an academic or purely intellectual approach. This brought on a nearly existential crisis during the creation of my undergraduate thesis (re the Enlightenment experience and the ability to convey the ineffable through words…). It’s quite astounding that it’s taken so long for my practice to get started, given how very convinced I was that the Four Noble Truths and the systematic teachings that have persisted over 2,500 years, if directly understood and experienced by the practitioner, could lead us out of suffering. But here I am, nearly 20 years later and a total beginner. It’s been utterly humbling to come to Burma.

So, I suppose I am Christian by birth and Buddhist by choice. How my quasi-religious parents produced a Jew, an agnostic verging on atheist, and a Buddhist is beyond me. For me, I no longer believe that meditation can be incorporated into my life apart from its belief system. I see how very important saddha, confidence or faith, is in this practice. This is not blind faith, but the kind of faith that develops from seeing the benefits in one’s own life, and a belief in the teachings through one’s own experiential learning process. After going to Episcopal summer camp and boarding school, I’m pretty averse to rites and rituals, but now I happily chant in Burmese and bow to the Buddha – not out of fear, superstition or obligation, but out of a deep reverence and gratitude to this person that taught for nearly 50 years so that he could help others discover the truths that he did. I bow to my teacher, and to his teacher, and all those before them because they have – through direct transmission – shared these teachings with me and countless others so that we too may be liberated. I observe the precepts because I can’t imagine not observing them (the first 5 at least – the moral ones, the other 3 support the practice and the development of wisdom through the weakening of defilement), and because I know I will suffer if I don’t; not because I feel that I should or because I wouldn’t want to get caught, but because the mind is complicated and there are consequences to all actions – that’s why we can beat ourselves up over something that we said 10 years ago. This is the real meaning of kamma. There is cause for every effect.

Meditation then becomes a way of living, of being; which is something I’ve understood for a long time conceptually, but only through immersing myself in a daily mindfulness practice here for this time have I really begun to know. So much knowledge we depend on has no basis in direct experience and yet we hold onto it so strongly in our beliefs and opinions, separating ourselves from others who hold different views and blinding ourselves from the truth. If everyone took a peek inside, they’d see that the best teacher, the best book we have is the mind itself. And yours and mine, they’re all the same. Maybe a little bit different conditioning depending on where you were born, etc., but all full of the same challenging tendencies rooted in greed, hatred, and delusion.

So, as I learn about the mind and build confidence in this religious tradition by so doing, I will point you to some of the core aspects of the teachings here in case you’re interested. The Buddha taught to people of varying levels of education and understanding and he understood that people learn differently, but he always used lists that people could easily come back to. I’ve only just skimmed the surface and have a lot more reading to do, but here are some basics:

-The Four Noble Truths
-The Noble Eightfold Path
-Dependent Origination (Four Noble Truths expanded)
-The Five Aggregates
-The Five Hindrances
-The Five Faculties
-The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
-The Ten Fetters
-The Seven Factors of Enlightenment
-The Ten Paramis

This site has detailed explanations of all the above, but I haven’t vetted it so don’t know if I can recommend it. Unfortunately, can’t research so as to link you to definitions for each right now…

Also, it is purely by accident that I named this blog what I did but I found this excerpt, which happens to be called “The Precipice”, from the Samyutta Nikaya in Bhikkhu Bodhi’s book In the Buddha’s Words which seems appropriate to share at this time.

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Rajagaha on Mount Vulture Peak. Then the Blessed One addressed the monks thus: “Come, monks, let us go to Inspiration Peak for the day’s abiding.”

“Yes, venerable sir,” those monks replied. Then the Blessed One, together with a number of monks, went to Inspiration Peak. A certain monk saw the steep precipice off Inspiration Peak and said to the Blessed One: “That precipice is indeed steep, venerable sir; that precipice is extremely frightful. But is there, venerable sir, a precipice steeper and more frightful than that one?”

“Those ascetics and brahmins, monk, who do not understand as it really is: ‘This is suffering. This is the origin of suffering. This is the cessation of suffering. This is the way leading the cessation of suffering’—they delight in volitional formations that lead to birth, aging, and death; they delight in volitional formations that lead to sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair. Delighting in such volitional formations, they generate volitional formations that lead to birth, aging, and death; they generate volitional formations that lead to sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair. Having generated such volitional formations, they tumble down the precipice of birth, aging, and death; they tumble down the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair. They are not freed from birth, aging, and death; not freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair; not freed from suffering, I say.

“But, monk, those ascetics and brahmins who understand as it really is: ‘This is suffering. This is the origin of suffering. This is the cessation of suffering. This is the way leading the cessation of suffering’—they do not delight in volitional formations that lead to birth, aging, and death; they do not delight in volitional formations that lead to sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair; they do not generate volitional formations that lead to birth, aging, and death; they do not generate volitional formations that lead to sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair. Not having generated such volitional formations, they do not tumble down the precipice of birth, aging, and death; they do not tumble down the precipice of sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair. They are freed from birth, aging, and death; freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, dejection, and despair; freed from suffering, I say.

“Therefore, monks, an exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the origin of suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the cessation of suffering.’ An exertion should be made to understand: ‘This is the way leading the cessation of suffering.’

After four days in Yangon, I got myself an overnight-bus ticket to Mandalay. The trip takes anywhere from 12 to 15 hours and I wasn’t looking forward to it however, you don’t really have a choice. Yes, you can take one of the domestic flights. Dodgy track record thrown in for free. Or you can take the train, which actually takes longer than the bus, but you’ll be able to book a sleeper (foreigners aren’t allowed to book regular train tickets). However, the problem with the train is that it’s 100% government run, and I believe the planes are either government or joint ventures. I know that by visiting Myanmar I am already putting money in the pocket of  the ruling military junta by paying money for the visa, the airport exit fee and 12% on bus tickets and guesthouse expenses however, you can still make your choices wisely to ensure as little as possible disappears into the pockets of those bastards. Having said that, the money made off of tourism doesn’t amount to that much. I read somewhere that Myanmar receives less than 200,000 tourists a year.

So the bus it was. I was actually surprised the bus wasn’t totally falling apart. It was an old Japanese tour bus with decent, yet very small seats. There was aircon as well as a TV blaring cheesy Burmese pop videos at maximum volume for hours at end. I can’t really sleep on those buses but I had my iPod which also blocked out the puking sounds from the lady next to me, who threw up during the whole duration of the 12 hour ride. Little bags of puke everywhere. Oh, it was an adventure.

After a few hours we stopped for a bathroom and food break in the middle of nowhere. Just looking at the food made me want to join my barfing seat mate, but I had to go to the bathroom. I opened the door and the bathroom,  basically a hole in the ground with a bucket and a scoop (I can deal with that after all those months) was filled with what I believe to be black widow spiders. There were hundreds of them. I never peed so fast in my life and basically got out still pulling up my pants.

The ride was surreal as there is no such thing as street lighting, the only time you see something lit up it’s most likely a prison. Everything else is dark. Some parts of the road were actually quite good, other parts were extremely bumpy.

We made one more of those stops and we had to get out of the bus for 2 ID checks. I was the only foreigner on the bus and I’m sure I held everybody up because they needed to meticulously browse through my passport and record a bunch of details with pen and paper. Luckily, no ‘tea money’ was required to get the go ahead and finally after 12 hours on that bus, we arrived at a dusty parking lot just outside of Mandalay at 5 AM. It was very dark, because there was no electricity. It was kind of eerie, too. Lots of buses were coming and going and I had no idea where to go as I did not have a hotel booked. I looked at my Lonely Planet guide and a taxi driver approached me. I told him I wanted to be dropped off at a certain guesthouse. He took me to his taxi, which was one of those tiny little blue Mazda pick up trucks you’d expect to see in Cuba. I climbed into the back and off we went. The funny thing is, that guy knew how to speak a little Dutch. It was just bizarre. When we got to the guesthouse it turned out to be full, so he suggested another one, just a block away. Sure, what was I gonna do at 5.30 AM…. He took me to E.T. guesthouse and it looked pretty decent so I got a room there. I took a quick nap and went for a walk around ‘downtown’.

My first impression of Mandalay was that it wasn’t very pretty. Whereas in Yangon, there’s a lot of old quite interesting (yet crumbling) architecture… no such thing in Mandalay. I honestly felt a bit lost there add exhaustion and 37C to the mix and there’s a recipe for misery. I then decided that I was not going to do Bagan, which meant another 8 hours on a bus to get there, and another 16 hours to get back to Yangon.

I got some half decent Chinese food, walked around town a bit to see if there was anything going on. There wasn’t. At night there was absolutely nothing to do so I decided to make it an early night and I ended up going to bed at 8 PM.

The next day I woke up early and I went for a walk around the Mandalay palace. There were some pretty sights but nothing that really blew me away apart from the huge propaganda posters with statements like “The Tatmadaw (the military) will never betray the cause of our nation.” Pretty eerie.

Went back to the hotel for brekkie and decided I might as well check out some of the temples as there wasn’t much else to do. So when I was walking down the street, a tri-shaw driver approached me. His English was very good and he talked about a few places where he could take me. I decided to give it a go and hopped into the tri-shaw.

His name was Mr. Htoo and he turned out to be an excellent guide and also companion. He pedaled me around town for the entire afternoon and showed me a bunch of temples, which were okay but not breath taking. However, the most interesting part of our afternoon was making stops at the tea shops where you sit on tiny stools and just sip tea and eat snacks (those are very good btw. I ended up living on those things for the last few days because they were very tasty, yet not very healthy as they’re all deep fried.). I much enjoyed talking to him. He then told me that he was mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide and yes, indeed he was there. The guide stated that he rents out bicycles but unfortunately he no longer does. He told me that after the 2007 anti-government protests that were lead by the monks (the government actually started shooting at the protesters and about 30 people ended up dead and more than 1000 people were arrested) tourism came to a halt and he was forced to sell his bicycles so his 4 children could go to school. He’s hoping to open his bicycle rental business again in the new future but a bicycle costs anywhere from 40 to 70 USD and on an income of about 30 USD a month, it takes a long time to save up.

Htoo picked me up later that night to take me to ‘The Moustache Brothers’, one of the few evening entertainment options out there. The Moustache Brothers are Par Par Lay, Lu Maw and Lu Zaw and their show is a mix of stand up comedy, Burmese dance and pretty harsh criticism of the Burmese government. The theatre is actually in their garage and it’s pretty neat to be there. Locals are not allowed to attend, but it’s safe for foreigners. I honestly couldn’t believe some of the things that were said about the generals and their ‘government’. As it happens, Lay and Zaw both served 6 years in prison doing hard labour for criticizing the government and yet they continue. Pretty courageous.

The next morning Htoo picked me up again to go to Mandalay Hill and see yet a few more temples. The cutest thing was when I got out of the temples, I saw him polishing up his bicycle. He had just put on new tires and was very proud of his possession. Once again, we ended up in a tea shop and drank Star cola (Burmese version of Pepsi), tea and ate snacks. We also invited a little girl who was selling newspapers. She didn’t speak English, but she told Htoo that she has to work to add to the income of her family so she can’t go to school. Pretty heart breaking. It was also very cute to see her drink the Star cola. She wasn’t used to drinking carbonated drinks so she sipped very very slowly however, she wolfed down the snacks in no time.

That night, it was time to go back on the bus. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as the ride to Mandalay even though it was an hour longer. I arrived at the Okinawa Guesthouse once again and all was well.

I kind of regret not biting the bullet and make the trek to Bagan. Even though Myanmar was a bit boring in some regards, I did find it the most interesting country out of the bunch. The people are very friendly and curious. Other than the moneychangers, there are no blatant rip offs like you can expect in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Talking to the locals is quite easy, even their English is sometimes limited. I’ve had conversations with quite a few people there and it surprised me they were quite willing to talk about the political situation in their country even though it was mostly done in a roundabout way. After all, openly opposing the government could land them in prison for many years.

And even though I hate the thought of the military junta getting any of my money, I am glad I did go. There are lots of ways of minimizing the money that goes to the government. Don’t take domestic flights, don’t stay in government owned hotels and don’t take the train, which is government run as well. All the people I’ve talked to were glad to see foreigners visiting. After the anti-government protests tourism virtually came to a halt and it was devastating for a lot of people, like Htoo. Also, from what I gathered the Burmese feel that as long as there’s at least some tourists, they are not completely isolated and a few hundred Kyat tips here and there go a long way. However, despite the friendly people and their optimism and openness, I couldn’t help but feel sad for them. Whereas in Cambodia, I feel that despite the rampant poverty, they’re on their way to something, whereas in Myanmar…. I couldn’t help but feel hopeless most of the time. Maybe next year’s elections will bring a change of scenery. Maybe not…

I didn’t take many photos in Myanmar, but here’s a few more shots:

There aren’t any public phones in Myanmar. When you need to make a phone call, you go to one of these: just a table with a regular phone.

As I stumbled my way toward the microphone to address the hundreds of Karen students who had gathered in this seemingly unlikely place– a refugee camp bible college in the middle of a war zone on the Thai/Burma border– I struggled to sort out my thoughts in the brief moment that occurred between my approach to the podium and the opening of my mouth, which was accentuated by the amplification of that initial breath that everyone takes before they speak.

Here I was: an American, educated, privileged Christian, coming to share the “rich insights of my faith” with an oppressed people, a people who had already taught me so much as they faced their daily circumstances– situations that are unimaginably horrific to most of us– with a hope and determination that baffled my coddled Western sensibilities.  What could I really offer?  Did I really believe that the gospel was good news, even in this context of violence and despair?

Today in class, I presented this video (produced by the Free Burma Rangers) to my students, and it reminded me (painfully) of what happened after our team had finished some brief sharing with the beautiful students in this bible college.  They gave each of us unique, hand-crafted shoulder bags- a gesture of kindness and generosity that also had a more deeply symbolic meaning.

“Remember… as you carry these bags,” they said, “you share in carrying the burdens of our people on your shoulders.  Please tell our story to others, and help voice our concerns to other Americans so that the world will know of these ongoing tragedies and injustices in Burma.”

As the service wrapped up and I listened to their beautiful singing– many voices joined together in confidence that God could hear them– the image of their faces and the sound of their voices was burned indelibly into the core of my conscience.  And I’m ashamed to admit that nowadays, though it’s an encouraging memory in many ways, it is also a haunting one because it reminds me that I have not seen that bag in a while, nor have I carried it with the integrity and consistency that I had once hoped.

I’ve moved on to other things; an academic career, parenthood, and all the other usual complications of life.  I do make the occasional effort to tell the story of the Karen people, but if I’m honest with myself, it’s a story that doesn’t really get much of my attention.  In fact, I more often than not feel like I’m exploiting their story for my own purposes- a nice anecdote for class or a theological footnote for my research.  And for now, maybe that’s the best I can make of it.

But I must never forget.  To truly remember is not to domesticate their story for my own collection of global adventures, nor is it a compartmentalized sentimentality for an experience that once was.  Instead, remembering the Karen is about the making present of their stories in all of its tangible human pain (and joy).  Authentic compassion cannot come from memory if there is no genuine cultivation of their presence in my life.  Memory without real presence is just nostalgia, and may lead to charity at best.  But the day that I’m satisfied with charity is the day I’ve lost my soul, a day that I hope will never come.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I am so inexpressibly grateful for the life that I have.  But I am also saddened that most the world– the world of the Karen and other oppressed peoples around this planet– cannot always share in this same kind of gratitude.  Ironically, the Karen are a far more thankful people than most Westerners I know.  Perhaps their joy, and not their suffering, should be the starting point of my memory of them.

This tree, variously referred to as gamboge, egg-tree, false mangosteen and Himalayan garcinia, is native to parts of India and the Malay peninsula. It can be found growing wild on the forested hills of S. India.

(The common name ‘egg-tree’ should not be confused with eggfruit, or, canistel).

The drop-shaped, bright yellow fruit can be eaten raw and are commonly used in jams. The fruit is divided into soft sections, somewhat similar to mangosteen. There are one or two oblong smooth brown seeds embedded in the pulp. Pulp can be used in cooking in the same way as tamarind paste.

As the species name ‘tinctoria’ would suggest the fruit juice and extract are used as dyes

An 8 – 10 foot tree can produce several hundred of fruits in a single harvest (see photos above).

Mature trees can grow quite tall. They have many of the same growth characteristics as mangosteen, only bigger. I don’t know anything about the quality of wood.

Trees have basically the same growth requirements as mangosteen, enjoying ample water during hot and dry periods.

Even though I have a passion for change in Burma, it doesn’t take much for me to all but forget about the situation, or to start to give up and say “What can we do? It’s all too much!”  To help keep Burma in the front of my mind I keep a Burma book on the go most of the time.  My latest read, From the Land of Green Ghosts was a cracker even for those who have no interest in Burma at all.

Pascal Kwoo Thwe grew up in a kind of paradise in his Padaung (think gold ring giraffe necks) village in Shan State, Burma.  The story journeys from his childhood landscape of Padaung storytelling towards his devastatingly necessary entanglement in the political situation in broader Burma.  His story is typical but for a chance meeting with a Cambridge lecturer in English Literature at a Chinese restaurant while Pascal was studying English Literature in Mandalay.

If your interested in learning more about the situation facing the people of Burma then this autobiographical account is a great way to do it.  While the initial chapters about Padaung village life are interesting, it’s the second half that is extraordinary.

Noe av det vanskeligste i min jobb er å vurdere hvem som skal få være med i bestemte prosjekter vi jobber med. Denne gangen var jeg overbevist om at ADRAs bøffelprogram ikke hadde plass for folk som Daw Aye Maw. I mine øyne eide hun nemlig for mye. Jeg ville gjerne følge reglene og stryke henne av lista. Problemet var at landsbykomiteen hadde plassert henne øverst av de som skulle prioriteres ved tildelingen av bøfler. Hvorfor?

Papirene foran meg inneholdt landsbyledelsens vurderinger av den enkeltes behov. Jeg var full av spørsmål: Hvordan kunne landsbylederne mene at Daw Aye Maw skulle være med i prosjektet når hun eide mer jord enn den grensen vi hadde vært enige om?

Et par dager senere dro jeg til landsbyen og møtte Daw Aye Maw for første gang. Hun eide et stort jordstykke, men likevel var hun den første på listen av de som landsbykomiteen hadde foreslått skulle være med i bøffel-programmet og blant annet få to bøfler av ADRA. Hvorfor i all verden skulle hun få være en del av dette prosjektet i det hele tatt, hun som eide så mye?

-Hvem er Daw Aye Maw? hjalp min burmesiske assistent meg å si. Sekretæren for landsbykomiteen reiste seg opp samtidig med kvinnen. I samtalen som fulgte kunne jeg kjenne igjen enkelte ord som ”Nargis”, ”barn” og ”alle”.

Oversettelsen bygde under det jeg allerede forsto fra tårene som vellet fram i øynene til Daw Aye Maw mens hun fortalte sin historie. Hun hadde mistet alle barna og mannen sin da den dødelige syklonen Nargis rammet i mai 2008. Hun var etterlatt gravid og uten annen familie. Nå hadde hun en ett-åring, men ingen bøfler som kunne hjelpe henne å pløye jordet.

Du skulle sett takknemligheten som strålte ut av øynene til Daw Aye Maw den dagen vi kom for å distribuere bøfler. Øynene strålte av håp. Med disse to bøflene ville hun kunne drive et jordbruk som på sikt ville heve levestandarden betraktelig. Dyrene symboliserte selve håpet for hennes fremtid.

Og hva meg angår? Jo, jeg fikk enda en leksjon i at all teori i verden ikke kan erstatte medmenneskelighet. Jeg kommer aldri til å glemme det jeg lærte denne dagen om medmenneskelighet og gleden ved å gi.

(Skrevet av Michelle Dye, ADRA Myanmar. Oversatt av Gry Haugen, ADRA Norge)

*****

Syklonen Nargis rammet Burma i mai 2008. 140 000 mennesker omkom og befolkningen ble i tillegg rammet av store ødeleggelser på infrastruktur, hus og eiendommer. Mange mennesker måtte forlate hjemmene sine, og syklonen ødela også livsgrunnlaget til bøndene i området: avlinger som var lagret ble ødelagt og risåkre ble oversvømt og skadet av det salte flomvannet. Til sammen døde over halvparten av bøflene i området i flommen som fulgte syklonen.

Ved å starte en bøffelbank i de hardest rammede områdene, hjelper ADRA bøndene å få tilbake livsgrunnlaget sitt. 300 kroner tilsvarer 1/6 bøffel med videre oppfølging fra ADRA.

***

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Slik gjør du:  Bestill alternativ julegave, bøffel, ved å  ringe 32 16 16 90 eller skrive til post@adranorge.no.

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As this year’s Noble peace prize was given for showing hope, let me follow up on how this hope gets materialize. (http://face4.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/peace/)

Last week Noble peace prize winner Obama oops President Obama had a great opportunity to showcase his commitments for which he was awarded the Noble peace prize. I personally, was expecting to see concrete progress in three areas

1. Dealing with two previous Noble peace prize winners

a) Aung San Suu Kyi

There was no mention about her in the official statements. But Officials mention that Obama has taken up this issue with Burmese officials.

b) Dalai Lama

Obama’s office mentions that it was not the right time for him to receive Dalai Lama but will receive him later

2. Relationship with China

As mentioned in some sectors of the press, even though Obama acted more like a reckless spender paying visit to his banker, being a Noble peace prize winner, he could have been more upright on Human rights issues, censorship, state of North Korean asylum seekers in China or other things that United States of America stands! for. Overall I think, he did a decent job here!

3. Initiates to contain Climate change

A token initiative to set up a research center….

ADRAs julegavetips til ”den som har alt”: Hva med å gi en mulighet? Du får et gavekort som du kan gi til ”den som har alt” – ADRA får muligheten til å hjelpe folk ut av fattigdom! I år har vi flere spennende julegavetips: Hva med en bøffel (300 kr) eller en miljøvennlig ovn (200 kr)?

Bøffel (300 kr):

Da syklonen Nargis rammet Burma i mai 2008, omkom ca 140 000 mennesker og det ble store ødeleggelser på eiendommer, hus og infrastrukturer. Mange mennesker måtte flykte fra hjemmene sine, og syklonen ødela også livsgrunnlaget til de mange bøndene i området: høstede avlinger som var lagret ble ødelagt og risåkre ble oversvømt og skadet av det salte flomvannet. Til sammen døde over halvparten av bøflene i området i flommen som fulgte syklonen. Uten livsgrunnlaget som bøflene danner, må familiene bruke alt sin inntekt på mat. Kostnader til andre ting, som utdanning og helseutgifter, må spares inn på. Ved å starte en bøffelbank i de hardest rammede områdene, hjelper ADRA bøndene å få tilbake livsgrunnlaget sitt. Din gave gjør at familier får muligheten til å starte på nytt.

Miljøvennlig ovn (200 kr):

Ved å gi en miljøvennlig ovn, gjør du det mulig for ADRA å hjelpe familier i Peru, Sudan, Etiopia, Burma og Thailand. Inkludert i gaven er opplæring i bruk og vedlikehold. Din gave bidrar til at barn kan få gå på skolen fordi de ikke trenger å bruke hele dagen til å sanke ved. Noen steder er kriminaliteten av en slik karakter at kvinner og barn som går alene for å hente ved er sårbare for voldtekt. Ovnen er dermed en av flere tiltak for å senke risikoen for overgrep, og kvinnene får mer tid til å være hjemme, ta seg av familien og eventuelt delta i kurs og utdannelsestilbud. Ovnene er tilpasset ulike kulturer og vil variere fra land til land. De er designet for å være energibesparende og minske CO2-utslipp. I en miljøvennlig ovn varer veden lenger enn i bål og andre type ovner, og de er bedre for helsen fordi man unngår skadelig røyk i lungene.

Miljøvennlig ovn i Peru. Foto: ADRA/Frank Spangler.

Keep Girls Safe (250 kr)

Menneskehandel er en av de største illegale handlene i verden og kan handle om seksuell utnytting, slavearbeid i industri eller hjemme hos privatpersoner. Det er ikke uvanlig at prisen for et barn ligger på rundt 250 kroner.

ADRA vet at utdannelse, kunnskap og informasjon forebygger menneskehandel. Når et samfunn eller en familie får støtte til skolegang for barn og ungdom, når man gir undervisning om hva en risikerer ved å overgi barna sine i fremmedes varetekt, underviser om sykdommer og er med og veileder i samfunnsutviklingen, skapes håp. Denne gaven gir ADRA muligheten til å ta opp kampen mot menneskehandel i Thailand og Kambodsja.

Nødhjelpspakke (100 kr):

Når katastrofer som flom, sykloner, jordskjelv eller konflikter rammer, hender det at folk må flykte fra alt de eier for å redde seg selv. En nødhjelpspakke kan inneholde teppe, klær, vannkanne, såpe, matrasjoner og pressenninger. Denne gaven gir ADRA muligheten til å gi verdifull hjelp til mennesker i katastrofeområder.

En nødhjelpspakke kan bestå av mat, vannkanne, medisiner, hygieneartikler, kjøkkenutstyr, teppe, myggnetting og klær - noe som kommer godt med for familier som har mistet det de eier i katastrofer.

Til familiefaren (100 kr):

 Dette er en flott gave å gi til farsdag, til jul eller bursdag. Farsdagen (andre søndag i november) er en gylden anledning til å gi både far og bestefar en ekstra oppmerksomhet. Når du kjøper et farskort fra ADRA, støtter du fedre i fattige land slik at de kan forsørge familiene sine. Kortet symboliserer en gave som gjør det mulig for ADRA å yte hjelp til selvhjelp for fattige bønder i Asia og Afrika. Ved å undervise i effektive jordbruksmetoder får bøndene muligheten til å få økte inntekter, og dermed muligheten til å forsørge familiene sine bedre.

Lese- og skriveopplæring i Kambodsja (500 kr)

I Pursat-provinsen er det flere analfabeter enn i andre provinser i Kambodsja. Det er også høyere barnedødelighet. Tallet på analfabeter er spesielt høyt i distriktet Veal Veng der minst 30% av jentene i alderen 6-14 år aldri har gått på skolen. ADRA benytter en metode kalt REFLECT i leseopplæringsprogrammet. Det er en metode som legger vekt på dialog og skapende samarbeid. Opplæringen knyttet til lesing, helse og samfunn går hånd i hånd og gir en helhetlig undervisning hvor målet er bedret livskvalitet. Denne gaven gjør det mulig for 10 kvinner i Kambodsja å lære å lese og skrive.

Reflectgruppe i Kambodsja. De minste barna er gjerne med mens mødrene diskuterer sosiale temaer som helse, og lærer å lese og skrive.

Til de som trenger det mest (minimum 50 kr)

ADRA Norge er en del av et verdensomspennende nettverk og har samarbeidspartnere i mer enn 120 land.Vi hjelper fattige mennesker, uavhengig av alder, kjønn, etnisk bakgrunn, eller politisk og religiøs tilhørighet, slik at de kan bli i stand til å hjelpe seg selv. Prosjektene våre inkluderer utdanning for barn og voksne, sikker tilgang til mat og vann, helse, samt tiltak som remmer likestilling og fred. Du bestemmer selv beløpet, og fører dette på i gavekortet. ADRA bestemmer hvilket prosjekt pengene skal brukes i.

Hvordan bestille gavekort fra ADRA:

Gavekortene kan bestilles på www.adranorge.no/gienmulighet, per e-post: post@adranorge.no eller på telefon 32 16 16 90.

BURMA
The Gov Monitor
Australia To Provide $15 Million Humanitarian Assistance For Burma
Australia will provide $15 million in humanitarian assistance for the Burmese people still suffering from the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis which struck Burma in May 2008. $1 million will support essential maternal and child health services in particularly needy rural and remote areas.

GHANA
Peace FM Online
Ghana Health Service Launches Campaign on Safe Motherhood
The GHS will launch a national campaign: “Ghana Cares; No Woman Should Die While Giving Birth” to ensure an accelerated reduction of maternal mortality.The campaign also has a subtheme: “No Woman Should Die from Bleeding during Pregnancy and Child Birth,” that will focus on hemorrhage or bleeding–a condition that significantly contributes to maternal deaths around the world.

PAKISTAN
The News
Inclusion of Reproductive Health in Curriculum Urged
Speakers at a district level advocacy seminar series organized by the World Population Foundation (WPF) said that negligence of reproductive health issues is the worst form of gender-based violence and a major factor that contributes to high maternal and infant mortality rates in the country, particularly in remote and neglected rural areas.

TANZANIA
guardian.co.uk
Abortion in Tanzania: Fighting Stigma
A major cause of maternal mortality is barely mentionable in Tanzania: abortion. Illegal unless necessary to save a woman’s life, nobody knows how significant a factor it is.

Support is Stigmatised and Scarce
Poverty, HIV and maternal mortality rates are high in Tanzania, yet religion, prejudice and logistics make access to contraception difficult. Access to family planning services is crucial in Tanzania, where the maternal mortality rate stands at 950 per 100,000 live births, higher than the average of 900 deaths per 100,000 births in sub-Saharan Africa.

UGANDA
The Pulse of Uganda
Museveni Wants Adolescents to Stop Early Marriages
Reports by the World Health Organization indicate that about 70,000 adolescent girls die every year in developing countries from diseases related to pregnancy.

21 November 2009

“There’s no village”, 75-year-old Sam Telly said. “I’m from a hiding place.”

Telly, a member of the Karen ethnic group, mulled over the question of when he had last lived in a village, but failed to remember. He had lived in “hiding places” since 1975.

The Karen state in eastern Burma has been the scene of intense fighting as the Burmese military has sought to crush the Karen Nation Union (KNU), a pro-democracy organisation representing the Karen people, and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).

In decades of fighting, hundreds of thousands of Karen people have been displaced.

Telly described his latest “jungle trekking” to search out a new hiding place: “We were 10 family members including six of my grandchildren, who were crying all the time while fleeing. It took a week to reach here.”

“Here” is the Ei Tu Hta Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp. The camp is along the Salween River on the border with northern Thailand.

The camp is said to be surrounded by two Burmese Army camps, which are two hours away on foot.

“Even if more fighting erupted here, I can’t move anymore”, Telly said. “I’m too old.”

Telly, 75 years-old Karen man living in Ei Thu Hta IDPs camp, said he would not flee anymore even if there's another offensive by Burma Army combined with the pro Junta DKBA. Hundreds of thousands people in ethnic state in Burma have been displaced numberous times since the civil war broke out half a century ago. (Photo by : Lee Yu Kyung)

Displaced by offensive

Boats to Ei Tu Hta camp depart from Mae Sam Leap, the small, quiet town along the Salween River in northern Thailand. There are three Thai army checkpoints on Thai side and one “invisible” Burma army post on the Burmese side positioned on the route.

The area of Ei Tu Hta used to be a battalion post of the KNLA, but now it accommodates some 4000 IDPs. They were all displaced by the Burmese military’s all-out offensive in eastern Burma, which lasted from November 2005 until 2007.

Saw Mar Su, who fled Kolu village in Tangoo district to arrive in Ei Tu Hta after 12 days jungle trekking, said: “It was very different from the previous operations. We couldn’t find a shelter, as it was taking place all over my district.”

Mar Su’s village has been burned down four times by the Burmese army, who forcibly displaced people to Turmidoe village, six hours away by foot.

The Burmese military routinely burns down villages as a means to relocate people, often seeking to alienate villagers from the armed insurgents.

But, unusually, this time the army didn’t retreat from the village after burning it.

“So we couldn’t rebuild our house, no farming”, Mar Su said. “That’s why we fled to this edge”,

A further 30-minute boat trip from Ei Tu Hta to the north takes you to another camp site in Ueclo, where about 480 IDPs have been sheltering since July 2007.

Like other refugee camps, Ueclo used to be deep forest, where people established temporary shelter and tried to farm as much as they could.

However, Ueclo is not good for farming because of the rocks surrounding the area. People complain they cannot cultivate vegetables either.

Nancy, a 60-year-old English teacher in the Ei Tu Hta camp, said: “First we arrived here in 2006 to spend a week under the open sky without proper lying place. And then we moved to Ei Tu Hta.”

Nancy fled to Ei Tu Hta with her ailing husband, whom she had to carry on her back for 12 days through the jungle. “I feel rather safe in Ei Tu Hta, for the first time in decades, during which I’ve had to move numerous times”, she said.

A refugee woman, who's been suffering pneumonia, has been admitted in a 'jungle hospital' of Ei Thu Hta IDPs camp in estern Burma. Hundreds of thousands minority ethnic people in Eastern Burma have been displaced for decades, facing shortage of food and medicine. (Photo by : Lee Yu Kyung)

Yet “safe” is not a sustainable word in this jungle world. The Burma Army and the pro-Junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) jointly assaulted the southern part of Karen state in June, and a military operation has been predicted for Ei Tu Hta after the rainy season.

The offensive in southern Karen state occurred in the rainy season, an unprecedented event. Yet it was a success for the Junta and DKBA, as the area fell to them after a three-week-long fierce battle with the KNLA.

As a result, about 4000 IDPs in Ler Per Her camp in southern Karen state have been displaced to the Tha Song Yang refugee camp on the Thai side of the border. Remnants of the KNLA have been ambushing the DKBA, which now controls the area.

N0 one doubts this was the greatest loss for KNU since the fall of Manerflaw in 1995, where it used to have its headquarters.

‘Heavily guarded’

However, Ei Tu Hta is different.

DKBA forces had been stationed in southern Karen state before the June operation. However, Ei Tu Hta is “heavily guarded by our forces”, 59-year-old Colonel Saw Kyaw Moo said.

“It’s not easy for them to launch an offensive here.”

A KNU leader, who didn’t want to be named, endorsed this view, based on the agreements signed by the Thai army and Burmese army as well as the KNU.

As part of these agreements, the leader said, the Thai army has strongly demanded the two hostile forces, the KNLA and Burma army, “not make noisy by shooting” around Mae Sam Leap. This is due to the number of tourists each year that enjoy the Salween River when rainy season is over, generating lots of income for Thailand.

The leader also hinted that there are KNLA “special sniper groups” active in the area.

Cadres of All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) are sitting at a shop in a village neary by their headquarter in Wei Gyi. ABSDF, which was a product of the popular but failed 88 uprising, has been marginalized along with other armed struggling group. (Photo by Lee Yu Kyung)

Inside the Ei Tu Hta camp itself, an intelligence network is on the alert. Jungle agents report back to those in the camp about the movement of government and DKBA forces.

KNLA cadres, often along with cadres of the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF — an armed group that emerged from the 1988 pro-democracy uprising) patrol the area.

U Maung Oo, the 50-year-old secretary of ABSDF in Wei Gyi headquarters located in the area, seemed more cautious of talking about a possible attack, simply saying: “We try to do our best to guard the area.”

In Papun district, which includes Ei Tu Hta, there is also the ABSDF “frontline”. If the rumoured offensive occurred and spilled into the district, the poorly armed ABSDF may have to engage in the fighting.

Although the ABSDF has welcomed dozens of new cadres in recent times, who enrolled in the armed struggle after the monk-led “saffron revolution” in 2007, the group is poorly equipped with just a handful of AK 47 assault rifles and M16s given to them by the KNLA long ago.

It has also been suffering hunger without significant external support. The armed struggle has been marginalised partly due to the fact that non-government organisations (NGOs) with a “non-violence” principle have been flourishing in Burma’s exiled movements, particularly since September 11, 2001.

Because the area is one of the crucial gateways from Burma via jungle to northern Thailand, its fall could have a fatal impact on Burma’s exiled movements in Northern Thailand.

The Burmese junta and its proxy forces would find it far easier to infiltrate those movements. The junta seems to have this as its dream before its ambitious 2010 elections.

“The junta has an ambition to eliminate all the obstacles to consolidate its power before the 2010 election”, said the ABSDF chairperson, Than Khe, who is currently based in Thailand.

“The recent strengthened assaults around border areas, including the Chinese border, are a sign of this wish.”

The junta’s deadline for dozens of ethnic groups that have agreed to ceasefires to transform all armed groups into Border Guard Forces is also understood in this regard. It has much to do with the new constitution and the upcoming elections, as the junta is seeking “unitary command” above “all armed forces”.

This goal is set out in the new constitution, authorised by the so-called referendum when the country was hit by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008.

Children of a nursing school in Ei Thu Hta IDPs camp in estern Burma. (Photo by Lee Yu Kyung)

Saw Ya Tu, the 54-year-old chief of Ei Tu Hta camp, spoke about the escape plan for the IDPs in the event of a military offensive. It is a huge operation as there are nearly 5000 IDPs in both camp sites.

Nevertheless, the chief has a more pressing problem. There is a shortage of food for IDPs in the camp, as well as throughout eastern Burma, where 450,000 IDPs are estimated to live, with more than 100,000 IDPs in Karen state alone.

The Ei Tu Hta camp gets rice and salt from the Thai Burma Border Consorsium, which also provides for refugees on the Thai side. Some Christian NGOs have supported schools in Ei Tu Hta camp.

However, IDPs inside Burma have received far less than refugees on the Thai side, despite the fact that the number of refugees on the Thai side is estimated to be one-third of the number of IDPs inside Burma.

The recently released report by the Karen Human Rights Group Starving Them Out has vividly drawn out this miserable situation for IDPs inside Burma. The report said that, owing to increasing military activity in the government-controlled areas, villagers some parts of the Papun District are in danger of starving.

These villagers do not expect to survive for more than a few months on this years rice crop.

By the end of October, the predicted offensive by the Burma Army and DKBA had not yet taken place. A report about ceasefire talks between the DKBA and KNU emerged on October 19. But the talks failed, creating more uncertainty for those hiding and the starving population in the jungle.

source : http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/819/42126

ေကာင္းဝါ(နိုဝင္ဘာ- ၂၂)။ ။ ကရင္ျပည္နယ္ ၾကာအင္းဆိပ္ၾကီးျမိဳ႔နယ္ ဘုရားသုံးဆူၿမိဳ႔ အေျခစိုက္ K.P.F ေခၚ ကရင္ျငိမ္းခ်မ္းေရးတပ္ဖြဲ႔၏ အမွတ္(၃)ယာယီတပ္ရင္းမႈး ဗိုလ္မႈးေစာဝါးခ်ဲ႔ အပါအဝင္ တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၅)ေယာက္ကို လက္နက္(၆)လက္ႏွင့္အတူ KNU ဘက္မွ နိုဝင္ဘာ(၂၀)ရက္နံက္(၈)နာရီအခ်ိန္တြင္ ဖမ္းဆီးမိခဲ့ၿပီး ေနာက္ပုိင္းတြင္ ျပန္လည္လြတ္ေျမာက္သြားသည္ဟု K.P.F အဖြဲ႔ႏွင့္ နီးစပ္သူတစ္ဦးမွ ေျပာပါသည္။

ဗိုလ္မႈးေစာဝါးခ်ဲ႔ႏွင့္ တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၅)ဦးတို႔သည္ ဘုရားသုံးဆူမွ သံျဖဴဇရပ္ၿမိဳ႔တို႔အျပန္ ၿမိဳင္သာယာ႐ြာၾကားတြင္ KNU ဘက္မွ လယ္ယာစိုက္ပ်ိဳးေရးတာဝန္ခံ တိုင္ကီ(ေခၚ)စိုးပိုင္ တို႔အဖြဲ႔မွ ဖမ္းဆီးခဲ့သည္ဟု ေဒသခံတို႔မွ ေျပာပါသည္။ K.P.F တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၆)ေယာက္ႏွင့္အတူ လက္နက္အတို (၂)လက္၊ AK 47(၃)လက္၊ ကာဘိုင္ (၁)လက္ ဖမ္းမိ သိမ္းဆီးထားသည္ဟု K N U ဘက္မွ ေျပာပါသည္။ ေကာင္းဝါ(နိုဝင္ဘာ- ၂၂)။ ။ ကရင္ျပည္နယ္ ၾကာအင္းဆိပ္ၾကီးျမိဳ႔နယ္ ဘုရားသုံးဆူၿမိဳ႔ အေျခစိုက္ K.P.F ေခၚ ကရင္ျငိမ္းခ်မ္းေရးတပ္ဖြဲ႔၏ အမွတ္(၃)ယာယီတပ္ရင္းမႈး ဗိုလ္မႈးေစာဝါးခ်ဲ႔ အပါအဝင္ တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၅)ေယာက္ကို လက္နက္(၆)လက္ႏွင့္အတူ KNU ဘက္မွ နိုဝင္ဘာ(၂၀)ရက္နံက္(၈)နာရီအခ်ိန္တြင္ ဖမ္းဆီးမိခဲ့ၿပီး ေနာက္ပုိင္းတြင္ ျပန္လည္လြတ္ေျမာက္သြားသည္ဟု K.P.F အဖြဲ႔ႏွင့္ နီးစပ္သူတစ္ဦးမွ ေျပာပါသည္။

ဗိုလ္မႈးေစာဝါးခ်ဲ႔ႏွင့္ တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၅)ဦးတို႔သည္ ဘုရားသုံးဆူမွ သံျဖဴဇရပ္ၿမိဳ႔တို႔အျပန္ ၿမိဳင္သာယာ႐ြာၾကားတြင္ KNU ဘက္မွ လယ္ယာစိုက္ပ်ိဳးေရးတာဝန္ခံ တိုင္ကီ(ေခၚ)စိုးပိုင္ တို႔အဖြဲ႔မွ ဖမ္းဆီးခဲ့သည္ဟု ေဒသခံတို႔မွ ေျပာပါသည္။ K.P.F တပ္ဖြဲ႔ဝင္(၆)ေယာက္ႏွင့္အတူ လက္နက္အတို (၂)လက္၊ AK 47(၃)လက္၊ ကာဘိုင္ (၁)လက္ ဖမ္းမိ သိမ္းဆီးထားသည္ဟု K N U ဘက္မွ ေျပာပါသည္။
Kaowao