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A Conference about Human Rights Crisis in Burma
- Details
- Parent Category: Expos and Conventions
- Category: Previews
- Published on Friday, 27 August 2010 05:00
- Written by Brad Balfour
On Saturday, October 16th and Sunday, October 17th, 2010, Free Burma Alliance, Network 355 and Amnesty International will hold a two-day conference to raise awareness about the human rights crisis in Burma (Myanmar), as well as funds for Burmese children with cardiac disease.
There is an urgent need to raise awareness about humanitarian crisis in Eastern Burma, where over 3,500 villages had been burnt and over 3.5 million people displaced. Provisions for health care are inadequate: 80 per cent of Burmese citizens live in malaria risk areas, thousands go without treatment for conditions such as tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS, and countless children have minimal access to treatment as marginalized refugees.
The event will start with a fundraiser on October 16th to raise money for crucial cardiac surgeries for four Burmese children cared for by the Burma Children Medical Fund. The cost of each surgery is $5,000. If left untreated, the children – Shin Aw Ba Tha, Hell May Say, Surin, and Thant Zin Win – face death or serious handicaps..
The fundraising dinner, featuring Burmese performers and a silent auction, will take place from 7-10 pm at the famed Friar’s Club, 57 East 55th Street in New York City (www.friarsclub.com). Guests will include notable celebrities, politicians, and philanthropists.
On day two, Sunday, October 17th, the Free Burma Alliance/Amnesty International Inaugural Conference takes place. It aims to establish a community that will share knowledge and collectively develop and implement strategies for expanded public awareness, advocacy and activism in relation to Burma. The conference will take place at the Liederkranz Foundation, 6 East 87th Street, from 12-5 pm, followed by a cocktail reception.
The agenda includes three films – Meh Sha by Hezekiah Lewis, This is My Witness by Nobel Women's Initiative and the Women's League of Burma, and Burma: An Indictment by Jeremy Taylor – as well as three panel discussions.
Scheduled panelists Thomas Van Dyke (Heroes Serving Humanity), Mac McClelland (author of For Us Surrender is Out of the Question), Roland Watson (Dictator Watch), Myint Soe (NLD-LA Secretary) and Nay Tin Myint (political prisoner for 15 years) will discuss strategies for expanded advocacy and activism concerning this on-going crisis.
Free Burma Alliance is a coalition of human rights and humanitarian relief organizations dedicated to raising awareness about humanitarian crisis in Burma and providing support to the ill-treated and oppressed women and children of Burma.
Network 355 is a NYC based network of socially responsible professional women who volunteer their expertise to raise awareness about humanitarian and cultural causes.
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all.
Tickets ranging from $20 to $250 are available at: burmaevent.eventbrite.com For more info go to:
