Child Soldiers in Burma

In the news recently, we have seen the Burmese people's fight for independence and the brutal reaction by the opposition - the government. But there is more. Today the Human Rights Watch organization released a report indicating that the Burmese government is one of the biggest "recruiters" of child soldiers. According to the report, the Burmese military target children unrelentingly due to the need to fill their ranks because of high desertion rates, lack of willing volunteers, and army expansion. There is a cash payment either to the military recruiter or civilian broker for each member recruited, regardless of the fact that it is a child they recruit.

To read the article and access the report, click here for the Human Rights Watch website article. The fight for democracy in Burma not only means the freedom of its people, its monks, but also the freedom of its children from continued forced recruitment. Follow the news in Burma through the following sites:

Democratic Voice of Burma: News Page
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Pages
BBC News Asia-Pacific Page

Fires in SoCal

I may have been away from my blog for a while, but the fires in SoCal have never been far from my mind, particularly as that area has been my home for 16 years or so and as most of my family and friends still live there. While the fires have not been close to my parents or family, the devastation that they have caused in the southern California area is certainly tragic and horrible. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes in the fires, and those who lost their lives as well. And I hope that if arson indeed is the cause of some of those fires those people will be brought to justice for the devastation they've caused in other people's lives. . . .

African Union Peacekeepers Attacked in Darfur

Darfur continues to be in the news, although who knows how close it is to people's minds. It is taking place on a continent far from us here in the U.S. yet it is part of our world, our global community, and we must be aware of events and do what we can to stand up for each other - in whatever small or big way possible.

Here is another opportunity to take some action, and it is a simple as clicking the link below and signing a petition for President Bush and UN Secretary-General Ban to not delay the deployment of international peace-keepers to Darfur. No amount of money will replace the security and safety of the people there. People are frightened for their safety; people are still suffering deaths and other tragic events. Last weekend 10 African Union Peacekeepers were attacked and killed while stationed in Darfur. They were attacked on their base!

So sign this petition to ensure that the deployment of international peacekeepers to this region is not delayed.

For your further interest, former President Jimmy Carter visited Darfur with Richard Branson - here's the link to the story on Reuters.com.

Here's another version from CBS News.

Heard on BBC News - Africa last night (or maybe it was this morning) was an emphasis on the concern about the safety of the people in Darfur. Yes, there have been pledges from the Sudanese President to rebuild the region of Darfur, and some others, but the interviewee's point was a legitimate concern: What use is all the money in the world if the safety and security of the people are not guaranteed? This is a very valid point and you cannot deny that it makes perfect sense. The violence still continues, regardless of what pledges are being made - and if you read the stories above you will see that although people were afraid to talk directly to the delegation, notes were slipped into their pockets about how the violence still continues.

So, sign the petition above and urge leaders to take action now.

Pedro the Dishwasher.....and his American Nightmare.....

I caught this on CNN the other day and thought I would post it. While I consider it a privilege to live in the United States, I also understand that it is not always the land of promise or where dreams can come true, because I have seen too many times that it is where money, status, and bureaucracy can speak louder at times than humanity can.

Pedro the Dishwasher - a man who has spent 11 years washing dishes in Florida: he left his home in Latin America and came to make some money so that he could eventually return to his home village to buy some land and build a house for his mother and his sisters. He saved $59,000 and finally decided to return home. Not knowing that he had to declare that he was carrying more than $10,000, he was stopped at Ft. Lauderdale airport and all his savings were confiscated. That's not all. Not only does he face deportation if he doesn't leave on his own by the end of January but the IRS is on his back because he received nearly $10,000 in donations from generous people around the country; thus the IRS wants to take that money (the $10,000) as tax for all the money he made while working as a dishwasher. The link is for the CNN video on this piece of news. Incredible, but true.


CNN Video on Pedro the Dishwasher

Myanmar's Monks Demonstrations

Buddhist monks in Myanmar are on the march, protesting against the government. These protests originated when fuel prices in Myanmar were doubled to extremely high costs and impacting other areas of the economy, but of course that was the culmination of deep-seated dissatisfaction with the government for the past few decades. Pro-democracy demonstrators protested and were arrested; but then the monks decided to take over and continue the demonstrations.

Protests have been going on for a while now, escalating in numbers and in intensity. These have been the largest demonstrations since 1988. Today riot police in Myanmar killed one demonstrator and arrested 300 monks, according to CNN's reports. President Bush has announced increased UN sanctions against the military junta government of Myanmar and Nobel Laureates such as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu (of South Africa) are speaking out against the current situation in Myanmar. The European Union is also threatening to strengthen their sanctions against Myanmar should the government choose to put down the demonstrations using violence.

See NPR's coverage of this story.

See CNN's coverage on these demonstrations.

While the UN Secretary-General has commended the peaceful protests of these monks, we must remember that it is with great courage these monks are marching. The military has placed monks under arrest, and have attempted to disperse the crowds with tear gas; but this may not be the only actions they take against the protests. As an international community, we must support the monks in their protest for a free government, and for the release of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi (Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been under house arrest for the last 18 years). We must also pray for the safety of the thousands of monks who are marching in peaceful protest.