Three Burmese women who went to work legally in Malaysia two years ago are being detained pending deportation after they lodged a complaint with police about sexual harassment and mistreatment in the workplace.

But on June 11, they filed a complaint with their local Brickfields police station that their kitchen supervisor had harassed and threatened them after they refused his sexual advances.

Police detained the women's supervisor on June 14, following the complaint. Local rights groups said they also found the electrical device which they alleged he used to threaten them. But then, the tables were turned once more, campaigners said.

"On the 17th, they revoked their work permits, and the immigration department arrested the women," he said.

Florida Sandanasamy, program coordinator for rights group Tenaganita, called on the government to justify sending the women for deportation.

"This is not against any of the immigration laws. However, not only did the immigration arrest them, they also put them in the immigration prison and are now even arranging for their deportation," Sandanasamy said.

This is taken from this article from Radio Free Asia:

Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia live at the mercy of international human-trafficking gangs who sell them back and forth as slave labor with the full knowledge of Malaysian and Thai immigration officials, according to a series of investigative reports by RFA's Burmese service.

Thousands of Burmese find themselves stuck in a human rights no-man's-land after losing their legal status, often because employers withhold passports or refuse to pay their return airfare.

Reports of mistreatment and substandard living conditions within Malaysia's little-known immigration prisons are rife, as undocumented migrants are detained for indefinite periods.

Conditions in the detention centers have sparked protests, complaints to Malaysia's human rights body, riots and breakouts. Immigration officers often stage raids on suspected illegal immigrants using volunteer security forces who have wide-ranging powers, the right to bear arms, and little professional training.

More drawing from the survivors of the cyclone can be seen at www.gitameit.com.

More images from the relief efforts for the Cyclone Nargis victims can be seen here:

Beyond Rangoon Project

This is 53 minutes of unbelievable video footage taken and edited together by Burmese citizens. The first 6 and a half minutes was filmed during Cyclone Nargis, and the rest was filmed in the days following the cyclone. The final 10 minutes are extremely upsetting, so be warned.

FOLLOW UP OF Bogalay Donation trip from May 24 to May 25 (2 days/2 nights)

Dear friends,
after our first trip to some villages on Sunday, May 18, we got so much feed back that we could and will further continue to supply the people in need. WITHOUT YOU many would have been starving to death. We were told from all the villagers to tell everybody so many thanks and how grateful they were.  (Aid Group) was not stopped by a road block, but were advised not to stop on the road to feed the people - hundreds just sitting under their umbrellas and waiting for help. Many people threw food out of the cars and this can cause accidents as the people just run and try to catch what they can. The drivers have to be very careful when they drive in order not to kill the survivors.  The traveling time to Bogalay Town took 7 1/2 hrs where the (Aid Group) staff slept in a simple guesthouse.

Early Sunday morning they continued their trip with 70 packs of rice/some oil, water, peas and potatoes, oranges, candles and lighters, chili and garlic and soap and clothing.

Village 1 HTEIN CHAUNG VILLAGE (former population 500 - now 150)
it is a 2:30 hrs boat ride -

Village 2 - NGET CHAUNG VILLAGE (former population 500 - now 121)
another 45 minutes by by boat. THE REMAINING POPULATION OF THIS VILLAGE WAS ABOUT TO DIE OF STARVATION - FIRST TIME HELP AFTER 23 DAYS

Village 3 - BON CHAUNG VILLAGE (former population 700 - now 115)
another 1:30 minutes by boat

Village 4 - PA DE CAW VILLAGE (former population of 1000 - now 146)
another 1:30 minutes

Village 5 - MAE DAW SU VILLAGE (former population 2000 - now 452)
another 1:15 minutes

All the 5 villages got food supply for appr. 13 days.

Village 01, 03, 04 villages were lucky as we were a second time donor.

Whereas village 2 got the first time help after the cyclone hit this area. They were running out of their daily tiny food portion and had only a small amount left for two more days.

Village 3 and 5 had almost nothing left, only the remaining food from the monk who could not even give it to all of the people. The boat ride along the river was dreadful - the boatman was very careful as they didn't want to get caught by crocodiles. We were told that many people also died of snake bites. The people desperately try to clean up the mess but they said the bodies are still floating from all over and then get stuck again somewhere near their village. Life is as good as unbearable there. We were further told that some people from refugee camps are being sent home, a home which does not exist.

The blue loudspeaker at village 3 was just being installed when (Aid Group) arrived. Not the WELCOME for (Aid Group) arrival, but the request for finalizing the referendum. The officials came with one blue loudspeaker and one poll box. When my staff arrived with all the food nobody wanted to come and greet them because they thought it was again official, and they didn't know what else to expect. When they realized it was all private they were so happy and many cried. While the officials were still fixing the blue loudspeaker on the frame of the roof. There was no communication between the soldiers and the villagers. The remaining population of village 3 believed after 3 weeks that they were starving to death.

Some of the villages got some food from the soldiers (not village 3 though) but they were treated like prisoners, they were shouted as if it was their mistake what happened. The official helpers seemed to be annoyed to find themselve in such a disaster. There were many stories to tell and everyone was so relieved to see they were not forgotten.

They also got the message that the UN got green light for finally getting in foreign staff to support the survivors in the delta area. The monks are at the moment the news carrier. We were given more village names to support (the ones which have had no help since the cyclone) In 2 days another load will be going there with the aid of a private group.

(Aid Group) will leave coming Friday night again and come back early Monday morning.

They arrived today at 5 am in Yangon.

Thank you very much again for all your support and that you did not forget the people in Myanmar.

Your love and support and encouragement keep us going.

On Saturday, May 31st, the Burma Action Committee will be having a  
benefit at the Monkey and the Rat in Old Town/Chinatown for the  
victims of cyclone Nargis in Burma.  There will be donated art for  
sale throughout the day, with a Burmese dance performance, speakers,  
and food and drinks from 5 - 7pm. A portion of store sales will also  
be donated to the the relief fund.

Millions in Burma are currently displaced and at risk of hunger and  
disease, and the death toll from the cyclone may be over 100,000.  The  
destruction wrought by the storm has been compounded by the Burmese  
junta's efforts to prevent an international aid effort - blocking  
visas and shipments, and diverting incoming relief supplies to the  
military.  Some local non-profits that were already working in the  
affected areas were able to immediately mobilize relief efforts and  
have been operating "under the radar".  Burmese staff have been able  
to coordinate emergency shelter, food, clean water, and other supplies  
that have been purchased locally, despite the junta's best efforts.

Green Empowerment has set up a special fund to collect donations.  
Funds will be going to Thirst-Aid, which works on clean water projects  
in Burma, and the grassroots Burmese groups mentioned above (names  
aren't being mentioned for their security - but I can provide more  
info on request).

If you aren't in Portland, or wish to make a donation before May 31st,  
you can do so online through Green Empowerment: www.greenempowerment.org

After entering your donation amount on the online donation page,  
select "Myanmar Cyclone Relief" where it says "How Should We Use Your  
Donation?".

The groups you'll be supporting are providing relief to an estimated  
70,000 people, and are using 100% of the donations they receive for  
direct aid - covering their own overhead and travel costs  
separately.   For any additional information or more detailed reports  
on the relief work being done, don't hesitate to call or email me.

You can also help by forwarding this email and the event info to as  
many people as you can!

Sincerely,
Tara Horn
BACPortland@gmail.com
Burma Action Committee
503-725-8130

Millions of transgenic mosquitoes are to be released into the fishing village of Pulau Ketam off Selangor, Malaysia, as part of an international series of field trials to fight dengue fever [1].

The technique, which has won Oxitec the Technology Pioneers 2008 award at the World Economic Forum, involves releasing transgenic male Aedes mosquitoes carrying a ‘killer' gene to mate with wild female mosquitoes, which causes (nearly) all their progeny to die. This is a variant of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) that has been successfully used in wiping out other insect vectors in the past [2], though the sterile males were created by X-irradiation, and not by transgenesis.

The release of sterile males is considered “environmentally benign” [2], as only female mosquitoes bite and suck blood and transmit the disease-causing virus; not the male mosquitoes.

This is taken from an article posted on the website I-SIS (Institute of Science in Society).  Please read the whole article....it is really crazy.

I have been getting a lot of comments from people about what is being said on the news regarding donating to the tragedy in Burma. This is a first hand report from a family member about the situation. They know what they are doing and are honest and direct reporters. There are ways to help the people in Burma....

May 12, 2008

Dear All,

I know you are hearing a lot on the news about what isn’t going well here in terms of delivery of assistance to cyclone survivors. You’re hearing about supply boats sinking, planes impounded and supplies being confiscated over technicalities, the slowness of unloading cargo, distribution being blocked, etc. While those reports can be corroborated here on the ground, it’s enough to drive us all to distraction. So let me counter all that with a dose of the good stuff – the cooperation and compassion and resourcefulness – that we see evidenced around us from Myanmar people and from both local and international agencies and their staff.

Yesterday, we were helping to re-supply the medical and relief teams that went out earlier last week. We were also trying to gather supplies for another local organization that is sending out many small groups into a relatively inaccessible area of the Delta. Based on the experience of the local medical teams last week, we have learned more about the physical forms that relief assistance has to take in order to reach people in need and be most useful to them.

Rainwater Harvesting
People in many areas of the Delta rely for much of the year on rain water for their drinking water supply, but they have lost their rainwater collection materials. Water baskets and water purification supplies are essential to provide, but so are supplies to collect rain water where there is truly no source of “sweet” water close enough. So part of our job yesterday was to try to quickly figure out a way to provide rainwater harvesting materials. In fact, based now on two consecutive days of rain, and forecasts of rain every day for the next week, it appears that the monsoon rains are starting in earnest. So, we’re starting to place more focus on rainwater harvesting than on water treatment.

Myanmar Volunteer and Aid Groups
Cooperation between Myanmar organizations and volunteers from community groups is also strong. Some Myanmar organizations are sharing staff and are setting up rotation systems for volunteers who are being sent to the Delta, in hopes of avoiding complete burnout for everyone involved. Once out in the areas where they hope to provide relief services, every member of these volunteer groups has a role to play. When a group of Myanmar volunteers reaches a Delta community in need of assistance, the people from the local area immediately converge and want to tell their stories. They need to tell someone what happened to them, to their families, to their communities. What a welcome sight those volunteers must be – no uniforms, no foreign faces and unfamiliar languages – just local people who dress and eat and speak the way the survivors do! So the first role that the volunteers play is to listen to the outpouring of shock, grief and loss. Only then can they get set up and begin to provide the services for which they are technically qualified. While the technical staff set to work, the volunteer drivers, cooks and other support volunteers end up continuing to provide a listening ear. We are glad that the survivors are able to tell their stories to willing listeners who speak the same languages, but we are concerned at the potential impacts on the volunteers, when they listen day after day to the experiences of trauma.

Some local groups of people here in Yangon and elsewhere have become frustrated at the lack of widescale, well-organized response from some quarters, and are establishing their own centers for the donation and distribution of relief supplies. From all accounts, donations from local families and businesses are pouring in and are being sent to the Delta in truckloads. We sometimes are called upon to connect donors with those who are able to get into the more remote villages in the cyclone affected areas.

Funds
Naturally, cash is an issue – most organizations don’t keep lots of extra cash on hand in case of these types of disaster situations. TEAR Australia, commited early last week, by handshake, to provide financial support to their established partner agencies here. That means the need for the initial paperwork is largely postponed, and TEAR’s partners can immediately move on getting relief flowing to needy areas, instead of worrying about where the money will come from or taking the time to complete formal assessments and proposals and get formal approval. The HOPE office in Canada was also able to immediately inform us of commitments they were receiving, and so we were able to immediately resource these local teams. While the scale of these types of grants is not large, it does mean relief has been able to flow very quickly, and besides, a small amount of money still goes a long way in Myanmar. Please know that your support and the support of our partner agencies has allowed us to respond immediately to the needs here.

Cooperation, compassion, resourcefulness – I am fortunate to be surrounded and inspired by these on a daily basis, in spite of all the discouraging news we are also receiving. I hope you are inspired by these positive stories too.

More information:
www.gitameit.com

Introducing Ruthie and Mikko in a new series created to educate young mothers on how to make practical foods to support their growing babies. The short, easy to understand recipes also aim to support local economy and global community.

This is just one demonstration of how the foodweb weaves its magic to create well rounded, delicious meals for happy, bright-eyed, healthy children.




We are currently fundraising!  Contribute $10 or more and we will send you a DVD of the first 9 (or so) episodes.  For project details please visit:
http://www.indiegogo.com/mouthofbabes

Here is another amazing thing!  Creating musical instruments out of carrots, pumpkins and every other vegetable imaginable!