Local Organizations at Thai-Burma Border

Jodi Lipson, Thai-Burma Border, Winter 07-08

Here are some of the organizations we will be meeting with.

1. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (www.aappb.org) assists families of political prisoners to visit their loved ones, supports prisoners by providing necessities such as food and medicine, monitors conditions in prisons, publicizes arrests, conditions and life stories of imprisoned political activists and artists, and advocates for change.

2. The Burma Lawyers Council (www.blc-burma.org), established by lawyers, actively oppose the military dictatorship. It
Promotes and assists in the educating, implementation, restoring, and improving basic human rights, democratic rights, and the rule of law in Burma;
Assists in the drafting and implementing a constitution for Burma, and in associated matters of legal education.

3. The Cynthia Maung and Mae Tao Clinic (www.maetaoclinic.org) provides free health care for refugees, migrant workers, and other individuals who cross the border from Burma to Thailand. People of all ethnicities and religions are welcome at the Clinic.

4. The Democratic Party for a New Society (www.dpns.org) was formed in October 1988 to continue Burma's unfinished democratic struggle, which was suppressed by the brutal military regime. The DPNS, with a large support base amongst the youth, including students, has played a vital role in 1990s. countrywide. The DPNS was the second largest party next to the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, though it allies with the NLD, and is closely working for its political campaigns.

5. The Democratic Voice of Burma (http://www.dvb.no) is a nonprofit Burmese media organization committed to responsible journalism.

6. Earthrights International (http://www.earthrights.org) combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment. They specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, and training for grassroots and community leaders and advocacy campaigns.

7. Empower (www.empowerfoundation.org) is a grassroots organization which offers support, assistance, and access to education for women workers in the entertainment industry.

8. Free Burma Rangers (http://www.freeburmarangers.org) is a multiethnic, multi-faith humanitarian service movement aimed at bringing help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. In addition to relief and reporting, other results of the teams' actions are the development of leadership capacity, civil society and the strengthening of inter-ethnic unity. Over 90 multi-ethnic teams have been trained with 20 full time teams active in the Karen, Karenni, Shan, Lahu and Arakan areas of Burma.

9. Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (www.hreib.com/eindex.html) aims to empower people through human rights education to engage in social transformation and promote a culture of human rights for all.

10. The Irrawaddy Newspaper (www.irrawaddy.org). Its parent, the Irrawaddy Publishing Group, was established in 1992 by Burmese citizens living in exile and is not affiliated with any political party or organization. The Irrawaddy seeks to promote press freedom and access to unbiased information.

11. The Karen Women’s Organization (www.karenwomen.org), formed in 1949 and with a membership of more than 30,000 women, is a community-based organisation of Karen women working in development and relief in the refugee camps on the Thai border and with IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and women inside Burma.

12. The Moe Swe and Yaung Chi Oo Workers Union (http://yaungchioo.org) (YCOWA) was founded in 1999 by Burmese student activists and migrant workers, with the goal of improving working and living conditions for the Burmese migrant laborers in the Mae Sot area of Thailand. Since then, it has mainly focused on in the field of protecting worker rights, providing rights education, supporting for health care and facilitating social activities.

13. The Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) (www.shanwomen.org) is a founding member of the Women's League of Burma, an umbrella women's organization of 11 women's groups from Burma. It aims to promote women's and children's rights, oppose exploitation of and violence against women and children; and work for peace and freedom.

14. The SHWE Gas Project (www.shwe.org) is concerned with a natural gas pipeline project presently unfolding in Western Burma. In cooperation with Burma's military junta, a consortium of Indian and Korean corporations are currently exploring gas fields off the coast of Arakan State in Western Burma. These Shwe fields are destined to become the Burmese military government's largest single source of foreign income.