American Buddhist Net

July 6, 2008

BOGALAY, Myanmar — - Two months after a cyclone ravaged the fertile Irrawaddy Delta, in Myanmar's southwest, the bones of drowning victims still clutter the muddy banks of waterways.

One bamboo stick at a time, survivors in hundreds of flattened villages are struggling to rebuild their homes. For shelter, they squeeze several families into a single tent. For drinking water, they collect monsoon rainwater that trickles off tarpaulin roof coverings into buckets or salvaged ceramic vases. For food, they cook communal meals with rice, beans and oil from handouts. Sometimes it is spoiled.

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By DENIS D. GRAY

The cyclone that devastated Myanmar's heartland has also roiled a political landscape dominated by the military for more than four decades.

Buddhist monks are regrouping after the battering they took nine months ago, civil society groups are emerging and foreign aid workers _ often agents of political change in the wake of humanitarian crises _ are present in unprecedented numbers.

The junta's grip on power remains absolute. But anger against the regime has probably never run so high.

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Mon 30 Jun 2008

At a small concrete shrine on the outskirts of this storm-battered city, people have been flocking to pay their respects to Nyaung Bin, “the old man of the solitary banyan tree.” His statue wears a flowing pink robe, has a golden face, and bears a passing resemblance to the late actor Yul Brynner.

U Myaing, a regular worshipper who works at an animal farm across the street, says the reason for the increased attendance is obvious: Nyaung Bin is a “nat.” And nats — a group of centuries-old animist spirits — can provide precious protection in precarious times. No one nearby who prays at the shrine, Mr. Myaing contends, was hurt by the deadly cyclone that ripped through the area in early May and left 134,000 dead or missing in Myanmar.

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06/28/2008

...The monks have channeled aid materials into stricken regions and turned monasteries into soup kitchens and refugee camps since the May 2-3 storm.

Their outreach to survivors — many of whom received little or no government help — highlighted the monks' power and the possibility they could clash again with Myanmar's ruling forces. Some monks are even building secret stashes of makeshift weapons, clerics say.

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23 Jun 2008
By Aung Hla Tun

DEDAYE, Myanmar, June 23 (Reuters) - With a planting deadline looming, rice farmers in cyclone-hit parts of Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta have hit a problem -- donated oxen and water buffaloes are refusing to work because they are stressed.

"Thanks to donors and arrangements by the government, we are getting buffaloes and oxen, and in some cases small tractors and tillers, almost free of charge," said Ko Hla Soe, a farmer in Dedaye, 50 km (30 miles) southwest of Yangon.

"Now, to our surprise, the problem is that most of the buffaloes and oxen will not work hard. They cannot immediately be used effectively," he told Reuters.

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By Ben Blanchard Wed Jun 25, 2:14 AM ET

BEIJING (Reuters) - China praised Myanmar's efforts to fight drugs on Wednesday, lauding the actions of a military government often criticized in the United States and Europe for not doing enough to tackle the problem.

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YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar said Tuesday that 84,500 people perished in last month's cyclone, up from the last official announcement that 77,700 had died in the devastating storm.

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June 19, 2008

Yangon: Myanmar authorities Thursday arrested at least 30 supporters of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who had gathered to protest her five years of imprisonment on her birthday, eyewitnesses said.

A group of National League for Democracy (NLD) members gathered outside their party headquarters in Yangon to mark Suu Kyi's 63rd birthday Thursday by releasing 63 sparrows and shouting "Free Aung San Suu Kyi".

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Myanmar’s government is closing down relief camps in the Irrawaddy Delta area, claiming it no longer needs foreign doctors. A Thai medical team is not let in before it arrives. Authorities pile obstacles on top of obstacles as private donors start to give up.

June 16, 2008

Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Foreign doctors are leaving Myanmar after the ruling junta decided to shut down relief camps for cyclone Nargis victims. At the same time the 2.4 million people displaced by the natural disaster can no longer count on the support of private donors, who have become discouraged by the obstacles put up by local authorities to prevent them from distributing aid and accessing affected areas.

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It is as if our present rulers have taken the dasarajadhamma and systematically inverted its 10 precepts:

1) Restrict freedom in any way possible and do whatever you want, whenever you want...afterall, you're the king, aren't you? 2) There is no such thing as morality, you have no character to maintain 3) Be prepared to sacrifice the well-being of the subjects for your own pleasure and that of your friends 4) Lie often and unscrupulously 5) Start wars for profit; shoot defenseless birds for fun; implement new and exciting methods to torture your "enemies", your friends, or whoever 6) Amass enormous wealth for yourself but adopt a phony, folksy accent and make sure to be photographed wearing blue jeans at least once or twice a year 7) Cultivate hatred 8) Exercise aggressive violence and kill many, many people...eventually the ones who are left will get used to it 9) This is YOUR war so do it now, before another king takes over 10) Maintain utter contempt for the people over whom you rule to promote feelings of universal confusion and powerlessness. Robyn
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June 13, 2008
Ashin Metacarra

Allow me to discuss with the reader the subject of the Buddha and His views on politics. Being a Buddhist monk, I will try to illuminate you on the right way of life and the best kind of political involvement, according to the Buddha's teaching. These teachings are not only for Buddhists, but also for all non-Buddhists: for everyone.

...In the life of Buddha, we find that the Buddha often discussed politics with the rulers of realms in his time, such as King Mala, King Kosala , King Licchavi and King Ajatasattu . The Buddha always preached the kings that they must rule their kingdoms with dasarajadhamma. The dasarajadamma in Pali is based on ten precepts, in order for the king to best rule the country. They are: (1) be liberal and avoid selfishness, (2) maintain a high moral character, (3) be prepared to sacrifice one's own pleasure for the well-being of the subjects, (4) be honest and maintain absolute integrity, (5) be kind and gentle, (6) lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate, (7) be free from hatred of any kind, (8) exercise non-violence, (9) practice patience, and (10) respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony. Any government who wishes to peacefully rule any nation can effectively apply these 10 precepts even today; they haven’t yet and never will “go out of date.”

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Fri 13 Jun 2008

Aided by boatmen who risked arrest, the journalist saw what the government didn’t want seen in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.

From the far side of a murky brown river, the only moving thing visible on the ravaged landscape was a tattered maroon cloth, fluttering listlessly atop a tree stripped of its branches.

Two Buddhist monks had torn it from the only material they had, one of their own coarse robes. Its message was just as plain: “Alive! Please help.”

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RANGOON, Burma (AP) — A Burma government-affiliated group denied rumors that fish from cyclone-ravaged areas were unfit to eat after supposedly feeding on human and animals corpses, local media reported Monday.

Since Cyclone Nargis slammed into Burma's Irrawaddy delta last month, some people in Rangoon — the country's biggest city — have been reluctant to eat fish because of rumors they were feeding on the bodies of storm victims. Burma also is known as Myanmar.

One rumor circulating was that some fish were found to have human fingers and pieces of jewelry in their stomachs.

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Mon, Jun. 9, 2008
By DAMON C. WILLIAMS

MORE THAN FIVE weeks after a catastrophic cyclone hit the southeast Asian country of Myanmar - also known as Burma - the sorrow is heavy among Burmese natives living a world away in Philadelphia.

"Because of the storm, people don't have a house, and it's the raining season," said a distraught Chiu Sin Mae, 49, seated in a booth at the Rangoon Burmese Restaurant, on 9th Street near Arch, in Chinatown.

"The government moved people from the delta, but the military told them they were not welcome in city. But they have nowhere to go back to, because their houses are still under water. Where is home? On the street with an umbrella?

"The government is taking its time, killing its own people. It's a genocide."

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07/06/2008

Bangkok - Dysentery, typhoid and other diseases are spreading through Myanmar's notorious Insein Prison after Cyclone Nargis destroyed inmates' food supplies, a Thailand-based watchdog said on Friday.

The cyclone that hit five weeks ago ripped off roofs and flooded wards at Insein, which holds many of Myanmar's nearly 2 000 political prisoners, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said in a statement.

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New America Media, Q&A, Viji Sundaram, Posted: Jun 06, 2008 Share/Save/Bookmark

Editor's Note: Chairman of the International Burmese Monks Organization - 81-year-old U Pannya Vamsa - speaks to New America Media about the way Burmese monks are organizing to give aid to cyclone victims in Burma. Viji Sundaram is an editor for New America Media.

The world community has been watching in shock and amazement as Burma’s military government continues to watch the victims of Cyclone Nargis starve while relief just waits offshore. The May 2 cyclone left some 133,000 dead or missing and 2.4 million survivors. Latest reports from the United Nations indicate that about 60 percent of the survivors have still not received any food, water or shelter.

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05.06.08

Burma's most popular comedian, known for his jibes against the military regime and recently for helping cyclone victims, has been taken from his home by police, family members said yesterday.

Maung Thura - better known by his stage name Zarganar - was taken into custody Wednesday night by police after they searched his house, the family said.

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June 4, 2008

US Navy ships are due to leave Burma's coastline because of the continued refusal of the government to allow them to help victims of Cyclone Nargis.

The navy said it would withdraw the four ships, carrying helicopters and landing craft, after 15 failed attempts to convince the regime to let them in.

French and British navy ships have also been withdrawn after being refused permission to operate.

Cyclone Nargis left more than 133,000 people dead or missing.

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The mysterious generals who run Burma.

By Jacob Leibenluft
Posted Monday, June 2, 2008

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused the military leaders of Burma of "criminal neglect" on Sunday for their reluctance to accept international aid after Cyclone Nargis. Reports on the comments by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, and Reuters all mentioned the "junta" without actually naming its members. Who is in the Burmese military junta, anyway?

To the best of our knowledge, 11 generals. The inner workings of the junta, or ruling military council, are largely unknown, even among experts. But we do know that in a country with well over 100 different ethnic groups, the junta—officially known as the State Peace and Development Council—is made up entirely of Burman Buddhists serving as generals in the Tatmadaw, or armed forces. A roster of generals recently compiled by exile magazine Irrawaddy lists 11 senior members, although as recently as last year, the council numbered 12, and it had 19 members when it changed its name from the State Law and Order Restoration Council in 1997.

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Monday, 02 Jun 2008

Military rule in Burma is beginning to unravel, with the start of a "very nasty end game" now being witnessed in the country, it has been claimed.

Support for the junta is now at an all-time low following their limited response to last month's Cyclone Nargis, which has killed up to 134,000 people and left a further 2.5 million displaced.

But a regional expert, speaking on the condition of anonymity to inthenews.co.uk, said that it could take decades for the collapse to be played out.

Burma, which has been under military rule since 1962, already has more than half a million internally displaced residents.

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June 1, 2008

NEW DELHI: India will repair Myanmar’s famous Shwedagon Pagoda, or Golden Pagoda, which was damaged by cyclone Nargis on May 3. This offer was made during Sunday’s pledging conference where around 52 countries promised rehabilitation and reconstruction aid to Myanmar.

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International Herald Tribune
Published: May 30, 2008

KUN WAN, Myanmar: It is a scene Myanmar's ruling generals are unlikely to see played out for themselves: As a convoy of trucks carrying relief supplies, led by Buddhist monks, passed through storm-devastated villages, hungry children and homeless mothers bowed in supplication and respect.

"When I see those people, I want to cry," said Sitagu Sayadaw, 71, one of Myanmar's most respected senior monks.

At his makeshift clinic in this village near Bogalay, an Irrawaddy Delta town 120 kilometers, or 75 miles, southwest of Yangon, hundreds of villagers left destitute by Cyclone Nargis arrive each day seeking the assistance they have not received from the junta or international aid workers.

They paddle for hours on the stormy river, or carry their sick parents on their backs through the mud and rain - all traveling from kilometers around to reach the one source of help they know they can always depend on: Buddhist monks.

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May 30, 2008 - 5:10PM

Burma's junta has started evicting destitute families from government-run cyclone relief centres, apparently out of concern the "tented villages" might become permanent.

"It is better that they move to their homes where they are more stable," a government official said at one camp where people have been told to clear out by 4pm (1830 Sydney time). "Here, they are relying on donations and it is not stable."

Locals and aid workers said there were 39 camps in the immediate vicinity of Kyauktan, 30 kilometres south of Rangoon, being cleared out as part of the wave of evictions.

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The military-run referendum will not bring democracy to Burma, nor will it help the Burmese people, who now are suffering not only from the authoritarian regime and poverty, but also from a grave natural disaster

May 28, 2008
Vaclav Havel, Et Al

The enormous suffering of the Burmese people caused by the recent cyclone, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths, deserves the sympathy of the entire world. But more than sympathy is needed, because the Burmese military junta’s incompetence and brutal oppression are further aggravating the tragic consequences of this natural disaster.

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Myanmar villagers scavenge for rotten rice

May 27, 2008 (DVB)–Valuable scriptures held at Sasana Gonye monastery that may have been damaged in the recent cyclone remain at risk after authorities refused to open the monastery for repairs.

The roof of the monastery in Bahan township’s Six Storey pagoda compound was ripped off by Cyclone Nargis on 2 May, potentially leaving scriptures housed in the monastery’s archives open to the elements.

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May 27, 2008
By Jonathan Montpetit

MONTREAL — Canadian women are being asked to volunteer their undergarments in an international effort to shame Myanmar’s ruling junta into giving citizens greater access to humanitarian aid and human rights.

Organizers launched the Canadian edition of the Panties for Peace! campaign today with a call for women to send their underwear to the Myanmar embassy in Ottawa.

The campaign plays off regional superstitions that contact with women’s panties can sap a man’s power.

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