Burma

⚠️ This page is an automatic translation of a post originally written in French. My apologies for any mistakes or odd phrasing that may have been generated in the process. If you read French, please click on the flag below to access the original text: 

EN

After the demonstrations by Buddhist monks against Burma's military dictatorship in September and October 2007, the West is turning its attention back to Burma, in the wake of an appalling natural disaster. In early May 2008, Cyclone Nargis may have claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Cyclone Nargis

The official provisional death toll from Cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma on May 2, 2008, is over 22,000, with 42,000 missing. Millions more have been affected.

I have visited many countries in Southeast Asia, but I have never been to Burma, renamed Myanmar by the ruling military. The country borders Thailand, but you can only enter by air, landing in Rangoon, the capital. The regime has closed the borders.

Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi

About twelve years ago, I was an intern at Stock. I worked on a book of interviews, conducted by an American Buddhist, Alan Clements, with Aung San Suu Kyi. The book was published in 1996 (it has been reissued under the title My Burma last March, published by Hachette, in the Pluriel collection). The Burmese opponent had received the Nobel Peace Prize five years earlier.

At that time, I discovered the struggle of this courageous woman and the tragedy of the Burmese people. Unfortunately, the situation has not changed much since then.

Below, some interesting links, to better understand what is happening in Burma:
" The Irrawaddy - the Burmese magazine in exile
" Burma, my heart bleeds - a blog rich in links and infos
" Burma, dreams under surveillance - a project and a book published by Autrement
" Info-Burma - French association
" Actions Burma - Belgian association