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Pathway :: Home
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Cyclone Nargis - links and things you can do |
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Written by Trish Elliott
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Sunday, 11 May 2008 |
Just over a week ago I was working on an update
on Burma’s
Saffron Revolution. There had been some protests in various locations, and
resistance was carrying on with low level yet surprisingly determined
intensity. A national referendum intended to entrench military power was
scheduled for May 10; in the run-up people advocating a ‘no’ vote were being
beaten and sentenced to jail on a daily basis. I was concerned that Burma were being
forgotten at a critical moment.
Then Cyclone Nargis hit, dramatically altering the lives of
hundreds of thousands of people and refocusing world attention on the country’s
people. Whole villages were torn apart and Rangoon, one of the world’s most beautiful
and beleaguered cities, became a disaster zone within hours. My first reaction
was concern for people I knew in the area of the storm. I wondered if their
house was okay. I didn’t realize yet that more than houses were at stake, and
that the devastation beyond Rangoon
was even worse. Slowly, along with people around the world, I experienced the
growing realization that this was a far bigger disaster than initial reports
indicated.
Since that time, I have been following daily and hourly
eye-witness reports at www.mizzima.com and www.irrawaddy.org. People inside Burma tell of
the army commandeering supplies and forcing survivors into prison-like
shelters. In the midst of this horror, yesterday the polling stations were open
and fearful, resigned citizens trickled in to vote, closely watched and
photographed by the authorities. Many citizens reported they voted yes because
of the danger and their feeling that the results wouldn’t matter anyway, but a
few told of voting yes because they had nothing left to lose.
One worry I have is that these conditions, real as they are,
will discourage Canadians from trying to help. We should keep in mind that
people-to-people organizations are working very hard to find their way around
the system or through the system to send aid and support to those who need it.
Given the scope of the problem, in many cases it may be too little or too late,
but in many cases lives will be saved. Canadian
Friends of Burma is taking donations online for Burma Cyclone Relief. CFOB said it will use its contacts in the country to help people who are blacklisted by the military government and may have no other access to aid.
The
Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Lutheran World Relief and World Vision are other
NGOs that have a presence inside Burma and an ability to distribute
assistance. They are working to deliver survival basics by leveraging existing contacts with cooperative local officials.
It’s also important to remember that the struggle for human
rights and democracy will continue inside Burma after the disaster is yesterday’s
news. Joining your local Amnesty International chapter and supporting CFOB’s
lobby campaigns are two ways to help in the long run.
Trish Elliott is a
member of Saskatchewan Friends of Burma, and has worked as a journalist and
author writing about Burma
issues. Cartoon by Harn Lay, Irrawaddy Magazine.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 11 May 2008 )
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