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Civi society for Burma!
- Subject: Civi society for Burma!
- From: hag2@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 08:35:00
Dear Friends,
Civil Society of Burma was successfully fromed on December 1997 with
fromer ABSDF members and Burmese who want to see the establishment of
democratic government in Burma. Our web site is up. The address is:
http://www.csburma.org/
Solidarity
CSB
<bold>CIVIL SOCIETY FOR BURMA
</bold>
President Htun Aung Gyaw
General Secretary Soe Nyunt
Treasurer Kyaw Zin
General Auditor Ei Ei May
Organizing Committee Secretary Nay Hlaing Oo
<bold>Board Members:</bold> Victor Aw (Chairperson, New York
Chapter)
Khin Maw (Chairperson, California Chapter)
Maung Maung Soe (Chairperson, Indiana Chapter)
Ye Tun (Chairperson, North Carolina Chapter)
Advisory Board
Dr. John Badgley (Burmese Expert, retired Curator, Cornell
University)
Dr. Josef Silverstein (Burmese Expert, retired Professor, Rutgers
University)
Dr. Tun Kyaw Nyein (Professor, North Carolina Central University)
<bold>CONTACTS</bold>
Htun Aung Gyaw 426, Winthrop Drive, Apt.6, Ithaca, N.Y 14850
Tel/Fax: (607) 266-8942, E-Mail: hag2@xxxxxxxxxxx
Victor Aw 2265 East 18th St., Brooklyn, New York, N.Y 11229
Tel/Fax: (718) 615-1812, E-Mail: uainwann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<bold>INTRODUCTION
</bold>
Civil Society is that realm of organized social life that is voluntary,
self generating,
(largely) self supporting, autonomous from the state and bound by a legal
order or a set of
shared rules. In this context, citizens act collectively in a public
sphere to express their
interests, passions, and ideas, exchange information, achieve mutual
goals, make demands
on the state and hold state offices.
Civil Society protects the rights of the various social, political,
and economical
organizations under democratic regimes and helps to promote and encourage
the
formation of democratic institutions under authoritarian regimes. There
is abundant
evidence in history and contemporary societies to support our belief that
Civil Society and
the vigorous associational skills it fosters are the bedrock of
democracy.
Civil Society in the western sense has no equivalent in the Burmese
lexicon. Yet
there was free and voluntary associational life in Burma both during the
colonial period
and again during the brief democratic interlude, albeit centered around
religion and
politics. Unfortunately, four decades of authoritarian rule has wiped out
all vestiges of
Civil Society as it existed in the Burmese society. Regimentation and
the pervasive use
of a state-sponsored network of spies and informers undermined the trust
and bonds of
social fabric.
It is our belief that promotion of the concept of Civil Society and
development of
associational skills among the citizenry is a sine qua non to successful
democratization in
Burma.
<bold>MISSION STATEMENT
</bold> CSB seeks to foster and promote the understanding of the concept
of Civil Society
and facilitate the enhancement of associational skills among overseas and
inland Burmese
communities.
<bold>CONCEPT TOWARDS OTHER BURMESE ORGANIZATIONS
</bold> CSB will help all Burmese pro-democracy groups in any way
possible. Among
the different pro-democracy groups, CSB will attempt to foster mutual
understanding
and unity. This will be accomplished by exploring common ground for
cooperation and
promoting family spirit and loving kindness for the foundation of a
stable society.
<bold>SUMMARY
</bold>
To establish a Burmese Refugee Center in New York City and a joint office
in Bangkok,
Thailand for providing educational and orientational services to Burmese
refugees waiting
for departure to host countries. To assists those Burmese refugees whose
applications for
resettlement in third countries have been rejected.
To campaign for the Student Union in Burma and assist student activists,
political
prisoners and their families whose health conditions are deteriorating
and need
medical assistance.
To establish a publication system for informing the Burmese communities
inside and
outside Burma about Burma's present situation and engage them in the
political,
economical and social matters of Burma.
<bold>BACKGROUND
</bold>
Condemned by the United Nations and other international bodies as one of
the most repressive
regimes in the world, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has
intensified its assault
on democracy activists and ethnic minorities. Offensives by the Burmese
military against ethnic
Karenni, Karen, and Shan have resulted in an increased flow of refugees
into neighboring countries.
New refugees arriving into both Thailand and Bangladesh prompted Refugee
International missions to
these countries in 1996. Based on information received December 30th
1997, thousands of refugees
living in the seven border districts of the northern province are to be
moved to four major camps
deeper inside Thailand for security reasons. Mae Hong Son governor
Phakdi Chomphuming said on
December 29th 1997 that the province had recently been given 1.5 million
baht from the Defence
Ministry to evacuate some 30,000 refugees from areas prone to attacks.
The evacuation follows a
series of attacks by members of the renegade Democratic Karen Buddhist
Army (DKBA) and illegal
logging activities in Salween Wildlife Sanctuary. The province has
sought help from the Third Army
Region to deploy extra troops along the border to ensure the safety of
the people living there. United
Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also designated a new
category of Burmese
refugees the "Border Case", which involves placing refugees in unsafe
border areas instead of the
UNHCR recognized Burmese student safe camp. Most CSB members have
personal experience as
refugees, and they are willing to help the Burmese refugees and willing
to solve the problems
between Burmese and Thai communities.
Concerning the student refugees under the military regime's socialist
educational system, students
did not get an internationally competitive education even though they
were university graduates.
Because they did not get a proper education they did not become
qualified for a profession. As a
result, when they left Burma for foreign countries, they were only able
to get "under the table" jobs.
Worse than this, many of the refugee students who had fled to the jungle
never finished their formal
education. Because Burma was an isolated system for many years, it is
difficult for the young
people to deal with foreigners. When students arrive in the USA they
need help with orientation,
language training, professional skill training, moral support and at the
very least a warm welcome by
having someone who listens to them.
Moreover, the overseas Burmese people living in the USA face their own
problems owing to many
factors such as cultural diversity, lack of language proficiency and
lack of information. CSB gives
community assistance in various ways such as residence application,
educational assistance,
employment counseling, and social problem solving. CSB will assist
overseas Burmese to integrate
into the countries granting their residency.
The Open Society Institute (OSI) has awarded some scholarships, but most
students and activists
from the border do not fulfill the requirements of the OSI. Many OSI
scholarships have been awarded
to educated people who left Burma for the USA holding Burmese passports,
so OSI is only of
marginal value for refugee students and activists. CSB believes that it
is necessary to give
scholarships to every Burmese citizen except to those who openly endorse
the military rule. CSB
will assist OSI in identifying those students wanting higher education
and in facilitating the grant
application process, because most students have little experience in
this area. CSB members have
more expertise in these areas, we want to contribute our service to
activists in the US and in the
border areas.
<bold>PROJECT OBJECTIVES
</bold> To promote the emergence of strong Civil Society inside Burma
To establish a Burmese Refugee Center in the USA and a joint office in
Thailand to assist Burmese
refugees for departure to host countries.
To solve the problems between Burmese and Thai communities.
To find and assist those students who could qualify for OSI
scholarships.
To establish the structure for solving the social problems of refugees
who have resettled in host
countries.
To encourage the foreign and domestic NGOs to work inside Burma.
<bold>ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
</bold>
CSB is headed U Htun Aung Gyaw (President). He holds a Master of Arts
degree in Asian Studies
from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Rangoon
Arts and Science
University, Burma. He was a prominent student leader in 1974-75. Also
Htun was a political prisoner
from 1975-80, and former Chairman and a founder of All Burma Students'
Democratic Front
(ABSDF). He has many followers in Burma and in the USA. Assisting Htun is
U Soe Nyunt, in
running CSB. He was a student leader and a Vice Chairman of the 1974 U
Thant uprising. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from Rangoon Institute
of Economics. He was elected as the Chairman of
ABSDF Wankha camp. He also served as the Chairman of Student Safe camp in
Ratchburi province
in Thailand. Additionally, former ABSDF members and activists work as
volunteers for CSB
activities.
<bold>"Under military rule, Civil Society has diminished in
Burma. I strongly believe that a Civil Society is crucial not only for
achieving democracy in Burma but also to maintain it."
</bold>
- Htun Aung Gyaw