I came across a fascinating blog today, G Walker is an American spending the summer working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the Mae La camp over the (Northern) summer. He seems to be a jurist of some sort, and provides a nice short summary of how the camp is run.
Shot of (a rather nice) Mae Sot street from G Walker’s blog
He also has a fascinating post on the project he will be involved with to introduce a wider range of punishments into the camp justice system, in particular a “restorative” community service component for minor offences and young offenders.
These posts are really interesting both for the information they contain about the official workings of the camp, but also to listen to an idealistic American specialist as he engages with people whose life, culture and experiences are so different from his. To me the reading is made more interesting, if also somewhat frustrating by not knowing anything about who G Walker is, all I know of “him” (and the gender and nationality I have assigned are guesses!) is what I read in the
blog he started on May 22nd after arriving in Bangkok!
Categories: mae la
The NY Times has a report “Weeks After Cyclone in Myanmar, Even Farmers Wait for Food” in case you do not have time to read it here are a few extracts:
Few of those who wait say they have received anything from the government, other than threats.
“They said if we don’t break our huts and disappear, they will shoot us,” one man in the village of Thee Kone said over the weekend before a police jeep approached. “But as you can see, it’s raining now. We are pleading to the police to give us one more day and we will be gone far, far from the road, as they wish.”
Or again:
Villagers in the region, which previously provided much of the rice for the country of 48 million, now squat along miles of roads, holding out bowls to the occasional passing cars bringing food and other supplies. Children keep a vigil, rushing to the vehicles for handouts, sometimes thrusting their arms inside the cars’ windows.
“I don’t know how the government is helping us,” said [... in ...], a delta town 30 miles south of Yangon, Myanmar’s main city. He said the only aid he had seen was delivered by other Burmese citizens.
“I am no beggar, so I didn’t eat anything in the past two days,” he said, leaning against a roadside palm tree. “Besides, you shouldn’t compete with kids for begged food.”
If you can bear pictures Mizzima has lots.
Categories: burma/myanmar · cyclone
Here is a great post you should read “
freedom“. I’ll just copy a few words and hope you follow the link:
Their stories were strikingly similar: they came to Mae La primarily to study. Education in Burma was really expensive and it was no option for internally displaced people who lived in the jungle. They wanted to study theology and bible and philosophy. They walked for two weeks to one full month to come to Mae La and be “free” to study.
I looked around me. We were sitting in a classroom underneath a lone light bulb dangling from the ceiling that was partially made out of tarp in a refugee camp that had thousands of huts built practically on top of each other and was held together by a rusty barbed wire fence.
“Free?” I heard myself thinking, judging.
They told me stories, then. Their houses and churches and schools and entire villages were burned down by the Burmese military. They watched their family members and best friends tortured, mutilated, and murdered. Gonyouwah described with great detail one technique he remembered the military using: pouring boiling water over the heads of innocent civilians before scalping them.
I swallowed hard and realized my mistake. This refugee camp–what looks like a combination of animal pens and a prison in my busy mind that is trying desperately to make sense of what I’m seeing and hearing–is their freedom.
The picture above is from another post from this fine blog.
BTW give thanks that the generals are giving access for aid to reach their suffering people, and pray that the help needed may actually at least start to reach the cyclone victims in quantities that will make a real difference!
Categories: mae la · people
The party on Sunday went pretty well, people all seemed to enjoy Nathan and Tommy’s Karen-style food (it does help having professional chefs - thank you guys!). We raised over $2000 on the night which with some late arrivals is now up to about $2,500. The money is going towards a new roof for the girls dormitory at the school for IDP children in the village that lives in Thailand on rented land. The location means it is safe from the Myanmar Government army, and (since it is right on the border) accessible to the children of IDPs in Burma and people in the refugee camps.
However, the location also means that it gets no official support. It exists on what the village can supply together with help from a couple of charities. The Body Shop (Children on the Edge) provides rice for everyday, veges twice a week, fish paste or beans also twice a week, and meat about once a month. At least that was the case when we were there, rising food prices may have shrunk what they can buy 
Another group was helping with permanent buildings.
They have pulled back (at least at present) leaving the school with an urgent need to replace the roof on the girls dormitory. The leaf roofs only last two years and this one is overdue for replacement. The rains have started - remember the cyclone that passed through Burma?
The church needs about NZ$4,000 to finish the roof. We have collected NZ$2,500… If anyone who hasn’t contributed would like to please transfer the money to:
Partners Relief and Development at Westpac Bank (Upper Hutt branch) 03 0774 0598181 000 and label the gift “Phopra Dorm”.
Canadians wishing to obtain a receipt for tax purposes should make donations at the Partners Canada website. www.partnersworld.ca
Americans wishing to obtain a receipt for tax purposes should make donations at the Partners USA website. www.partnersworld.org
Norwegians can find the information needed to make donations in Norway at: www.partnersnorge.no
Australians can find the information needed to make donations in Australia at: www.partnersworld.org.au
UK Residents can find the information needed to make donations in the UK at: www.partnersworld.org.uk
PS: I promise this blog will not become a series of requests for money - but this need is urgent, and if you have been reading the posts you probably understand why I’d really love to help get this done 
We still have lots more video and photos to post, and I still have not written anything like all the reflection pieces I hope to about our experiences!
Categories: burma/myanmar · idp school
The little girl in the last picture is really enjoying her food. But it is not the feast we enjoyed for my birthday.
However, we’ve raised almost $2,600 towards a new roof for the girls dormitory at the IDP school. Thank you to everyone who contributed, and to Nathan and Tommy who cooked, and all those who helped clear up, especially Bob!
(I delayed posting this as there were still some donations coming in which were slowly pushing the total nearer to the $4,000 that’s needed. I have also been hoping to have pictures of the dorm as they have - I believe - started work on the roof this week…)
Categories: mae la · people
Here’s a cute baby photo that Sarah took, at the IDP (Internally Displaced Person) village.
This Karen baby is cute and knows it, having your photo taken is fun too!
The clay protects from the sun, but who will offer protection from the Myanmar Army?
BTW: Today is The Party, so please - if you read this today - either turn up (if we have not met before you are spoecially welcome), or pray that it will all go well. This time there are just three (and Nathan’s friend Tommy) of us usually when our family has done a big party there have been 5-6 (but the others are in the UK ;-0
Categories: burma/myanmar · idp · people · school
Many of you will have read Ruth’s post
Miracles amongst the mess for those who haven’t, and who want to see rays of hope in the dark mess of the aftermath of cyclone Nargis here is an extract:
Yesterday we heard of the youngest survivor found by our group rescuing
people in the delta area. A three month old baby was found still alive
after being wrapped up and tied up in a tree 12 feet off the ground.
What’s amazing is that she missed being swept away in the flood water
which rose to up to 12 feet in places, that the many snakes also trying
to keep out of the water didn’t bite and kill her, and that the sand
and salt being whipped around in the seriously strong winds didn’t
suffocate her. Her mother is silently rejoicing, unlike many of the
other mothers around her in mourning.
She also reports that a shipment of 7 tonnes of rich and enough plastic sheeting to shelter 100 families from the monsoons has reached Rangoon/Yangon for distribution.
Categories: burma/myanmar · cyclone
Tagged: cyclone, nargis
Today is my 60th birthday. This year the Karen people have been in conflict with the government for 60 years. The military dictators who took power in 1962 (and use the name Myanmar for the country) have exacerbated this conflict into an attempt at genocide. The stories of how their troops act when in Karen state are horrifying. To add to this some 50% of the people in the areas of Burma worst affected by the cyclone are Karen.
One of the existing dorms at the school
So, if you are in Auckland please consider coming to my party on Sunday evening, bring a gift (of money) for a school that educates Karen Displaced People’s children - the school is safely in Thailand, but the children’s families are mainly in Burma.
A donor who was supplying money for the girls’ dorm has pulled out, the roofing on the old one needs replacing, and the rains are starting…
Categories: burma/myanmar · cyclone · school
Tagged: cyclone, idp, nargis, school
It seems wrong that the military in Myanmar can block aid to cyclone victims to preserve their power, so a petition calling United Nations to apply “responsibility to protect” doctrine to force international aid into Myanmar has been started. Over 4,500 signatures so far. Please add yours!
PS, BTW if you have a Facebook, Beebo etc. page or a blog please consider adding a link to the petition, that way it might have some effect, even if only in softening the generals actions and allowing more of the aid already sent to get into the country!
Categories: burma/myanmar
The referendum in Burma (the country whose military dictators choose to call Myanmar) went ahead on Saturday, and thanks to soldiers with guns ensuring that people not only obeyed the law by voting, but could not vote “NO”. The military who rule the country were pleased, their state media which gives little coverage to the cyclone disaster which has already killed tens of thousands reported a “massive turnout” and said that polling stations were kept open longer to deal with the queues.
Meanwhile Radio Netherlands reports:
The relief effort is still facing difficulties, largely because
Myanmar’s military rulers is continuing to bar foreign aid agencies.
Local doctors say the situation is chaotic: hospitals are overcrowded
and medicine is in very short supply.
There are also reports that:
The generals appeared on TV handing out boxes on which, in a clumsy
publicity stunt, they stamped their own names over those of the
original donors.
I guess as Ruth writes the only “good news is that because foreign aid workers are prohibited from helping, the local churches are the ones being resourced to help their own communities.” Which is not only a sensible approach in the circumstances, but a much more development-friendly policy.
Categories: burma/myanmar · cyclone
Tagged: cyclone, nargis
He also has a fascinating post on the project he will be involved with to introduce a wider range of punishments into the camp justice system, in particular a “restorative” community service component for minor offences and young offenders.
