Exiled Burmese Monk Lambastes Junta

Viji Sundaram's interview with U Pannya Vamsa during his recent Bay Area visit.



Editor's Note: Chairman of the International Burmese Monks Organization - 81-year-old U Pannya Vamsa - speaks to New America Media about the way Burmese monks are organizing to give aid to cyclone victims in Burma. Viji Sundaram is an editor for New America Media.

The world community has been watching in shock and amazement as Burma’s military government continues to watch the victims of Cyclone Nargis starve while relief just waits offshore. The May 2 cyclone left some 133,000 dead or missing and 2.4 million survivors. Latest reports from the United Nations indicate that about 60 percent of the survivors have still not received any food, water or shelter. Read more»

Compassion With Fashion - Event Photos

The Compassion With Fashion fund-raising event was held on Saturday, June 7.

View photos by Ko Ko Lay»

RebuildBurma Fund-Raiser Success

The June 6 fund-raiser was well attended and about $1500 was raised for cyclone relief efforts.

View photos by Kenneth Wong»

Venerable U Pannya Vamsa Vists San Francisco

Venerable U Pannya Vamsa visited the San Francisco Bay Area on May 31 and June 1 along with Ashin Nayaka.

The visit was covered in an article by Christine Morente in the San Mateo County Times.
Read the article online»

View Ko Ko Lay's Photos

Compassion with Fashion: A Benefit for Burma

Art and Creativity Power Compassionate Acts of Kindness

• Date: Saturday, June 7, 2008
• Time: 6:30pm to 10:00pm
• Location: San Rafael Community Center
  628 B Street
  San Rafael, CA 94901
• Admission price: $5.00 (entry only)
• Admission with appetizers: $15.00

A Kid-to-Kid Production
Students at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, feeling great empathy towards the Burmese children, quickly mobilized to create a fashion show and silent auction to raise money to help in the relief efforts.

More info: compassionwithfashion.org

Burma News and Analysis on Flashpoints [KPFA FM]

Recent coverage on Flashpoints, hosted by Dennis Bernstein, includes the following two radio shows.

Flashpoints, May 28 listen»
Guest: Kenneth Wong

Flashpoints June 2 listen»
Guests: Kenneth Wong, Ko Ko Lay

Flashpoints airs each weekday from 5:00-6:00pm on KPFA FM in Berkeley (and online). Tune in Tuesday, June 3, as Dennis will have guests calling in with first hand reports from inside Burma.

kpfa.org

Women's Day / Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday

Burmese American Women's Alliance (BAWA) Presents

A Celebration of
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday &
Burma's Women's Day

DATE: Saturday, June 14, 2008
TIME: 5 PM to 8 PM
LOCATION:
Los Cerritos Community Center
3377 Alder Ave, Fremont, CA
View Map»

Aung San Suu Kyi is a national hero in the fight for a free Burma and a symbol of hope in the downtrodden country. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights" and became an international symbol of peaceful resistance and courage in the face of hardship and oppression. In 1990, she was put under house arrest by the government and remains there to this day.

The event will include...
►BURMESE MUSICAL ICON DAW MAR MAR AYE’S SPEECH AND PERFORMANCES
►PRAYERS BY PRIESTS AND MONKS FROM MULTIPLE RELIGIONS
►A SHORT FILM ABOUT BURMA & DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI
►BURMESE FOOD WILL BE SERVED.

For more info, please visit:
bawalliance.org

Rebuild BURMA - Fund Raiser at Space Gallery

Cocktails - Silent Auction
Burmese Appetizers - Burmese Dance Performance

Space Gallery
1141 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA

Friday Jun 6, 2008
7 PM to Midnight

On June 6, we plan to tell the story of the Burmese cyclone victims’ plight with an intimate photo exhibit, as well as a silent auction of gorgeous Burmese photos for the benefit of the disaster survivors.

View Flyer [PDF]