April 2005 Archives

I like this quote from Irrawaddy The guy is talking about his new year wish. I can share his pains

A trader in Rangoon Bayintnaung Market

May we be free as soon as possible from the pains and sorrows of being interrogated at night for guest-lists.

Water Festival (Myanmar New Year) is coming up. Laos, Thailand and Cambodia also have the same water festival. At DDD, they are having some kind of religious ceremony to have good luck for the next year. Monks are chanting and the staff dripping water for sharing their merits.

Monks chanting

The staff dripping water to share merits

Fightings in Burma

I read the news today that there were fightings between Burmese Army and the Karens in Kya Inn Seik Kyi area. That's where I went on mission trip in December, 2003.I wonder when Burma will be peaceful. Last night, I finished watching Hotel Rwanda

Here is an excerpt about the movie from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/plotsummary

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Burmese workers strike in Rangoon

http://english.dvb.no/news.html?id=4475

This news talked about Burmese workers strike in Rangoon for increase in salary from a Chinese boss. The clothing factories in Burma ask employees to work very long shifts and pay only kyats 20,000 to 30,000 a month. It's about US $ 20.

I donated $1,000 to Digital Divide Data as part of my contract today. For the first time in my life, this is a huge donation for social mission. :-)

On March 29, we went to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. I was surprised to learn that my boss couldn't get into the office. She was told that she couldn't because she was wearing pants. She was supposed to wear traditional skirts.

Burma

I have been thinking a lot lately. If we have another Internet Service Provider (better than BaganNet, of course) or if BaganNet gives us the real Internet service (with ssh, ftp and no blocking), then I will dedicate my best efforts to make computer science program at BARS (MIT) the best CS program in Asia. Right now, I am really not happy with the Internet Service in Burma. Even here in Lao, the Internet is the real one (no blocking and ssh, telnet, ftp ports are open). The only problem is cost. The dialup service costs $120 a month. It's shockingly expensive. But at least, it's the real thing.

In Burma, dialup costs $28 a month. So it's a reasonalbe price. Why are they so afraid to give the real Internet to Burmese people? It doesn't make sense. Security is of course a problem but we have to go through that stage anyways. So why not now?

10 years from now, we will look back these security experiences and we will laugh at these. Even now, the kids are going to banned sites through proxy services.

I am repeating my cliche: Burma needs a change and it's now or we will live in stone age in the future.