Background:
Purpose: to engage the citizens of the world to assist oppressed people in Burma (aka Myanmar). For a million people in Burma, running is NOT a choice. For the rest of us, we can join together around the world choosing to run for our brothers and sisters in Burma.
For over 40 years, many ethnic peoples in Burma have been under conditions of oppression and civil war. The military dictatorship that tried to rename "Burma" as "Myanmar" lost a UN sanctioned election in 1990 to pro-democracy Aung Sun Suu Kyi- however they have placed her under house arrest since (she won Nobel prize).
Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyi has proclaimed, "It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."
During a 1997 military offensive in the Karen State of Burma adjacent to Thailand, a relief effort was founded called the "Free Burma Rangers." Affiliated with Partners Relief and Development in Chiang Mai and MaeSot Thailand, the Free Burma Rangers support and train dozens of relief teams operating in the oppressed ethnic regions of Burma. FBR teams bring hope and love to the Burma people.
Laurie Dawson | (Laurie's Summary)
Gig Harbor Washington and Chapel Hill Church
Partners: Europe and Australia
First in Northern Karen State, Burma