Friends,
The next meeting of the Seattle Burma Roundtable is Tuesday August 4th
from 7-8:45pm at the offices of the Seattle Red Cross, 1900 25th Ave S, in
rm 206 (just to the right inside the entrance). NOTE: THIS IS A DIFFERENT
LOCATION AND TIME.
After 15 years of meeting in the North End we are now starting to
alternate meetings in the North and South Ends, especially since the
hundreds of new Burmese arrivals live down South. We thank the Red Cross
for providing this space to us for free. See
http://www.mapquest .com/maps? city=Seattle& state=WA& address=1900+ 25th+Ave+ S
for directions.
The 2nd Annual Burmese Refugee Picnic was a big success, with hundreds of
people joining us for a beautiful day of relaxation, food, fun and games.
Enormous thanks goes to Simon Khin and his family for overall
organization, and to Paula Bock for setting up numerous activities for the
many kids that are part of the refugee community. See you at the 3rd
annual picnic next summer!
In Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi's trial has been delayed yet again, with the
verdict now due to be read on August 11th. Political trials in Burma
usually last a matter of hours, not days, let alone weeks or months as in
this case. The junta has been surprised by the international outcry over
the trial and has used delays to let the furor die down and to ponder the
best way to conclude it. Most likely she will be convicted, and then the
question is where she will serve her sentence. See
http://www.atimes. com/atimes/ Southeast_ Asia/KG31Ae01. html for more.
The US Congress unanimously passed the Burma Sanctions Renewal Act, which
was signed by President Obama last Tuesday, see
http://www.irrawadd y.org/article. php?art_id= 16421 for details.
The ever closer relationship between Burma's generals and North Korea is
increasingly coming under the spotlight, and causing worry both regionally
and globally, with fears of nuclear proliferation at the fore. The Sydney
Morning Herald broke some new ground with a report titled, "Revealed:
Burma's Nuclear Bombshell," see
http://www.smh. com.au/world/ revealed- burmax2019s- nuclear-bombshel l-20090731-
e4fw.html and
http://www.smh. com.au/world/ burmax2019s- nuclear-secrets- 20090731- e4fv.html.
Local Opportunities:
From August 28th to September 3rd the Northwest Film Forum will present
"Burma VJ," the highly acclaimed documentary on the video journalists who
have risked their lives to tell the story of Burma's failed 2007 Saffron
Revolution. See http://www.nwfilmfo rum.org/live/ page/calendar for more
information.
The UW is offering a new class with a partila focus on Burma, called
"Mainland SE Asian Archeology." See
http://faculty. washington. edu/bmarwick/ teaching for details.
A full set of "An Introduction to the Burmese Language" (books and
cassettes) by scholar John Okell is available for anyone locally who is
studying the language. Email burma@u.washington. edu if you are
interested.
Finally, here's some information about a job posting. There are many,
many exciting volunteer opportunities that we can help people to line up,
but this one is a paid position. The Burma Partnership is looking for a
Media Officer, a job based in Mae Sot. See
http://fccthai. com/items/ 77.html for details.
Below please find an article by Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond
Tutu.
Thanks for Reading,
Larry Dohrs
xxx-xxx-xxxx
