Water Festival

Water Festival (Myanmar New Year) is coming up. Laos, Thailand and Cambodia also have the same water festival. At DDD, they are having some kind of religious ceremony to have good luck for the next year. Monks are chanting and the staff dripping water for sharing their merits.

Monks chanting

The staff dripping water to share merits

Fightings in Burma

I read the news today that there were fightings between Burmese Army and the Karens in Kya Inn Seik Kyi area. That's where I went on mission trip in December, 2003.I wonder when Burma will be peaceful. Last night, I finished watching Hotel Rwanda

Here is an excerpt about the movie from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/plotsummary

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Burmese workers strike in Rangoon

http://english.dvb.no/news.html?id=4475

This news talked about Burmese workers strike in Rangoon for increase in salary from a Chinese boss. The clothing factories in Burma ask employees to work very long shifts and pay only kyats 20,000 to 30,000 a month. It's about US $ 20.