Problem statement

With the deterioration of life in Burma under SPDC there is an alarming rise in the forced evacuation of many Burmese. They have been forced to leave their homeland and have fled to neighboring countries such as Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and China, as well as many student and political activists securing asylum status in other countries such as the United States, Australia and Europe. Hundreds of thousands of these Burmese have settled into a rapidly expanding population along the Thai-Burma border, while in the Mae Sot area alone, there are well over 40,000 Burmese workers, as well as numerous student and political activist groups. In early 1999, the Thai Ministry of the Interior admitted that roughly 1 to 1.2 million Burmese migrants were living in Thailand - although official estimates are lower. Many more families, including elderly and children, have been crossing into Thailand than in the past. In addition, unlike past trends, many of these migrant workers are not from areas of ethnic insurgency - such as the Karen and Shan areas(6) - but urban and rural Burmese forced to flee Burma due to such depraved living standards and limited opportunities. They come to Thailand not only for their economic and cultural well-being, but also in fear of their own security. These populations have largely fled from Burma since 1995; and significantly, since 1997. Because nearly all Burmese exiles are officially 'illegal', their status is in a constant state of insecurity, and they therefore must endure very cruel living standards which include abuse, low wages, long hours, poor food, fear of arrest and deportation, and difficult access to health care, social services and education. Due to this pressure - coming from all sides - it is very difficult to focus on the importance of education and individual expression, encouraging confidence in themselves and their future. Many lives in the border area are therefore without hope.(7) Adding to this desperation is the lack of access to proper education for Burmese youth in Thailand; forced to forgo schooling, children are particularly susceptible to abuse. The neglect of Burmese youth especially causes anxiety amongst the exiled population, yet with each day, as more and more migrant workers anxiously seek job opportunities, the situation for these workers worsens, and the neglect of their children rises. The effect is that most must go without any education, and therefore the vicious cycle of desperation continues, as well as adding to the likelihood of further deterioration of Burmese culture and its people. In addition, there is no opportunity for the Burmese population in general to express their ideas, nothing to promote their culture, and therefore, coupled with the extreme pressures of their lives, they are forced to abandon many aspects of their unique heritages. Specifically in the Mae Sot area, there are very limited cultural resources for Burmese people including access to literature, art, music, dance, and a space to gather and share ideas, expression and community. Inside Burma, where there is an increasing lack of access to ideas and resources, people are yearning to receive education and a forum for expression that has been absent for so many years. Moreover, there is also a sore lack of communication amongst the Burmese community and access to communication among the international community. This leaves the Burmese people - involved in such a desperate struggle for freedom - alone.

wildflower land Background

I can indicate no royal road for bringing about a social revolution except that we should represent it in every detail of our lives.Gandhi

Background Since the 1962 Military Coup in Burma, beginning with General Ne Win and deteriorating in the present day under SPDC(1), the educational opportunities and free expression that promote cultural preservation have been severely restricted. Due to the military takeover and subsequent suppression of all people in Burma, as well as enforced constraints on freedom of expression in all aspects of Burmese life, today, Burma's rich cultural infrastructure exists under the constant threat of extinction. Burma formerly had one of the highest education standards in South-East Asia, generating many renowned authors, poets, and artists. Yet like all social services in Burma, the education system has been neglected and tainted by strict regulations passed by the military regime. SPDC deliberately uses Burmese schools to impose discipline and control over the general population, careful in keeping ethnic children illiterate in their own languages and all children ignorant of their own literature and cultural past. Among other barriers to free education, all teachers are required to attend military-run training courses, and both teachers and students - as well as the child's parents - are held responsible for any activities regarded to be objectionable by the state. Due to the economic hardship imposed by the military regime since 1988 specifically, costs of even primary education make it nearly impossible for children to get a basic education. In fact, only 25% of all Burmese children complete their first five years of school.(2) At this point, still in the prime of their childhood, they must go to work, abandoning all hope for a brighter future. On the high school and university levels, schools are even more directly restrained by the military regime. Since the 1988 nation-wide uprisings(3) - lead by high school and university students - SPDC has feared the possibility of further demonstrations against their rule, and therefore have periodically closed schools for years at a time, dismissed many qualified professors, ordered remaining teachers to strictly control their students, and prohibitively increased the cost of tuition. In fact, since the 1962 Military Coup, students have been systematically repressed, all student unions have been banned, and many active students and noted artists have been imprisoned - some still languishing in Burmese prisons to this day. Closely connected to the state of oppression of Burmese education is the deterioration of the Burmese culture and traditions(4). The unique heritages in the culturally diverse 'Golden Land' have gradually decayed under the continued suppression of the people - specifically, the passing of prohibitive freedom laws, the censorship of all media and art, the forcing of a 'Burmese' nationality upon ethnic minorities, and the constant state of warfare within Burma(5); as well as other intangible influences living under military tyranny. Beginning in 1962, the 'Printers and Publishers Registration Law' required all printers, publishers, periodicals, magazines, and journals, as well as song lyrics, movie scripts and other intellectual property to be registered with the government for identification purposes. Included in this regulation is censorship on "(f) any incorrect idea and opinions which do not accord with the times; (g) any descriptions which, though factually correct, are unsuitable because of the time or cirumstances of their writing; [and] (b) anything detrimental to the ideology of the state". Under this act, the Press Scrutiny Board (PSB) was established to enforce these restrictive measures, invested with the power to prohibit any and all publication submitted to it. Introduced in 1989, an ammendment was added enhancing the penalties imposed on those violating this law. In addition to this edict, there are numerous other laws aimed at silencing free expression, with thousands held in prisons under the statutes proclaimed therein. Due to the severity of these laws, individual expression is extremely dangerous as well as the collection and distribution of forbidden information, periodicals, journals and music. All access to such materials is closely monitored, and much of the forum for creative output has therefore been forced 'underground'. There, everything is clouded in secrecy, fear, distrust, and constant harassment by suspecting military authorities. Beginning with a child's first introduction to Burmese culture, and continuing throughout his/her adult life inside Burma, there is a fierce and constant manipulation of all information flow, regardless if it is via proper channels such as primary schools, universities and daily newspapers, or via underground magazines, poetry books and music albums. This constant threat to free expression perpetuates a cycle of ignorance - an easy breeding ground for blind obedience to the military regime and guaranteed destruction of the unique cultures of Burma.