Please help cyclone victims

Dear all,

You might have heard the devastating news about Burma being hit by the Nargis cyclone. According to the most recent news, the death toll has reached to about 4,000, and many remain unaccounted for. The delta is the worst hit region, and according to some sources, some villages have been wiped out entirely.
[BBC - 6.5.08, 8.35pm. Death toll more than 22,000, according to state media. c.41,000 people missing.
'The wave was up to 12ft [3.5m] high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages,' 'They did not have anywhere to flee.' Some 95% of the homes in the city of Bogalay in the Irrawaddy delta were destroyed and most of its 190,000 residents are now homeless]

I still can't contact my family and friends. Worse, I still haven't heard from our working group, an informal group I formed after last October demonstrations, which provide humanitarian and welfare aid to people in suburbs of Rangoon. The last small sum of money I sent has probably run out, and I'm worried that they might not be able to do much relief work and deliver emergency supplies without enough funding.

The people are left to rebuild their lives on their own with whatever they have. And the Cyclone has taken all they have.

The international aid community has offered to help, but the Burmese government has yet to respond. They might say 'no', since they see aid as a way of interfering with local politics, and with the referendum just less than a week away, they may be nervous about accepting outside help.

The Burmese people have had a difficult time for nearly four decades now, yet now, additionally, they have fallen victims to this natural disaster. And without outside aid, most will find it very difficult to survive.

Channelling money into Burma is not easy, but not impossible. I have done it many times before, and now I am going there myself with the fund so that my working group can continue working to provide the most needed help these cyclone victims need.

You might be asked many times for money, but Burma needs your help more than ever. Once I get there, hopefully in three or four days, I'll send you detailed records on how we use your money.

If you want to donate, please make an online payment to the following account.
Barclays account number: 60552232, sort code: 208915, Name Miss M T Than. Or please send a check to

Miss Tharaphi Than
SEAsia Department
SOAS, University of London
London WC1H 0XG


Thanks in advance,
Tharaphi