For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question (49 page)

1. “Revised and updated report on the question of the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide.” United Nations Economic and Social Council, Commission on Human Rights, Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, E/CN.4/Sub.2/1985/6, July 2, 1985.

2. “Report on the twenty-third session of the Committee for Development Planning.” United Nations Economic and Social Council, 1987, E/1987/23, April 1987.

3. “Report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, prepared by the Special Rapporteur, Mr. Yozo Yokota, in accordance with Commission resolution 1994/85
.
” United Nations Economic and Social Council, Commission on Human Rights, E/CN.4/1995/65, January 12, 1995.

4. “Interim report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar prepared by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights in accordance with Economic and Social Council decision 1998/261 of 30 July 1998.” United Nations General Assembly, A/53/364, September 10, 1998.

5. “Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations.” United Nations General Assembly Security Council, A/55/305-S/2000/809, August 21, 2000.

6. “Secretary-General Kofi Annan Promises Major Reform of UN Peacekeeping; Calls on Member States to Provide Funds, Improve Decision-Making.” Press release, “Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations,” August 23, 2000.

7. “Written statement submitted by the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (Rights & Democracy), a non-governmental organization in special consultative status.” United Nations Economic and Social Council, Commission on Human Rights, E/CN.4/2002/NGO/56, January 31, 2001.

8. “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America: draft resolution.” United Nations Security Council, S/2007/14, January 12, 2007.

9. “Security Council Fails to Adopt Draft Resolution on Myanmar, Owing to Negative Votes by China, Russian Federation.” United Nations Security Council, SC/8939, January 12, 2007.

10. Asian Highway Route Map. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), 2007.
unescap.org/ttdw/common/TIS/AH/maps/ah_map_2007.jpg
.

11. “Implementing the Responsibility to Protect.” United Nations General Assembly, A/63/677, January 12, 2009.

12. “Children and Armed Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General.” United Nations General Assembly Security Council, A/63/785- S/2009/158, March 26, 2009.

1. “Safrole-Rich Essential Oils—Risk of Illicit Use.”
Eastern Horizons
. Summer-Autumn 2007.

2. “2008 World Drug Report.”

3. “World Drug Report 2009.”

1. “World Refugee Survey 2004.”

2. “World Refugee Survey 2007—Thailand.”

3. “World Refugee Survey 2009.”

1. “Processing of Asylum Division Cases Involving Material Support.” Interoffice memorandum, June 1, 2007.

2. “Department of Homeland Security Exercise of Authority to Exempt Persons Associated with 10 Named Groups from Most Terrorist-Related Inadmissibility Grounds of the Immigration Law.” November 25, 2008.

1. “Regionalism and Security in Mainland Southeast Asia.” Secret. Bureau of Intelligence and Research. January 28, 1963. Declassified May 31, 1994.

2. “Memorandum from Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson.”
Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968
, Volume 27, Mainland Southeast Asia; Regional Affairs, Document 101. September 3, 1966.

3. Foreign Assistance Appropriation Act—Fiscal Year 1988 Budget for Burma. International Narcotics Control.

4. “Patterns of Global Terrorism.” Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. April 30, 2001.

5. “Transcript: Lawmaker Says Burma Must Stop Brutality Against Minorities.” February 12, 2003.

6. “Secretary Decides Material Support Bar Inapplicable to Ethnic Karen Refugees in Tham Hin Camp, Thailand.” Bureau of Public Affairs, May 5, 2006.

7. “The Department of State Decides Material Support Inapplicable to Second Group of Karen Refugees in Thailand.” Bureau of Public Affairs, August 30, 2006.

8. “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices—2007.” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 11, 2008.

9. “International Religious Freedom Report 2008.” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

10. “2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.” Country Reports—Afghanistan through Comoros. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, February 27, 2009.

11. “Remarks by Secretary Clinton in Laguna Phuket, Thailand.” Transcript. Office of the Spokesman, July 22, 2009.

12. “Narcotics Rewards Program: Wei Hsueh-Kang.” Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Accessed at state .gov on August 4, 2009.

1. “No Political Progress in Burma: UN.”
The Irrawaddy
, September 12, 2008.

2. “Big Burmese Interest in Result of US Presidential Election.”
The Irrawaddy
, November 5, 2008.

3. “Letters Land Prisoners’ Relatives, Guards in Jail.”
The Irrawaddy
, December 19, 2008.

4. “Hundreds of Thousands Still Displaced in Burma: Watchdog.”
The Irrawaddy
, March 6, 2009.

5. “Negotiations Always Possible for Rebels: Junta Secretary 1.”
The Irrawaddy
, March 25, 2009.

6. “Another Armed KNU Group Defects to the Junta.”
The Irrawaddy
, April 6, 2009.

7. “DKBA: Burma’s Second Largest Non-State Armed Group?”
The Irrawaddy
, June 18, 2009.

8. “Junta Trying to Erase Non-Burman Identities, Say Ethnic Groups.”
The Irrawaddy
, April 21, 2009.

9. “Border Guard Force Plan Leads to End of Ceasefire.”
The Irrawaddy
, August 31, 2009.

1. “Burma’s IT Generation Combats Regime Repression.”
The Irrawaddy
, October 7, 2008.

2. “Washington Hopes Webb Can Clarify Its Policy to Junta.”
The Irrawaddy
, August 14, 2009.

1. “Education Survey 2005.”

2. “2006-2007 Academic Students Statistics in 7 Karen Camps.”

Later, when Htan Dah and I were watching a pirated Angelina Jolie DVD, I pointed to the steam filling the screen as she stood sexily under a showerhead. “Look,” I said, “hot shower,” and his mouth dropped open with sudden comprehension.

In addition to describing the Burman ethnicity and attendant language, “Burmese” also refers generally to people from Burma, including members of other ethnic groups. Although my BA housemates would never refer to themselves as “Burmese,” despite its technically being their nationality, for consistency and simplicity I’ll use “Burmese” to mean nationality and “Burman” to specify ethnicity. As for the name of the country, though the military junta switched it to the more formal “Myanmar” in 1989, the junta sucks, and activists and pro-democracy advocates therefore refuse to recognize its right to do so.

It’s all relative. Living in the jungle isn’t all glamorous, for sure: It’s far from impossible that a Karen State-dwelling Htan Dah would be illiterate, and malaria-ridden, and could be bitten by a Chinese ferret-badger or Javan mongoose or something, in which case his village doctor would make a poultice out of all kinds of crazy shit, including, quite possibly, actual shit, which may or may not result in a serious infection, from which he may or may not die.

Also making a splash in publications like the
Pall Mall Gazette
: Burma’s Kengtung had as many tigers as people!

Okay, this guy’s name isn’t really Eh Kaw. This is where I tell you that a few of the names from now on have been changed for the safety of those individuals who are still refugees and could be deregistered or deported for having gallavanted, however gallantly, outside camp in Thailand. So this is a good time to confess, too, that Burma Action is not called Burma Action. The organization asked me not to tell you what it’s really called, either, since it illegally houses a bunch of illegals, whom it employs to do illegal activities in two countries.

Incorrectly.

“Four hostile newspapers,” he actually said, “are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”