Jan 1: Saw wa di bi mai!!! (Happy New Year!)

Gooooooood morning, everyone! Well, good evening if you're reading this from the US. As I'm sure you already realized, I did not blog yesterday, due to the sheer amount of stuff we all ended up doing. No meetings again (which makes sense, I can't see anyone wanting to spend their holiday doing meetings). But we all rose from our beds and shined (more or less) as we treked out to a ferry that would take us to a pier next to the Grand Palace. Grand, yes. Tricky, yes.

The Palace was built in the 1700s if I'm not mistaken as a new residence for the king. Getting in in the 2000s is a bit of a snag though. Because of the holiday, people were out in droves despite incredible heat. Also, because of its status as a supre tourist destination, it came with all the fun of any highly respected cultural center: more than one ticket to get in, confusing lines, and some tourist traps. Alas, at least one of our number was told that her jeans would not suffice in protecting her modesty and was forced to 'rent' a ankle-length skirt (which I don't believe was returned, ha ha). Furthermore, we began to notice that the facility was free for Thais-- who do, as another one of us mentioned-- have more of a right to be there than any of us. When we first entered, we went into the temple complex, which houses the "Emerald Buddha" (actually jade, but that's a whole nother interesting story). It was immense and full of splendor. Enormous Thai-style buildings reverberated in the heat of the day, shining with mirrors, gold, and colorful artistry. The building which housed the jade Buddha statue with his golden throne was dark and huge and full to the brim with people (no pictures allowed, sorry guys!). Several surrounding buildings had lovely art on them as well, from depictions of the Lord Buddha's life to what appeared to be a history of the Thai kings.

Upon leaving that area, we moved on to the Palace complex itself. Guards with rifles and white uniforms stood around every gate. Statues of elephants lined the stairways. A large, trimmed garden sprawled out in the middle of it all, encircled by a drive large enough for several carriages and SUVs. We're talking big.

Generally, most of us moved on from the palace to nearby Wat Po, a famous temple housing an enormous reclining Buddha. And when I say enormous, I mean HUGE! It would take several of me (about 5 feet tall) stacked up on top of one another to reach the tip of his nose, let alone the top of his head. Depicted in gold, the reclining Buddha image is used to refer to his achievement of parinibanna/parinirvana, which is the state of being achieved by an enlightened being (having achieved nibanna/nirvanna already) once they 'die,' so to speak (althought the word 'dead' kind of miss represents the whole definition of nibanna and parinibanna). The overall concept is that this is the greatest achievement made by any man in our known history.

Devotees have many ways of showing their appreciation of his achievement at Wat Po, from leaving coins in the monks' alms bowls (lined up along the back wall) to burning incense to leaving little bits of gold leaf on smaller replicas of the statue to leaving flowers near the Buddha. Most of us decided to donate coins to the bowls of the monks who lived on the complex.

After seeing the Wat complex, most of us sought out lunch in some form or fashion. Shoshanna, equiped with a new parasol, lead myself and some others across the street to a small restaurant with some good eats for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Lauren, Suzy, and others headed over the the street with many Westerners with a name I can't pronounce (Kow something or other) and found some yummy food there as well, along with some dresses for the girls and I believe a stuffed character from a Japanese cartoon show for Jon. From there, we all split up in odd-end directions, so whatever I say from here on out is subject to further story telling by others.

Shoshanna, Alexis and Amanda headed back the way we'd come, taking the ferry down to the main pier, connecting on the sky train, and making it back to the hostel with some time to plan for later events. Lauren found a shop that probably is owned by the same Israeli guy who owned her favorite shop where she lived and worked in Nepal. Meghan and I went to Ban Baat, a square where a few families still aid monks by making alms bowls without machines, in much the same way craftsmen have for thousands of years probably since long before the historical Buddha lived (it was amazing, and I highly recommend it to anyone. The head guy there was very friendly, had printed sheets describing their craft and heritage in English, showed us several beautiful bowls way beyond the means of an American student, and sold me a bowl he was in the midst of making, using the time that his work-peer finished it up to demonstrate how the process works. One pot, two days!).

Shortly after 4PM a group of us (all the 'vegies': Shoshanna, myself, Suzy, Lauren, Alexis, and some non-vegies: Amanda, Ben, Bri, Meghan) went out for tea in Central World, an enormous mall complex at the heart of the city, where all the New Years festivities and crowds would gather shortly (apparently, malls are kind of like the enormous plazas of Europe-- where everyone goes to gather. Or at least they like to fill the streets surrounding the malls with people and shrines and decorations). We only had an hour, but it was amazing! We each got one a piece of several sweets and delicacies, all delicious, some weird (whatever the purple thing the non-vegies got is just beyond me). Biscuits with whipped cream and strawberry syrup, marzipan, lemon curd mini-tarts, etc etc etc, along with our individual choices in tea. No need for dinner, this was it!

Due to time constraints, only those who didn't go to tea were able to get to a Muay Thai boxing match. Fan, Alex, Tom, and Christy (I'm pretty sure) all went and had a blast from what I hear! Although they were first misdirected to a rather abandoned Lumphini stadium, they ended up at another stadium closer to downtown and saw plenty of action. Sounds like one kid was knocked out in his first (of 5) rounds. Sitting in the second tier, they could see all the craziness of all the different levels. I believe the 3rd tier was described as being like hyenas they were so excited, making this deep 'aye' chanting sound! From there, I think they stopped at Suk 11 to change and then headed back out to the Chid Lom (central world) stop to see the 'ball drop' so to speak. Shoshanna, Meghan, Bri and I had already been over there during our (succesful!) mission to get a new camera charger for one of our number, and just at 7:30PM it was enormously crowded. Due to the early hour, I haven't heard what happened but I'm sure it was great!

I think Bri, Timmy, and Ben went to a nearby club later in the evening to bring in the new year. A group of us stayed near Suk 11, walking around and getting some ice cream, and stayed up talking as 2010 arrived.

10 years since the new millenium. Saw wa di bi mai! See ya in Chiang Mai!

Dec. 30: Excursions!

Well folks, today has been... interesting! And eventful! However, the peoples we were supposed to meeting at various times of the day all kinda bailed on us (New Year's is a big holiday here), so we were free to enjoy the cultural offerings of Bangkok. And we all did so, in many different ways. The day started with us all together, visiting the former home, now museum of an American architect who settled in Thailand in the first half of the 20th century, building a more-or-less traditional Thai style house, full of art and beautiful gardens. He disappeared in 1967 at the age of 61 (apparently a bad age for 'horses' according to area astrology), but his house really was gorgeous. Interesting note: there's a raised component of the wall that you have to step over wherever there are doors: 1 to keep babies from crawling off, 2 to stabalize the house of stilts, 3 it stops ghosts. There was even some Burmese art there, such as the Nats (local spirits). His name was Jim Thompson, I think, but I could be wrong.

From there, we all decided to go to Chinatown/Little India. However, not all of us took the same means of transportation. A group of about 8 of us (myself, Amanda, Alexis, Shoshoanna, Lauren, Timmy, Meghan, and Suzy) got a couple of tuk tuks to take us. Now a tuk tuk is like a motorcycle taxi thing. Cheap, but potentially unstable. The others (Thomas, Alex, Christy, Fan, Jon, Ben, Brianna...) decided to walk; on the map it didn't look that far. Well, on our tuk tuks, we realized just how far it was. Turns out the walkers ended up walking at least 5 miles today just trying to get to Little India! In this heat! Oy! They earned their dinner tonight!

Us tuk tuk-ers ended up in a couple groups, checking out the eats and shops, trying to learn (or to teach others how) to haggle prices, exploring the flower market, and enjoying the street vendors. Everyone was back at lovely Suk 11 by about 6PM (how I really don't know given the amount of things we all did today). Then by a brilliant act of finesse, Alexis got us reservations at a Crepe restaurant this evening, where we enjoyed our well-earned meals (some more than others!). Christie even got her's as flambe!

By the end of the evening, it was getting late and some of us were discussing foot massages. There are a lot offered here, so it isn't hard to shop around. Tomorrow we'll be going to a wat (Buddhist temple complex), possibly the Grand Palace, and enjoying New Years festivities.

Travel Days and Dec. 29

Dec 28 Arrival


Howdy folks! I'm alive! We checked into Suk 11 hostel about an hour ago, and I have no idea how long I've been traveling. All I know is it's Monday night here, I'm dead tired, and I love cold showers. Yeah, it's pretty warm here, but cooler after a short clean-up! Landing in DC was one of the most exciting things that happened-- there was some kind of accident on the runway. Any ideas? I also heard that another Nigerian man, although not related to terrorism, also caused a plane thing when he locked himself in the plane's bathroom prior to take off. Ideas? In other news, it is shortly after the 5 year anniversary of the 2004 tsunami.

Then came a 5 hour busride to JFK, where we had a much more positive experience than I did last time I was there. We left around 1:15AM Sunday eastern time, went over the arctic, then landed in Shanghai on Monday morning 5AM their time. During the lovely, cramped 14/15 hour flight, Megan and I lost our minds, and I met a very nice China native in the seat next to me who became my 'plane mom,' offering me her blanket when I was cold and flagging down the stewardess to get me a sandwich when I woke up hungry. Not that I slept much, lol! So far we haven't seen much of Bangkok-- some folks got some Baht to go get dinner near the hostel, but someone here has granola bars and I'd rather sleep. Here's hoping for an excellent 10 days in tropical Thailand!


Dec 29: US Embassy and ALTSEAN


Today we woke up, had a breakfast of toast, fruit, and coconut milk stuff at the hostel, and headed out to the skytrain. First stop (we left from "Nana") was the US Embassy, where we traded our passports for IDs to speak with a state department worker and 2 USAID workers, all of which were very charismatic and helpful, while maintaining a realistic perspective on the situation in Burma and Thailand's relationship with its border country. Then, we walked through a large park and on this over-the-street walkway to a restaurant called Bug and Bee where we met with ALTSEAN founder and interns. First of all, lunch was delicious or at least mine was. The interns were all women, as part of ALTSEAN's mission of bringing women into the movement for policy change in Burma. 

They had incredible stories. One thing that struck me in particular was how much they had struggled and yet learned in leaving Burma. Also, the question arose in my mind "What does a free Burma look like?" They are the ones who will decide one day, not us (or at least I think it should be that way).Even they had very different opinions on that, from a federation of ethnic states to a unified democracy to a complete split from Burma all together. They identified themselves with their ethnic groups more than the nation that abused them, after all, even if they didn't always recognize their normal lives as abusive at the time. But as one of the USAID workers said, we have to hope for some kind of established idea/plan for Burma in order for it to truly achieve freedom, even before this junta falls. Without one, all we'll have is chaos.


Time for a shower.


Anne



Quick Note: Ben has arrived, healthy! Yay!

Important Last-Meeting Information

Friday, December 4 @ 5:30 Burma Restaurant in Chinatown
740 6th St NW
(between N G Pl & N H St)
Washington, DC 20001

Saturday December 5 @ 11am in Hughes Formal Lounge MANDATORY Alt Break Brunch

**Remember if you are traveling with the group from DC to JFK you must be at the Public Safety shuttle stop at 2:45pm on December 26.

Security Precautions:
1. Nothing of value in pockets. Keep purses or bag in front and have one with a zipper.
2. Money Belts
3. Secure passport
4. Avoid protests
5. Avoid uncooked fruits and veggies
6. Avoid ice and unfiltered water
7. Buddy system- and always have a third party know where you are going.
8. Seek reliable transportation.
9. Do not purchase gems/jade that are questionable.
10. Use caution when talking about the purpose of our trip.
11. Don't flaunt money
12. You can haggle
13. Smile :)
14. Avoid stray dogs and other animals
15. Deet cream (30% is plenty)
16. Register at the State Dept www.state.gov
17. Watch and alarm clark
18. Much more!

P.S. Last payment is due December 5. I have no idea what the price-tag is.

Money converter

I found a money converter online for Thai bhat recommended by lonelyplanet.com, check it out here.

More to come!

Our Mission Statement

As student representatives of ourselves and our community, our mission is to witness, learn and listen in order to understand the issues facing the Burmese people. We wish to stand in solidarity with the Burmese people and hope to become advocates and activists for change and to share information within our own communities. 

Buddhism

Howdy folks! Because I foolishly never saved the document with all my information on Buddhism, I will be sharing links with y'all that I think are particularly informative and helpful!

http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/index.htm
(Good for many religions, particularly check out this: http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/sects/engaged_buddhism.htm   which is particularly pertinent to modern Buddhism)

http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm

Also! I've talked to Hughes Hall Council. Mark your calendars for Thursday Dec 3 (cutting it close, I know) for a fund-raising event: self-defense seminar accepting donations!

News follow up

Follow up for the previous news! (Thanks for sending me the link!)

U.S. official visits Myanmar, Suu Kyi
"However, while U.S. officials are now sitting down with the generals, Washington has said it will maintain the sanctions until talks result in change."

Burma news (see AU SCB's blog for regular Burma updates!)

November is here! Yay for the end of midterms! Boo for the start of finals prep/ final papers! At least the good news coming out of Burma will calm our college nerves.

Myanmar Rohingyas swap suppression for squalor
The refugee dilemma

Senior U.S. officials traveling to Burma
"The last senior U.S. official to travel to Burma, also known as Myanmar, was Madeleine Albright, then U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in 1995," back when I was in kindergarten.


Karen Fear Military Offensive near Planned Dam
I was going to post "Suu Kyi Unhappy with Restrictions" but that seemed pretty obvious



Journalists, Volunteer Relief Workers Arrested in Rangoon
"Members of the independent relief group, Lin Lat Kyal, were among those arrested, allegedly for accepting relief donations from abroad."


For your personal enjoyment...

Yeah, I lied, no good news this week. But hey, I bet our problems don't look so big now!


Anne K Lynch

11/2 Updates!

Brief news:

1) Sunday, Nov 8: 5151 River Road car wash! 11AM to 3PM! Be ready for a cold shower! Get a ride at 10:15AM or later around the northside shuttle stop area.
2) GET YOU IMMUNIZATIONS, GET YOUR FORMS IN!
3) $827.50 due Thursday, Nov 5. *whimper*
4) Thursday, Nov 19= Meet Professor Heng!
5) December 5, 11AM-1PM, in Hughes= Alt Break Brunch

News Update!

From BBC, this just in! (Thanks to Christie for seeing this!

Is Burma softening its stance?

Also, AU's Student Campaign for Burma has a blog (http://auburma.blogspot.com/) which regularly has news updates-- I know, I get to do them. But obviously I can't look everywhere and see everything. So if y'all ever find anything interesting online or in a print article or wherever, let me know and I'll post it here!

Anne

Unrelated and too late, but...

If y'all are interested, this is kind of related to what we're doing here, and this group is planning to keep meeting while working towards becoming 'official.'

Interested in Buddhism? Ever wonder why AU doesn't have a student organization for Buddhists? Whether you are a religious Buddhist, a philosophical Buddhist, or just curious about Buddhism, come to Kay Lounge today, October 28, 9:15 p.m., for a short period to assess student interest and discuss what a nonsectarian Buddhist youth group would look like. Contact Anne Lynch at al3281a@student.american.edu or Christine Gettings at gettings@american.edu for more information.

Sunday fundraising

Hey everybody,

I set up a car wash with the Getty gas station at 5151 River Road on Sunday November 8th.  The manager would like us there at 11am to 3pm (or however long we want to stay in that time frame). We will need two signs, and two people to hold them by the road, and minimally 5 people to soap, wash, and dry the cars. It's best to have more people though.

Please email me if you can attend.

-Brianna

P.S. Is anyone AUTO certified to drive us there, or would people be willing to drive us in their own cars? It's less than 3 miles away.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Washington&1s=DC&1a=4400+Massachusetts+Ave+Nw&2c=Bethesda&2s=MD&2a=5151+River+Road

Minorities in Burma

I.               Overview

a.     Best estimates: 135 different minority groups in Burma

                                               i.     Caused by 2000+ years of mingling due to Burma’s position between China, India, and Thailand

                                              ii.     Burman Majority is about 2/3 of population

                                            iii.     Seven states in Burma represent minority populations, but those aren’t homogenous

II.             History

a.     1947 – Aung San negotiated for independence, convinced minority groups to join the Union of Burma

b.     1947- Panglong Agreement outlines Aung San’s comittment to minority rights, gives Shan and Karenni people right to secede 10 years after independence

c.      1947 – Aung San and his cabinet are assassinated in July

d.     1948 – Karen and Mon people, who were not part of agreement, express frustration at new government’s failure to give ethnic minorities self-determination and autonomy, take up arms against new government w/ Communist Party of Burma

e.     1962 – Coup by Burma Socialist Program Party sees death of popular movement for minority rights.  Crackdown on minorities and democracy advocates in ethnic border regions sparks cycle of conflict which continues to this day.

III.           Major Minority Groups

a.     Shan

                                               i.     3-4 million (9%), Largest group

                                              ii.     Live in state of Shan, also Kachin to the North

                                            iii.     Mostly Buddhists, speak language related to Thai and Lao

                                            iv.     The Shan State Army-South still fights w/ government, full slew of abuses (extrajudicial killing, rape, conscription) follows.

                                              v.     Many have been displaced by conflict and fled to refugee camps in Thailand

b.     Karen

                                               i.     Refers to a number of groups, totaling 7 million

                                              ii.     Live in South Burma and along border w/ Thailand in Karen State (also Kayin state) This is where Mae Sot is!

                                            iii.     Buddhists and 1/3 Christian, speak a family of languages known as Karenic

                                            iv.     Have suffered the worst from atrocities such as extrajudicial killings and human minesweeping, also discrimination based on language and access to education

c.      Mon

                                               i.     Less than 1 million (state department) 4 million (Mon leaders)

                                              ii.     Live primarily in Mon State in East

                                            iii.     Therevada Buddhists, speak Mon, but its usage has declined

                                            iv.     Has negotiated a cease-fire, however the Mon State remains highly militarized, limiting access for IDPs and the UN.  Also, occasional raids continue

d.     Kachin

                                               i.     Again, a variety of smaller groups, estimates say over 1 million

                                              ii.     Live in North in Kachin State

                                            iii.     Speak various dialects which belong to the Tibeto-Burman family, only 10% Christian

                                            iv.     Are pressured to convert to Buddhism, state remains highly militarized, human rights abuses continue, ethnic Burmans dominate government, and locals are marginalized by large mining and dam projects

e.     Rohingya and Muslims

                                               i.     Over 2 million Muslims

                                              ii.     Live mostly in Rahkine state: Those who live in north are called Rohingya, those who live in other parts called Arkanese Muslims

                                            iii.     Primarily Sunni, Rohingya Muslims speak Royhingya, whereas Arakanese speak the local language, which is a dialect of Burmese

                                            iv.     Citizenship restrictions, delayed marriage permits, need to travel passes, additionally forced labor and land confiscation

f.      Chin

                                               i.     Name encompasses 40 different ethnic groups of Burman descent.  Roughly 1.5 million.

                                              ii.     Live in Western Burma in the mountain ranges, Chin State

                                            iii.     40 different Burman dialects, 80% Christian

                                            iv.     Discriminated against for access to education, land is confiscated for tea and jatropha plantation

g.     Karenni

                                               i.     A dozen Karen-related groups (Red Karen) about 250,000

                                              ii.     Live in Kayah State (formerly Karenni State)

                                            iii.     Majority Christian, also speak Karennic family of languages

                                            iv.     Smallest and most impoverished state, militarized, people displaced for projects, also denied benefits of projects (such as the Lawpita hydro-electricity dam)

IV.            Current Situation

a.     Many groups have signed cease-fires, but a number of ethnic minority parties have refused to sign: the Karen National Union, the Shan State Army-South, the Karenni National Progressive Party, the Chin National Front, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland and various Rohingya groups

b.     Counter-insurgency operations are marked by the excessive use of force by government

c.      National convention to make new constitution started in 93 by SPDC.  National League for Democracy, headed by Aung San Suu Kyi agreed, as did many other ethnic parties.  Political activists and leaders were arrested so that by 2006, most ethnic groups and parties had withdrawn from the process.  Ended in Sept of 2007, started again in October 2007 with hand picked writers.  The National Convention is now seen as an attempt to legitimize military rule for another generation.

V.              Human Rights Abuses

a.     1996-2006 saw 1 million IDPs and 150,000 refugees, which the government denies access by relief agencies to.

b.     Civilians are relocated to militarized villages where their rights are abused.  Abuses include extra-judicial killings, human minesweeping, torture, and confiscation of minority lands.

c.      Additionally, minorities can be relocated into forced labor, which violates the International Labor Organization Convention 29 concerning Forced or Compulsory Labor, which Burma signed

d.     Sexual violence also occurs, notably in the Chin and Karen State

e.     Muslim minority in North Rakine State isn’t even recognized as an ethnic group, and is denied equal citizenship rights, unable to access medical and educational services because they are so restricted in their movement

f.      Christian minorities also face discrimination, but to a lesser extent

Lauren's Presentation: Women’s issues in Thailand

Trafficking

·      Many people in Burma believe that Thailand provides not only refuge but also economic opportunities.

o   This makes it relatively easy to traffic women across borders.

o   These women are forced into sex work.

o   Human rights watch has accused Thailand of being complicit to this practice.

§  Lack of enforcement

§  Many Thai police officers utilize the brothels

§  Brothel operators pay bribes to law enforcement, depending on number of women

·      In many cases, women are approached by traffickers who promise them jobs in Thailand and offer cash to their families.

o   After crossing the border, women are forced into sex work to “pay back” the intermediary who brought her over the border.

o   Women are subject to 12 or 14 hour work days.

o   Subject to rape, physical abuse, and illegal confinement

·      Burmese women and girls are routinely picked up by police, detained without charge, and abused before being deported back to Burma

·      Few women have had any formal education, let alone the knowledge to prevent the transfer of STDs or HIV.

o   If these infected girls try to return home, they are often rejected.

o   %50-%70 of women who return to Burma are HIV positive

o   Due to the lack of domestic human rights organizations inside Burma, little is known about girl’s lives after they return

·      Thai NGOs predict that over 20,000 Burmese women and girls are currently working in Thai brothels

o   10,000 new recruits per year

Abuse from Military Regime (“License to Rape”)

·      In 2002, women’s rights networks began issuing reports of systematic rape of women by the military as a tool of counter-insurgency

o   %25 of  rapes result in death

o   %61 were gang rapes

·      Rape is an officially sanctioned “strategy of war” in Burma\

o   316 reported incidences in 5 years

o   Hard to report numbers due to threats of death and torture

·      Women are unable to do day to day work due to threat of assault from military

Thai Exploitation

·      In addition to their complicity in the issue of human trafficking, Thailand has also been condemned by UNHCR for its detention of Burmese refugees in a “human zoo” on the border

o   “Giraffe women” are a tourist attraction (Kayan)

o   Thai government refuses to let them leave despite firm offers to resettle the women in New Zealand or Finland

Official Flight Itinerary!

Okay, so let's check out the official itinerary that's going to get us all to Thailand and back! I'm not sure what everything is per-se, but I think we can get a general idea:

AA 4456 26DEC DCA-JFK HK15 8:25P 9:40P
MU 588 27DEC JFK-PVG HK15 12:45A 5:00A 28DEC 
MU 541 28DEC PVG-BKK HK15 1:50P 5:15P 

MU 548 10JAN BKK-PVG HK15 2:00A 7:00A 
MU 587 10JAN PVG-JFK HK15 6:30P 7:45P 
AA 4461 10JAN JFK-DCA HK15 10:35P 11:55p

So we leave DC on the evening of December 26 and return at basically midnight January 10, the night before classes. 

Thomas's Notes: Children of Burma

·      In Burma the Tatmadaw (Army) exercises absolute power of life and death over every civilian, including children.

·       Soldiers act with complete impunity, particularly in rural areas, and are not answerable to any laws which exist on paper in Rangoon.

·       Children are often shot on sight in free-fire zones, tortured or executed as "suspected rebels", used for forced labour, forcibly conscripted into the Army and otherwise subject to direct abuse.

·       They also suffer from the destruction of the village environment and the economy under SLORC policies, which are leading to widespread malnutrition and the death of children, the lack of educational opportunities, and other factors which rob them of a childhood.

Forced Labour

·       The most prevalent form of human rights abuse in Burma is forced labor.

·       There are several forms of forced labor that children participate in.

·       Military Labor, which involves standing sentry, building and maintaining Army camps, and going out as human mine-sweepers)

·       There’s also infrastructure labor, which entails building and maintaining supply roads, rail ways, hydro-dams, etcetera

·       There’s also forced labor growing cash crops and logging for the military]

·       Usually as soon as a child is old enough to carry a basket, he or she optimal for labor.

·       The youngest children, usually aged between 8 to 10, are taken for road and railway building.

·       12 year old boys and 14 year old girls are taken for heavy portering duties.

·       Conditions for porters are especially brutal; they’re forced to march over mountains with heavy loads and are given only a handfuls of rice per day or else they’re forced to bring their own food

·       Many kids are beaten for going too slow and left to die if they get sick or weak.

·       The smaller children are generally given light loads but they’re often placed at the front of the military column to serve as human minesweepers and shields

·       Many children die after they get back home, after contracting diseases or just from sheer exhaustion

·       SLORC battalions generally prefer male porters, but they also deliberately demand or capture women porters in order to rape them at night

·       SLORC soldiers generally select unmarried girls under the age 18

·       Many of these girls turn out to be pregnant upon returning home and attempt to abort using primitive methods, and sometimes die in the process

·       Girls go through this trouble because they fear that if the village finds out that a girl has been raped, no one will want to marry her

Forced Conscription

·       Before 1988, the Tatmadaw (Army) was mainly a volunteer force; however, since then, SLORC has pushed to increase its military force and does so through conscription (draft, enrollment) and coercion

·       Most townships are assigned a quota of one or two new recruits every month

·       Usually, boys from 14 to 16 are drawn in village lotteries, and they have no choice but to go

·       Families are often coerced into cooperating after being told that they will be free of forced labor duties if they give the Army their son

·       Officers and NCO’s are also offered cash awards of 500 Kyats for any recruits that they bring in

·       The funny thing is young boys are oftentimes willing to join the army; they’re offered a chance at adventure, a snappy uniform, a gun, and a high-sounding salary of 750 kyats a month.

·       Boys also think that this is the only legitimate way of supporting their families instead of simply being a burden to them.

·       Any orphans or unclaimed children are automatically taken in by the Army

·       Once you’re in the Army, there’s essentially no more contact with your family back home.

·       In the end, the family usually still has to provide forced labor; most of the boy’s pay is either stolen by his officers every month or used to buy his own uniforms, rations, or medication

·       The boys are ordered to round up civilians for forced labor, and threatened with a beating and other punishments if they don’t bring back a specific number of laborers.

·       In battle situations, boy soldiers are often forced to drink alcohol and take drugs, which makes them mindless, sleepless, and aggressive

·       They’re never given leave, no matter what the reason; and when their enlistment time is up after 5 years, the boy is generally told that he can’t leave, so he gets automatically re-enlisted

Education

·       Children can’t afford to school because they’re needed at home to help with the family

·       In SLORC schools, all teachings must be in Burmese and follows a strict SLORC curriculum

·       Teachers, parents, and children have to sign forms promising to not do or say anything against the State or otherwise be subject to arrest

Breakdown of the Village

·       Children in Burma are suffering severely and often dying because of the disintegration of social structures such as the family and the village

·       With SLORC soldiers constantly raiding villages and driving the people out, children are oftentimes malnourished and sick from commonly treatable diseases while they’re on the run; adults and children are usually shot upon sight.

·       Small children in urban areas are sent by their families to go out into the streets and beg

·       Many families in rural areas often hand over their children in return for a 5,000 kyat down-payment with the promise of their child having a good job later down the road in Thailand or elsewhere.

·       However, these kids usually end up being sold into bonded labor, such as Thai brothels or factory sweatshops.