Cyclone Nargis hits People of Myanmar
This past weekend a catastrophic cyclone hit Myanmar and, as of the time I write this, took 22,000 lives and 41,000 are still missing. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962 and is usually in the news regarding human rights violations. In September 2007 hundreds of monks got organized in anti-government protests but nothing fundamentally changed, other than increasing the outside world’s awareness of the oppression taking place in South East Asia’s largest country. This time it’s Mother Nature that has taken the world’s eyes to this part of Asia.
I visited Myanmar in 2004 and was touched by the warmth of its people. How can people living in an oppressive military state be so happy and have such warmth towards outsiders? While there we visited the stunning palace in Rangoon, bicycled through the mystic ruins of Bagan, saw the sun set over the spectacular U-Bein bridge, meandered in a boat through Inle Lake and its nearby towns, met a buddhist monk in the mountains near Heho, among other adventures. Everywhere we went, my husband and I were met with big smiles and, inevitably, by the time we parted from a new acquaintance we had been handed a token gift. In spite of the bad reputation this country has, I never felt threatened while traveling there.
Now in desperate need of emergency relief, the military government is not fully opening the doors to external aid. You can help by contacting the relief organizations listed here.
PerryWinkles Kids
