/24-7PressRelease/ - May 17, 2008 - Thousands of people are expected to attend global protests & vigils to call for humanitarian intervention in Burma on Saturday May 17th.
Such is the anger felt by people around the world at the Burmese Generals' refusal to allow vital aid and relief workers into the country to save lives that events have been orchestrated in less than a week and are due to happen in places as far afield as the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Chile and the Czech Republic with further places continuing to be added.
The Burma Global Action Network, Burma Campaign UK, U.S. Campaign for Burma and other organizations are leading the call for the world governments and the United Nations to intervene in the humanitarian crisis by supplying aid to the 1.7 million people affected by cyclone Nargis.
The Burmese regime has consistently blocked the international community from providing food, water and medical supplies to the worst affected regions. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of death through starvation, dehydration and preventable diseases such as cholera, malaria and diarrhea.
Says Jason Slack, one of the event co-ordinators "We saw how appallingly the junta reacted to the situation, not allowing in anything like the amount of international aid and assistance needed, not postponing the referendum, we've felt the need to use people power to campaign for that aid to be provided by whatever it takes, because every day that this goes on without the people getting proper help, more lives are lost, making the situation into a double tragedy."
It's also anticipated that the events give an opportunity for overseas Burmese citizens to express themselves. One Burmese refugee aid worker explained that "Global protest is a great idea. Knowing that the world is with them means a lot." Activist on the Burma/Thailand border in the National League of Democracy (Liberated Area) with networks inside Burma stated "This is great news! We have actually been looking for ways to show that the outside world cares. This is a big boost for moral and it really, really does make a difference."
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Full list of individual events here:
http://www.burma-network.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=105
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=4733&uid=29161426416
http://www.burma-network.org
Notes:
Burma Global Action Network (BGAN) is a new organization dedicated to the promotion of the struggle for justice and democracy in Burma, operating in conjunction with other, more established groups. Founded in the wake of the 2007 monk-led anti-government protests, BGAN has initiated and organized various actions designed to raise public awareness about the situation in Burma and put pressure governments and other stakeholders to take action on Burmese issues.
The core executive of BGAN is comprised of moderators from the highly successful Facebook group, "Support the Monks' Protest in Burma." This platform was established in late September, 2007, to raise awareness of the monk-led anti-government protests. It soon became an unqualified success: at its peak, it had nearly 500,000 members, and united disparate individuals and organizations around the globe working together for the goal of a free Burma. In conjunction with the Burma Campaign UK, Canadian Friends of Burma, the US Campaign for Burma and Avaaz.org, as well as countless local partners, a Global Day of Action for Burma was held on October 6, 2007, in cities worldwide. The London demonstration alone had more than 10,000 participants; tens of thousands participated in events worldwide. It remains one of the largest simultaneous events coordinated primarily over the internet, and can be a considered a significant milestone in the history of internet activism for its novel usage of social networking technology.
BGAN Mission
To launch and promote global campaigns in support of the Burmese people and Burma's democracy movement as a whole
- To compile and distribute information about the humanitarian, judicial and political situation in Burma to pro-democracy stakeholders world-wide.
- To disseminate the updates and the outcomes of Burma-related initiatives from all global Burma supporting organizations.
-To provide humanitarian and legal aid to Burmese refugees and asylum seekers world-wide through existing Burma aid organizations.
(Internet Activism Organization Effectively Supporting The Freedom Of Civilians and Monks Of Burma Through Internet Networking)
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- action, aid, burma, cyclone, day, for, genocide, global, junta, monks, myanmar, nargis, network, network., protests, revolution, saffron
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