Announctment: Burma Panel & Slidesh

[tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Announctment: Burma Panel & Slideshow, July 12 p.m. in San Francisco


Newsgroups: soc.culture.burma
Subject: Burma Panel & Slideshow, July 12 p.m. in San Francisco
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 1995 17:36:41 -0800
Organization: SRI International

Slide show and panel discussion about Burma:

In the face of continued detention of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi, and other serious concerns about human rights in Burma, Amnesty
International will be cooperating with other non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to present an educational program in San Francisco next month.

On the evening of July 12, at the San Francisco Unitarian Universalist
Church, there will be a panel discussion and slide show, intended to raise
public awareness of the situation in Burma, and to assist and motivate Bay
Area human rights activists in their work on behalf of human rights in that
country.

Amnesty International USAUs Burma Coordination Group leader Jeff Falt will
be joined by Alan Senauke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and Karen
Parker, a human rights advocate with standing as an NGO representative to
the United Nations. Alan Senauke will present a slide show with photographs
from his recent journey to the Thailand-Burma border area. Karen Parker
will discuss the international response to BurmaUs human rights crisis.
Audience Q&A will be encouraged.

This wheelchair-accessible event will take place Wed., July 12, 7:30 pm, at
1187 Franklin st., near Starr King and Geary streets. Come at 7:00 pm to
socialize!

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Note to soc.culture.burma readers, bay area residents and visitors:

Please spread the word.

If you're open to volunteering to publicize this, I could use some help. In
particular, if someone with an artistic sense is willing to make 8 1/2 x 11
inch flyer for putting up on bulletin boards, etc., I'd be most grateful.

I'm still open to including other speakers that I haven't identified yet.
If there is someone available to deal with the connection between
environmental and human rights issues, drop me a note. If there is someone
who can cover the topic of the erosion of women's traditional options in
junta-controlled Burma, I'd be very supportive of that. And if there's
someone who really knows the scoop on HIV and AIDS in Burma, that's another
area that I feel would be of interest to the audience.

I need a *bright* slide projector on the night of the 12th, e.g., one with
a Xenon arc bulb. Twilight coming through the skylights sounds romantic,
but my mission is to make sure the slides look good. Before I go and rent
the Xenon, I'll be asking around about borrowing one. Any leads?

Finally, yes, you heard that right, Amnesty is cooperating with other NGOs.
Impossible as that may seem. This is an educational event, and Amnesty does
have the Mandate to cooperate this way with other groups. However, I am
asking people with literature advocating boycotts and divestments, not to
distribute their literature in the hall. I have no problem with
distributing such literature outside the building, however. The discussion
in the hall will cover honestly the broad spectrum of what types of
activism might be effective in the struggle to restore human rights in
Burma. I also think it will be fair to make announcements about other
groups' activities in San Francisco planned for the 19th of July, etc. But
be prepared to hear the Amnesty disclaimer several times on the night of
the 12th: "Amnesty International takes no position on boycotts or
divestitures that pertain to Burma or any other nation."

-MG