AsianWeek Should Not Ban ‘Burma’
Dear Editor: Your article “Senate Bill Bans Burma”(June 7) by Janet Ng continues to echo the position on Capitol Hill.
AsianWeek needs to present a fair, accurate, balanced and independent view of Myanmar, and that is done by researching, not regurgitating allegations provided by ILO, Senator Jessie Helms, R-NC, and Tom Harkins, D-Iowa.
Yes, Myanmar has problems, but do not equate them to the U.S. State Department standards because no two countries are alike, and their problems are unique in their own way.
The U.S. State Department does not recognize Myanmar or its government for changing its name. Would she be recognized if she resorted to the old name of Burma?
Countries and capitals change their names: Siam to Thailand, East Pakistan to Bangladesh, Peking to Beijing, Rangoon to Yangoon and so on. The reason is simple: breaking away from the colonial past or from Anglicized pronunciations. But I guess the U.S. State Department would rather have its blinders on and dwell in blissful ignorance rather than be educated.
Finally, the laundry list of U.S. corporations doing business with Myanmar was a joke. You failed to net the biggest fish: UNICAL. If UNICAL pulled out, there would be an economic tsunami for the Junta, but it will not happen until the folks on Capital Hill are serious about sanctions and not going on cherry picking expeditions.
Maung Norman Shwe Mo
via e-mail
Senators Should Visit Myanmar Themselves
Dear Editor: I was in Myanmar last month. There I visited different kinds of factories every day in Yangoon and found no forced labor at all. What Senator Harkin from Iowa refers to does not exist in private industries. If it does exist, it is only in the army. Because of the lack of jobs, people join the army and the government has no choice but to recruit these people and find something for them to do, like road construction, etc.
If we put sanctions on Myanmar, we will then increase the poverty and hunger. If the senator wants to feed these needy people then I am all for the sanctions. I ask the senator to visit Myanmar and investigate personally, rather than rely on hearsay. If the senator needs any assistance in this regard, I can accompany him and take him personally to every factory that exists in Myanmar.
Last but not least, let me make clear that I am not a supporter of the military regime. In my view, the biggest problem in Myanmar is ethnic cleansing, and my support will be with the government who can stop this nonsense.
Lal Bawa
California
Corrections and Details About St. Mary’s Chinese Schools and Center
Dear Editor: I read with great interest the article “The Resurrection of the I-Hotel” (June 7) in AsianWeek. I am a bit concerned however that facts were not checked regarding the St. Mary’s Chinese Schools and Center/Archdiocese of the San Francisco component of the project. For instance, on page 20 the article reads, “Plans for the site include a K-6 grade school with a small chapel and a gymnasium ... Underneath the building will be a four-level parking garage ...” In actuality, the new St. Mary’s Chinese Schools and Center will include the following:
- A K-8 (not 6) English language elementary school.
- A K-12 Chinese language and culture school that meets evenings and Saturdays.
- The Holy Family Chinese Catholic parish and pastoral residence.
- The Gordon J. Lau Community Center, a multi-purpose community center which includes an auditorium/gymnasium/dining facility and office space for St. Mary’s Teahouse, the social service component of St. Mary’s Catholic Center providing ESL and citizenship classes, referrals, counseling and support services for newly-arrived Chinese immigrants.
The parking structure under the development will have three levels, not four.
St. Mary’s has for 5 years been in the process of raising $7 million to finance the new St. Mary’s Schools and Center component of the project. To date we have raised $6.2 million in cash and pledges toward our goal.
Charles Gall
Capital Campaign Coordinator
St. Mary’s Chinese Schools & Center
San Francisco, CA
Where Can I Find Spoken Word?
Dear Editor: I am a junior attending Lowell High School in San Francisco. For a long time I have been looking for other politically conscious young people who take pride in their heritage. Your feature article on spoken word poetry “Spoken Word Poets” (May 31) was really interesting and caught my eye. I’m interested in going to watch artists such as the two groups featured in the article. However, I have no clue how to find the events. I know that newspaper offices are extremely busy, but if someone could give me more information about Asian American spoken word poets, it would be greatly appreciated.
Karissa Yee
San Francisco
Editor’s note: I Was Born with Two Tongues and Eighth Wonder both have great interactive Web sites that are good connections to the API spoken word scene. Check them out at www.2tongues.com or www.eighthwonder.cjb.net.
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