Global Day of Action for Burma

From Roby Alampay of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance:


Hi everyone,
This was forwarded to us by Debbie Stothard of AltSEAN.
Please spread the word. If this can gain additional publicity in your orgs and countries, that in itself would be of tremendous help.
Thanks.
___________________________

Dear friends,
I wanted to give you a heads up on a Global Day Of Action on May 17th, Saturday. We have many confirmed locations around the world and was wondering if you or know of anyone in your area who can organize something? If so please let me know and I will update it on the host website http://www.burma-network.org. I hope to hear from you soon. Here is what we've been sending out for your reference.
Thanks,
Sophie Lwin
Director,
Burma Global Action Network (BGAN)
http://www.burma-network.org
http://www.dontforgetburma.org



Global Day of Action to call for humanitarian intervention in Burma on Saturday May 17th

Could you organise one where you are?

On Saturday May 17th the Burma Global Action Network, Burma Campaign UK, United States Campaign For Bruma and other organisations want as many people as possible to gather across the world to call for the International community to intervene in the humanitarian crisis in Burma. These can be in the form of peaceful demonstrations or vigils which will be held to urge world governments and the United Nations to intervene by supplying aid to the 1.7 million people affected by cyclone Nargis.

The Burmese regime has consistently blocked the international community from providing food, water and medical supplies to the worst affected regions. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of death through starvation, dehydration and preventable diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea.

A truly global protest could make a BIG difference, YOU could make a big difference, as one Burmese refugee aid worker put it to us: "Global protest is a great idea. I told these guys about it and they are excited about it. Knowing that the world is with them means a lot."

If you can organise something we would like to know where it will happen and at what time and anything else you can tell us about it to persuade people to come. We will then add this to our central list of events which we will publicise as widely as possible to maximize the attendance in the short time frame.

Whether you've done something like this before or not, This link provides a guide to organizing an event and a guide to attracting media attention to what you are doing:
http://www.burma-network.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=52
Plus as central co-ordinators of this, we will aim to answer any queries or help you in any way we can as soon as possible.

In return, and so that we can maximise the global media attention to these protests, we ask that you e-mail us as soon as possible after the event to let us know what you did, how many people attended and if possible, photos and weblinks to any local media attention you gained. Whether your outside the U.N HQ or outside a school, it all adds up.

That way we can calculate how many people have taken part globally and announce this to the world media. Together we can make a big difference and show the people of Burma that we have not forgotten them in their hour of need.

So if you think you could do something let us know on the wall here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=13683417318 and an administrator will get back to you as soon as possible, help you out and sort you out with the link on the central register of events.

www.burma-network.org
Burma Global Action Network (BGAN) Supporting the Burmese monks and civilians through internet activism!