ABOUT
About BAWA
     How we help
     BYLAWS
     Current EC
Aung San Suu Kyi
Burma

About BAWA


BAWA, standing for Burmese America Women's Alliance, is as a public non-profit 501 (c3) organization providing assistance and encouragement to the people of Burma, newly arrived refugees and immigrants, as well as long time residents in the Bay Area.

The BAWA was found in 1999, inspired by the words and example of Burma's pro-democracy leader, Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to draw upon women's abilities and talents in the struggle for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma. In 2002, BAWA held Burma Women's Day to celebrate the power of the Burmese women, and recieved a message from Aung San Suu Kyi concerning our efforts to invest in the abilities of women:

BAWA raises funds to help meet health, educational and cultural needs of the community. It also provides assistance with matters of political asylum, family reunification and other immigration issues.

The following are some of the things we do to help Burmese immigrants, refugees and displaced people:
      Health
      BAWA assists the health programs of refugees and displaced people on the borders of Burma, especially through donations.
     Education      
      BAWA funds education programs of basic literacy for children on the border of Burma and Thailand, and helps fund schools inside Burma.
     Culture
     BAWA supports traditional weaving projects and makes bazaar for their products. We hold cultural festivals to display Burmese arts, literature, dance, etc.

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BYLAWS
BAWA follows a set of BYLAWS, which governs the policies and activities of BAWA. CLICK HERE to read the complete BYLAW.

The EC

The Board of Directors starting 2008 includes:

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Aung San Suu Kyi


Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of the national hero General Aung San, who fought for and negotiated independance for Burma with the British. Like her father, she is a national hero in the fight for a free Burma, a symbol of hope in the downtrodden country. She was educated in India and Englad at Oxford University, where she met her husband, Michael Aris.

When her mother had a stroke in March of 1988, she returned to Burma to care for her. Five months later, on August 8, 1988, she witnessed the massacre of student protestor at the hand of the government. Seven days later, she gave a speech at Shwedagon Pagoda in front of thousands of people, marking her first step into Burmese politics. In the next few years, she would stand peacefully against the Burmese government, stubbornly making speeches and rallying the support of the Burmese people despite the government's harrassment and threats. On July 20, 1989, she is placed under house arrest that lasts to this day.

Aung San Suu Kyi has won many awards for her non-violent stance against an oppressive government, including the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize "for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights", and became an international symbol of peaceful resistance and courage in the face of hardship and oppression.

If you would like to know more about Aung San Suu Kyi, you can read the following websites:

Nobel Peace Prize Timeline
Dawaungsansuukyi.com
Wikipedia
Free Aung San Suu Kyi // Action Burma
List of Awards she has won


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Burma


Burma has been ruled by a highly authoritarian military regime since 1962 when General Ne Win siezed power. On August 8, 1988 the armed forces brutally suppressed massive pro-democracy demonstrations on the order of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) as a response to pro-democracy movement, remembered by the Burmese people as the "8-8-88" Massacre. Saw Maung, then the leader of SLORC, seized power and ruled by decree without a constitution in Semptember of the same year. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people who were involved in political protests and anti-government movements fled the country to the bordering nations including Thailand and India. Those who were not lucky enough to escape were captured, imprisoned for an indefinite amount of time, and killed or tortured and interrogated in prison. Non-activists suffered at the hand government as it misused their power and pilfered the country's national sources to fill their own pockets. For government projects, they forced native tribes and small villages off their land and drove them into the forest, resulting in more than hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDP). Ethnic minorities were denied their rights and chased off their lands.

To ease criticism after the 88 massacre, a free vote took place 27 May 1990 at the recommendation of Saw Maung (he was later kicked out of SLORC for this). Out of 485 parliamentary seats contested, the NLD (National League of Democracy), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of national hero General Aung San, won 392, over 80% of the seats available. Ethnic minority parties opposed to the SLORC won 65 more seats. SLORC won only 10 seats, a clear message of the country's dislike of the military. Ignoring the results of the vote, SLORC, now lead by General Than Shwe, siezed power and captured Aung San Suu Kyi, putting her under house arrest that lasts to this day.

The junta rules the country by decree. The abuse of power continues to this day and worsens by each coming year. As a result of the Saffron Revolution, the marches of the Burmese Monks and other uprisings in the country, the government has become harsher and more reckless. Their human rights abuses were shown all over the world as news channels suchs as BBC and CNN showed spy footage of brutal beatings on the internet. Information became readily available fast as Burmese took advantage of the world wide web and reported unofficial news on blog sites, facebooks and anywhere they can contact the outside world. As a result, the government has now ordered the removal of all internet connection within non-military households. Despite the massive protests and condemnation from all over the world, the government continues to isolate its citizens in hope of squashing any rebellion by keeping them isolated, ignorant and uneducated.

For more information about the situation in Burma and human right issues, please visit:

Amnesty International
The Free Burma Coalition
Refugees.org
Burma: Grace Under Pressure
Human Rights Watch
US Campaign for Burma
US Department of State Profile of Burma

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