About Burma
“Burma, a country of fifty million people, is ruled by fear. A military machine of 500,000 soldiers denies the whole nation its most basic rights.” (Burma Campaign UK)
With no known external enemies, the military government of Burma has been waging war against its own people for over50 years. Forced labour, confiscation of property, extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and absolute censorship in all forms of gatherings and media are just a few examples of the way things are where the citizens of an entire country are the casualties of war.
For those who are ethnic minorities in Burma, the ongoing war is an even harsher reality. Forced relocation and the systematic destruction of villages occurwith impunity. Rape is common and the Burma Army maliciously terrorizes its citizens with the strategy of placing thousands of land mines in and around villages in order to keep residents from returning. In 2006 alone, more than 25,000 men, women, and children joined hundreds of thousands of others who have been internally displaced in the last few decades. Most end up trying to survive in the jungle. Additionally, more than 200,000 have fled the country and are living in refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.
For displaced persons who are hiding in the jungle the situation is desperate. With little food, water, shelter, medicine, and no sanitation they are extremely vulnerable to sickness, disease and malnutrition. Malaria is common, especially among children. For women the situation is particularly difficult, especially for those who are pregnant. Many give birth prematurely or miscarry. Amazingly, most who are displaced want to return to their homes, villages, and rice fields; they simply want their lives back. With breathtaking precision, Burma’s leaders have managed to take what was once the “Jewel of Southeast Asia” and reduced it to one of the poorest, least educated, most corrupt, and mismanaged countries in modern history.
With no known external enemies, the military government of Burma has been waging war against its own people for over50 years. Forced labour, confiscation of property, extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and absolute censorship in all forms of gatherings and media are just a few examples of the way things are where the citizens of an entire country are the casualties of war.
For those who are ethnic minorities in Burma, the ongoing war is an even harsher reality. Forced relocation and the systematic destruction of villages occurwith impunity. Rape is common and the Burma Army maliciously terrorizes its citizens with the strategy of placing thousands of land mines in and around villages in order to keep residents from returning. In 2006 alone, more than 25,000 men, women, and children joined hundreds of thousands of others who have been internally displaced in the last few decades. Most end up trying to survive in the jungle. Additionally, more than 200,000 have fled the country and are living in refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.For displaced persons who are hiding in the jungle the situation is desperate. With little food, water, shelter, medicine, and no sanitation they are extremely vulnerable to sickness, disease and malnutrition. Malaria is common, especially among children. For women the situation is particularly difficult, especially for those who are pregnant. Many give birth prematurely or miscarry. Amazingly, most who are displaced want to return to their homes, villages, and rice fields; they simply want their lives back. With breathtaking precision, Burma’s leaders have managed to take what was once the “Jewel of Southeast Asia” and reduced it to one of the poorest, least educated, most corrupt, and mismanaged countries in modern history.