It's not biblical studies, nor digital academy, but it matters to me, and I hope to you!According to the Burma Campaign (UK) the Thai authorities are threatening to force the return starting on 5 February 2010 of the 3,000 Karen refugees who fled to an area north of Mae La in June following a military offensive by the Burmese Army in Karen State, Eastern Burma.
The area they would return to is under the "control" of the DKBA and heavily mined they would face mass torture, harrying by military forces and many deaths if forced to return.
Although the Thai Government and local authorities have officially stated that they will not force people to return, in practice they are applying significant pressure on the refugees to return.So PLEASE write to the Thai authorities to urge them not to force the refugees back to Burma. There is a simple form you can use here:http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/campaigns/actions/crisis-in-eastern-burma/write-to-thai-prime-minister
Until now the refugees have been kept in two temporary camps close to the Thailand-Burma border. Many of these refugees have already been forced to flee their homes four or more times.
If forced to return to Burma, the refugees face possible death, slave labour or forced recruitment as soldiers.
The area in Karen State where the refugees would be made to return to has many landmines. In addition, the area is now under the control of the DKBA, an organisation allied to the military dictatorship, which is guilty of committing horrific human rights abuses against civilians, including widespread use of forced labour, executions, torture and mutilations, forced recruitment of soldiers, including child soldiers, theft and extortion.
I have already written, editing the form letter in the hope that this will make it weigh more, but simply adding your name and address and clicking send is all that's needed. If the Thai authorities realise that many people outside care enough to post an email they may see this issue as one that impacts their tourist industry!
Labels: politics, refugee, travel
¶ 7:15 AM
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Burmese refugees at Mae La refugee camp are on alert due to a threat of attack by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), according to the vice chairman of the camp.“The DKBA said they will destroy our camp,” said Vice-Chairman Htun Htun, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
Many of the refugees have packed clothing and belongings in preparation for a military assault, sources in nearby Mae Sot said. Camp authorities have imposed a curfew of 9 p.m. On all refugee residents.
The DKBA threatened to attack Mae La camp after one of their influential commanders, San Pyote (aka Soe Myint), the head of Battalion 7, was ambushed and killed by an unknown armed group while traveling by longtail boat on the Moei River on June 26.
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I don't want to address the complex issues of whether canines, felines etc... are more or less "members of the family" than brothers and sisters in Christ - both are only so in metaphorical (or spiritual) senses ;)
Photo from The NationalCourtesy Free Burma Rangers
- spend $200 for a Freeview set top box which will allow us to get free to air TV from the Sky dish
- spend $150 to get an aerial fitted
- send the money to Partners for the 4,000 villagers camping in the monsoon rains?
Canadians wishing to obtain a receipt for tax purposes should make donations at the Partners Canada website. www.partnersworld.ca
Americans wishing to obtain a receipt for tax purposes should make donations at the Partners USA website. www.partnersworld.org
Norwegians can find the information needed to make donations in Norway at: www.partnersnorge.no
Australians can find the information needed to make donations in Australia at: www.partnersworld.org.au
UK Residents can find the information needed to make donations in the UK at: www.partnersworld.org.uk
Labels: burma, cat, ethics, refugee
¶ 4:46 PM
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tim, for the record, i've got excellent freeview reception on rabbit ears. yes it's true. so, if you were going to spend on freeview, buy your next tv with a tuner already installed. i know it's a side issue and almost makes a mockery of what you are really getting at, but sometimes we buy what we think is necessary when it is indeed not.
We faced a choice during our move that had nothing to do with packing or even the things we own (too many, but that's another story ;).For the move, Quizzie (our cat - born a stray and somewhat nervous) went into a cattery. While she was there the vet looked her over as well as getting her vaccinations up to date. She has bad teeth and some gum disease. To fix this and to do a blood test to check on other possible health issues would cost $400 to $500 (even cleanng a cat's teth needs a general anesthetic).
At the same time, an Internally Displaced People's camp in Burma is under attack by Burmese government forces. Some 4,000 women and children have fled across the river to Thailand and there is a great need for basic supplies. So, assuming we have $500 we can spend what do we do? Prolong our beloved cat's life and make the next few years more pleasant for her? - After all we see her every day! Save the lives of a few refugees we may never meet?Labels: burma, cat, ethics, refugee
¶ 6:00 AM
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I enjoy having students read some of Dorothy Day's autobiography, the early leader of the Catholic Worker Movement who pioneered Christian hospitality networks in NYC and elsewhere. She chose voluntary poverty for practical, ethical, and philosophical reasons, arguing that sharing everything one has with others is morally superior to owning anything.
However, from a practical point of view, her hospitality house was dependent on contributions from those who did have financial resources. How does the idealism of Christian service balance with the hard realities of life?
This doesn't necessarily address your cat decision, of course. We tend to see our pet (a dog) as a member of the family, so I think we would pay the vet. That doesn't necessarily make it right, though. Do we need to be more willing to let go of things, of pets, and even of other people?
By 
Bryan, at
June 15, 2009 1:29 PM
If you prefer a more experiential approach you could read about the Mae La refugee camp, or look at one of the photoblogs: Timelight @ Mae La - Weblog or through valleys of sorrow to rivers of joy which has more than photos. In particular you could read the rest of this post:
Whatever you do, do NOT just sit there, do something even if it is only to cry a little! ¶ 10:53 AMpray, yes, but we still can't eat your prayers
While the faith and the spirits of the people I met in Mae La were strong, their current physical conditions are matters of concern. Registration froze two years ago. People who come to the camp--four or five new families everyday--are not given food rations or materials to build huts because they are not registered. They must move in with other refugees and those who open their huts must share what they have with the new-comers. Already, cuts have been made in the amount of food they receive twice a month.
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As well as writing:
- an article on coherence and cohesion in Amos 7:1-8:3
- organise a colloquium on the Coherence of Biblical Texts (perhaps alongside the SBL International meeting in
- another article on linguistic cohesion and coherence in Amos draft written (but not submitted)
- complete Not Just a Father
- editing: significant progress on Hypertext Bible Dictionary
- possibly begin work on book on Family in the Bible or on Theology of Ageing
A masters' course on Biblical Narrative at Colombo Theological Seminary will be intensive, the students get 9 hours of lectures and some reading before I arrive, and then over two weekends and some evening sessions midweek I'll deliver the other 27 hours of the classes.
The other class is undergraduate, teaching in a refugee camp which has its own Bible School with teachers coming from other parts of Asia with the occasional Western visitor like me.
Barbara will be coming with me to both places, and in the camp will probably use her counselling training! Our daughter Sarah will also come to the camp and will likely help teach English - education can be so important to people who have had so many other things taken away! I've been setting this up through Geoff Pound and his Theologians Without Borders, and have really enjoyed our email conversations, not least the excursi on topics like the possibilities of MP3s of lectures for local language distance education.
Labels: colombo, refugee, sabbatical, teaching
¶ 8:24 PM
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Congratulations Tim! Do keep the blog going, no eSabbatical please!
By Nichthus, at
November 21, 2007 8:33 AM
I'm not planning one, though like many who have been blogging a while I have wondered recently "what's the point, or could I use this time better... Geoff is encouraging me to keep a blog/journal while we are away, though time and Internet will be quite short...
By Tim, at
November 21, 2007 12:54 PM
