The world is, rather understandably, disconcerted by the inaction of Burma’s military junta with regards to their response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis. As many of you are aware, the regime has been hindering international aid efforts, causing the humanitarian crisis to worsen. As it stands now, some 78,000 to 100,000 people have been killed and a further 60,000 are thought to be missing. While shocking to the layman, the Burmese regime has some cause for trepidation. We are, after all, talking about ...More »

The numbers regarding both the disasters in Burma and China have been, unfortunately, updated. In Burma, some 78,000 people are now reported dead with a further 56,000 missing. The United Nations is estimating that the death toll is above 100,000. The number one threat to those survivors in the area of the country that was hit remains access to clean water. In China, just over 22,000 people are being reported dead with an estimated 5 million people left homeless. The death toll is expected to ...More »

It’s eight o’clock in the morning. I have no idea what I am doing up, other than the fact that I went to bed pretty early. I watched The Other Boleyn Girl last night after rehearsal and prior to passing out. Why is it that no one can portray the Tudors with any historical accuracy? Recent Catastrophes Matters in China are looking grimmer by the day, as are conditions in Burma. One searches for words to put such catastrophes into context, but there are few. The ...More »

The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 took the lives of some 225,000 people in 11 different countries. As it stands now, the death toll in Burma is still being held at roughly 22,000, but given that much of the southern portion of the Irrawaddy delta remains underwater, it is estimated that the death toll could rise as high as 100,000 – just under one half of that of the 2004 tsunami in a single country. Burma’s hard-line political leadership could also make matters worse by refusing ...More »

New reports out of Burma have placed deaths caused by the cyclone that recently hit the country at upwards of 10,000 people, far greater than figures initially released. Some 24 million people live in the five regions of the country that were hit. There have also been reports that that 80% of Laputta has been completely destroyed. If this doesn’t make you throw up in your mouth, nothing will. It is utterly fucking sick. A piece by Chomsky from February of this year entitled ...More »

The Asian Times is reporting today that there seems to be a conflict arising within the Burmese Junta regarding the ongoing situation there… “SPDC second-in-command General Maung Aye reportedly opposed using force against the tens of thousands of monks who took to the streets, bringing him into conflict with Senior General Than Shwe, according to sources close to Maung Aye. Some soldiers in the old capital of Yangon and the city of Mandalay last week reportedly refused to obey their senior officers' commands to attack or ...More »

Last night, during my performance in Thunder Bay, I ventured into unknown waters for the first time on this tour – I mentioned the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The response was, as expected, muted, though I would learn after the performance from my soundman that people in the back of the theatre were deriding me for mentioning it and exclaiming that I should simply ‘shut up and sing’. It’s here that I should mention that while broaching the subject of Canada’s role in Afghanistan I ...More »

To begin, from today’s Toronto Star… "The monks of Burma are poor, and they are unarmed, but they exert a life-and-death power over the population," says Guy Horton, a British-based human rights consultant who has spent a decade collecting evidence of the Burmese military's atrocities. "This goes much deeper than ideology. The government has tried to buy off the monks by building temples and other things. But by attacking the monks they are putting their afterlives in grave danger," says Horton, who is calling on Canada to ...More »

Things in Burma have worsened, which is to be expected given the Junta’s past actions and disregard for international scorn. In 1988 they were responsible for the deaths of thousands, and there is certainly no concrete proof that the number of deaths being reported by the Burmese government are accurate. In fact, the British and Australian Embassies in Burma believe that the number could be much higher. Independent information coming out of the country is scarce, with the internet being downed in Rangoon and ...More »

Things in Burma (Myanmar) have worsened, as the country’s military Junta has turned to using force against pro-democracy protesters, among them a significant number of Buddhist monks, one of whom was reportedly killed in the southern city of Yangon today. Numerous other monks and protestors have also reportedly been beaten and arrested. Yesterday the country’s military Junta ordered that no more than five people could publicly assemble, an edict that was ignored today as thousands gathered in Yangon to continue demonstrations. The images that ...More »