The Burma Digest is a weekly bilingual online journal, published by the Democracy for Burma Alliance, a

web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

-based campaign group set up by

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (hor ...

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

activists worldwide. It features articles written both in English and Burmese. The Burma Digest, as well as all other campaign activities of the Democracy for Burma Alliance are 100%

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and

volunteering Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group wikt:gratis, freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. O ...

-based. The publication is fully available for reading on Democracy for Burma Alliance's main page ww.tayzathuria.org.uk nd on

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

ww.burmadigest.wordpress.com Printable booklets are also offered for downloading and free distribution

The first edition of the Burma Digest appeared in June 2005, featuring only three articles, in English. Nowadays, the average issue of the Burma Digest features more than ten articles in English, and ten in Burmese, as well as interviews with personalities involved in the struggle for

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and political dissidents, a newsroo

and photo galler

Aims and mission

* To increase international awareness of Human-rights abuses happening in

* To increase awareness among people from

about their

natural rights Some philosophers distinguish two types of rights, natural rights and legal rights. * Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are ''universal'', ''fundamental'' and ...

or human-rights * Ultimately, to help improve human-rights situations in

Visions and beliefs

''As a pro-

journal, the Burma Digest makes a strong statement against

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...

regimes, considering the currently ruling military

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

as illegitimate and defending Burmese people's right to

fundamental freedoms Fundamental rights are a group of rights that have been recognized by a high degree of protection from encroachment. These rights are specifically identified in a constitution, or have been found under due process of law. The United Nations' Susta ...

. The beliefs the Burma Digest is aimed to represent and to support are stated on the journal's

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

and

:'' # ''We believe that all

democratic activists and campaign groups will unite and join hands in the fight for democracy and

.'' # ''We believe that the momentum of our

democratic movement A democracy is a political system, or a system of decision-making within an institution or organization or a country, in which all members have an equal share of power. Modern democracies are characterized by two capabilities that differentiate ...

will become very strong.'' # ''We believe that Burmese people will be able to overcome their fear and rise up against cruel

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

.'' # ''We believe that

will prevail in our country.'' # ''We believe that our people will be able to enjoy human rights in our country.'' # ''We believe that all ethnic groups in our country will agree to live peacefully alongside each other and together as the Union of Burma.'' # ''We believe that all

ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

areas will become federal states inside the Union of Burma.'' # ''We believe that there will be independent judicial system with equality for all under the

rule of law The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...

in our country.'' # ''We believe that our country will become prosperous as a united, democratic and stable country.'' # ''We believe that there will be a thriving

market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...

free from corrupt bureaucratic government control.'' # ''We believe that people will be able to earn their living easily in lawful and honest ways in our country.'' # ''We believe that there will be free, and good quality, basic

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

for all in our country.'' # ''We believe that all regions in our country will be able to enjoy equal development, and modern

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

s.'' # ''We believe that we will maintain a strong and professional

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

which do not try to interfere in

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

affairs.'' # ''We believe that our country and our people will be well respected by the

international community The international community is an imprecise phrase used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. As a rhetorical term Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is ...

because of our

, stability and prosperity''

Political and social impact

As a campaign journal for

and

, the Burma Digest publishes articles mostly (though not exclusively) on

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

issues. However, the Burma Digest, as well as the Democracy for Burma Alliance is not directly affiliated to any

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

. It is a space of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

, reuniting diverse views and opinions. If certain articles show either support or disagreement towards certain

organisations An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

or issues, it is only based on the publication's values and beliefs concerning

and

The Burma Digest Human Rights Literature award

Each year, (starting from August 8, the day of the commemoration of

8888 Uprising The 8888 Uprising ( my, ၈၈၈၈ အရေးအခင်း), also known as the People Power UprisingYawnghwe (1995), pp. 170 and the 1988 Uprising, was a series of nationwide protests, marches, and riots in Burma (present-day Myanmar) th ...

, until the next August 8, the Burma Digest offers an award for

Burmese language Burmese ( my, မြန်မာဘာသာ, MLCTS: ''mranmabhasa'', IPA: ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar (also known as Burma), where it is an official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Burmans, the count ...

articles and

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. Each month, two articles and two poems are nominated, then the winner is chosen out of 5 finalists articles/poems. The prize for the best article is USD 250. The prize for the best poem is USD 150. This project and the prizes are funded by donations

External links

Burma Digest main page
an

Burma Digest on Blogs {{Administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar) Politics of Myanmar Burmese literature

Aims and mission

Visions and beliefs

Political and social impact

The Burma Digest Human Rights Literature award

See also

External links