Trapped Inside Burma

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis ripped through the low-lying delta region of Burma. By some estimates, 140,000 people died in the cyclone and the aftermath as the Burmese military junta bungled relief efforts. More recently, democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to an additional 18 months under house arrest for harboring an American who swam across the lake next to her house to visit while she was under house arrest. In spite of its presence on the front pages of newspapers, Burma remains a mysterious and unknown country to many in the western world, even as its refugees stream into the United States and into communities like East St. Paul. Is it even called Burma, or is it Myanmar? Why don't the Burmese refugees speak Burmese? The University of Minnesota will host a discussion about life in Burma under the military regime and its hopes for a democratic future. The presentation will include a screening of the documentary Burma Diary (1997). In Room 5. (photo by Akuppa)
Tue., Sept. 22, 7 p.m., 2009