Sign a petition for Burma

I did this today and sent it off as well to friends.

Sometimes I feel so helpless in the face of atrocities that are so far away. Start by signing a petition. Maybe read a little and contact your member of congress or write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Just raising awareness of other people is a HUGE step.

It only takes a moment to do, and while it doesn’t feel like much, pass on the word to family and friends so that we can all make a difference.

Click here, or here, to sign the petition.

Oh, God, people, we all have a responsibility to do something about this….please sign this very important petition...

If you haven’t seen the avaaz.org petition, take a look and sign it. They’re going to deliver it to the Chinese, who are heavily invested in Myanmar and have quite a bit of sway over the military junta.

This is one small way that I can in my safe comfortable world add my voice. I hope to find other ways too.
Below is a message posted on the website.

ATTENTION* Subject: Letter from a friend living in Burma We just got phone call with our sister living in Yangon about a few hours ago. We saw on BBC world, saying that 200 monks were arrested. The true picture is far worse!!!!!!!!! For one instance, the monastery at an obscure neighborhood of Yangon, called Ngwe Kyar Yan (on Wei-za-yan-tar Road, Yangon) had been raided early this morning. A troop of lone-tein (riot police comprised of paid thugs) protected by the military trucks, raided the monastery with 200 studying monks. They systematically ordered all the monks to line up and banged and crushed each one’s head against the brick wall of the monastery. One by one, the peaceful, non resisting monks, fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Then, they tore off the red robes and threw them all in the military trucks (like rice bags) and took the bodies away. The head monk of the monastery, was tied up in the middle of the monastery, tortured , bludgeoned, and later died the same day, today. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside the monastery, warded off by troops with bayoneted rifles, unable to help their helpless monks being slaughtered inside the monastery. Their every try to forge ahead was met with the bayonets. When all is done, only 10 out of 200 remained alive, hiding in the monastery. Blood stained everywhere on the walls and floors of the monastery. Please tell your audience of the full extent of the fate of the monks please please !!!!!!!!!!!! ‘Arrested’ is not enough expression. They have been bludgeoned to death !!!!!! Hong Kong
Anonymous, United Kingdom

Some photos after this visit from the authorities.

“Sunday, September 30, 2007
Ngwe Kyar Yan Abbot Replaced

Myo Thant: After the brutal attack at Ngwe Kyar Yan Buddhist Monastery by the dictator’s troops 3 days ago, the Abbot (chief monk) has now passed away.

Now it has been urgently repaired, and even the Abbot (chief monk) position is replaced with an unknown monk, by the government authorities.”

Also the regularly updated page on the BBC news website

A Buddhism student, who experienced first-hand the events of the last two weeks at a Buddhist monastery in Burma, describes the recent unrest. Link to BBC