Burma info…

Last fall, monks, students, and citizens took to the streets to protest the brutal military regime in Burma (Myanamr).

Listed below is some information that has been gathered regarding what is now called the ‘Saffron Revolution’.

Saffron Revolution in Numbers
(From Asia Pacific People’s Partnership on Burma (APPPB)

• In total there have been 227 protests openly defying the military regime.On September 24 alone, over 1,000,000 people took to the streets in 26 cities and towns across Burma, marching for freedom and a better life. (1)
• In total, demonstrations have taken place in 66 cities across the country in all 7 states and all 7 divisions. (2)
• So far an estimated 3000 protesters have been detained. This includes at least 1,400 monks and nuns. (3)
• On August 21, 13 leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group were arrested. On average, they have already spent 30% of their life behind bars.
• In the bloody crackdown that began on September 26, more than 200 people have been killed. (4)
•  The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) only claims that 9 have been killed.
• In the crackdown, 1 Japanese journalist was killed, at least 5 other journalists were
• arrested and 10 were injured or harassed. (5)
• Before August 21, there were 1158 political prisoners in Burmese prisons. (6)
• At least 1,000 people have been disappeared during the Saffron Revolution. (7)
• At 11am on September 28, the SPDC shut down the country’s only public web server. This prevented Burmese people from getting urgent messages to the world.
• The protests started after the SPDC increased the price of fuel by as much as 500%
• 90% of families in Burma live near or at the poverty line ($1 US a day). (8)

1 Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) estimate
2 FDB estimates.
3 Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) estimate
4 DVB estimate
5 Reporters Sains Frontiers (RSF) (30 September 07), ‘At least five journalists arrested in Rangoon,
including Japanese daily’s correspondent’, <http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23837>
6 AAPP, <http://aappb.org/prisoners1.html>
7 AAPP, <http://aappb.org/disap_sept_07.htm>
8 United Nations Survey

Burma update…

Burma (Myanmar) continues in the news.  In one report, there is a tightening of security in the city of Rangoon. A special civilian backed force of the military is stopping cars and checking licenses and recording auto plate numbers. There are patrols that are visible in neighborhoods.

Why, you ask?  No one knows for sure, perhaps it is some type of training prior to mid-April’s new year festivities (where there have been rumors of more protests by students and monks).

The military-led government has evidently finished a ‘draft’  of a new constitution, one that will be set in place in 2010 and will allow for new ‘elections’.  However, it was a constitution drafted without any input from anyone other than the ruling military junta. A release of this ‘draft’ is being called for, but is unlikely to happen too far before the May referendum vote where the people will vote to adopt the new constitution.  But tied with the announcement of ‘new elections’ is also the announcement that  Aung San Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy leader who is under house arrest, will not be allowed to be on the 2010 ballot because “she has a foreign husband”.  INFO HERE

There is not great optimism that the elections will be free and fair, if they even take place at all.

Please continue to pray for the people of Burma, for the ability of the church to remain faithful and to affect change one person at a time by proclaiming the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ.

Our team will be in Burma in early April. Pray for us as we finalize plans and trust God for the funding to be realized.

Thanks for taking this journey with us!

David and Jeff