Estimates place the number of Burmese nationals living in Thailand at well over a million. There are tens of thousands more living in Malaysia. The majority belong to one of the dozens of ethnic minority nationalities, such as the Shan, Karen, or Kachin. Although over 600,000 of them are registered as migrant workers in Thailand, it is likely that most all of them are living in various states of exile - unwilling or unable to return home due to the Burmese junta's widespread oppression of ethnic minorities and political dissidents, and its stranglehold on a failing economy.Many of these student and refugee groups in Thailand and Malaysia are trying their best to educate their children. The Chin Student's Organization in Malaysia holds classes for dozens of kids several days a week in their small apartment/office. The AKSYU is trying to coordinate training and classes for both adults and kids in the north of Kachin State on the Chinese border.
University students have long played an important role in Burmese politics and education is given a high priority. Students led the infamous 1988 protests, which resulted in thousands dead at the hands of the government and led to an exodus of political dissidents. Further student protests in 1996 resulted in the universities being shut down for an extended period, and led to more politically active students fleeing the country - many sacrificing their chance to finish their schooling.
We're trying our best to publicize the campaign on the internet, and have sent out emails to bloggers asking them to help by writing up a post and encouraging their readers to participate. On November 28th, I will be departing Portland for two and a half weeks in Kuala Lumpur, so some of the books collected here will be carried over in my suitcase and delivered personally. The rest of the books will be shipped over the next few months as funds become available.
Here at Burma Underground, I'll be promoting the campaign by posting regular book reviews throughout the month of November. I'd like to invite my readers to submit recommendations for books in various subjects that you feel would be good for donation. We are accepting non-fiction, although it's not a priority. You can see the full donation guidelines at the Books for Burma home, but basically, we're looking for books in nearly all subjects that are accessible to beginners or informed non-experts. For books on topics like politics, development, and human rights, almost any level from beginner to expert are welcome. We're also looking for children's books that can be used in a classroom setting. I would love to receive recommendations on titles from my readers, with a short synopsis/review of it if you have time, to post here, so we can create a useful list donors can refer to. It would also be helpful for us, in the event we have enough cash donations or possibly gift certificates to purchase some books.
You can email both Richard and I at booksforburma@gmail.com, with any questions, or to get the shipping address. If you're in the Portland area, and I know many of you are, you can either drop off books or have them picked up in person by me. It will save a lot in shipping! If you'd like to become more involved in the campaign, by helping to collect books, conducting a mini-book drive, or fundraising in your area, then by all means let us know! We'd love to have more people directly involved.
I will also be creating a link roll here in my side-bar of all the blogs that post about Books for Burma.
Stay tuned for more news and book reviews!!