Burma Democratic Concern has the firm determination to carry on doing until the democracy restore in Burma.

Monday 22 March 2010

What Have You Done U Aung Shwe

Refugees International Japan’s 20th ‘ART OF DINING’ Charity Exhibition

Refugees International Japan (RIJ) will present a feast for the eyes at the 20th anniversary of its exhibition, ‘Art of Dining’, on Tues. March 16, 2010 from 12- 8:30pm at The Westin Tokyo.

Opened in previous years by HIH Princess Hitachi, ‘Art of Dining’ will showcase imaginative and culturally-diverse table designs by 21 designers from artistic, diplomatic, culinary and business circles.

Open to the public, guests can enjoy the unique interior design on display, while helping to raise money and promote awareness of the plight of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs).

This year’s group of designers includes TV producer Kyoko Spector co-presenting with Mayari Ishibashi, Futaba-ryu ikebana master Horiguchi Shoko, and renowned artist Misaki Ando, along with Colombian Ambassador Patricia Cardenas and representatives from the embassies of Afghanistan and Botswana.

‘Art of Dining’ has raised more than 150 million yen since its inception and will continue to support projects for refugees around the world. A section of this year’s event space will include information on the over 60 million displaced people worldwide and detail how RIJ is making a difference.

This year, viewing has been extended from 12- 8:30pm. Tea and coffee will be available for purchase.

Exciting Door Prizes:
-tickets for Virgin Atlantic Airways
-stays at the Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo and The Westin Tokyo
-dinner vouchers for the Conrad Tokyo, ANA InterContinental Tokyo and Suji’s

Commemorative Calendars:
-designed especially for the 20th anniversary event, featuring stunning photos of past table designs

Volunteers:
-welcome your help both before and on the day of the event
-particularly keen to hear from foreign and Japanese people with skills in marketing and corporate fundraising (especially in the Japanese business sector)
-for more info: anne@refugeesinternationaljapan.org


Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 12:00– 8:30pm; Opening Ceremony: 11:30am

Place: The Westin Tokyo, Yebisu Garden Place, Kaede Rm B1
(JR Ebisu Stn - 7 min, Hibiya Line Ebisu Stn - 10 min)
www.westin-tokyo.co.jp/access/index.html#en

Admission: ¥3,500 at the door or through RIJ:
www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org/user/40/Art_of_Dining
T: 03-5500-3093/ F: 03-5500-3094 enquiries@refugeesinternationaljapan.org

Calendar: ¥700 anne@refugeesinternationaljapan.org


Refugees International Japan (国際難民支援会)は、第20回記念「Art of Dining-食卓の芸術チャリティー展示会」を、2010年3月16日(火)にウェスティンホテル東京にて開催します。

例年同様、常陸宮妃華子殿下にオープニングセレモニーにご臨席を賜り、「Art of Dining-食卓の芸術」と題して芸術、外交、料理、ビジネス界から20組以上の参加者が独創的で文化的多様さに富むテーブルセッティングを披露します。

ご来場の皆様には、ユニークなインテリアデザインをご覧いただきながら、あわせて難民や国内避難民の窮状をご理解いただき、募金を通して私たち国際難民支援会の活動を支援していただければ幸いです。

今年の参加デザイナーは、パトリシア・カルデナス駐日コロンビア大使、アフガニスタン及びボツワナ両大使館代表の方々をはじめ、テレビプロデューサースペクター・京子氏と石橋まやり氏のお二人、華道二葉流五代家元堀口昌洸氏、画家・造形作家安藤岬氏といった多彩な各界を代表する方々です。

第一回の開催以来「Art of Dining-食卓の芸術チャリティー展示会」は、1億5千万円のご協力を募ることができました。今後も世界中で活動しているプロジェクトへの貢献援助を続けて参ります。会場には、世界の6千万人以上の難民の現状と、RIJの援助によって彼らの生活がどう変わったか、をご覧いただけるコーナーも設けてあります。

20周年を記念して、日本と海外のデザイナーによる、これまでのテーブルデザインの写真と、集まった募金が世界中の難民の生活向上にどのように使われたか、を掲載したカレンダーを作製しました。

今年の開催時間は12時から20時30分になります。今年は展示会場の隣にご来場の方々がごゆっくりご歓談できるようにティールームをご用意いたしました。また、例年どおりチケットは豪華な賞品があたるくじにも参加いただけます。

すばらしいドア・プライズ!
ーヴァージンアトランテイック航空の航空券
ーシャングリ・ラホテル東京、ウェスティンホテル東京のホテル宿泊券
ーコンラッド東京、スージーズ東京、ANAインターコンチネンタルホテル東京の晩食券

Art of Dining-食卓の芸術概要
主催:RIJ(国際難民支援会)
趣旨:世界の難民支援を目的とした募金活動
(難民問題への意識を高めるための、20組以上のデザイナーによる食卓の芸術の展示)

日時:2010年3月16日(火)12:00~20:30
(オープニングセレモニー:11:30~)

場所:ウェスティンホテル東京地下一階「楓の間」(恵比寿ガーデンプレイス内)
www.westin-tokyo.co.jp/access/index.html#en
交通:JR山手線・埼京線、地下鉄日比谷線「恵比寿駅」より徒歩約7分

入場料:3,500円当日会場入口で。またはRIJ事務所にて事前購入(豪華賞品があたるくじ付き)www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org/user/40/Art of Dining/J

カレンダー:700円連絡先enquiries@refugeesinternationaljapan.org


www.refugeesinternationaljapan.org

Twitter: RefugeesJapan

Photos: 2009 "Art of Dining"- Takeshi Yuzawa

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7141&id=100000191736313#!/event.php?eid=271515240278&index=1
Open Letter to Ban-Ki-Moon ABMA+88+ABFSU+Burmese

Chanting Metta for Burma

Between 12th and 17th April at 12 noon local time we will chant or read အရပ္(၁၀)မ်က္ႏွာ ေမတၱာပို႔ or some other version of Metta Sutta.

In this way there will be someone chanting or reading Metta Sutta during the whole period of the Burmese New Year Thingyan, because we all live in different countries. Hopefully people living in Burma will also join us. It is very important that we do this, because there must be a CHANGE in Burma before the so called elections this year. Because of the constitution drawn 2008, military power will become permanent after the "elections" in Burma.

To make a wish for Chanting Metta, please click on this link

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/chantingmetta

Event: Chanting Metta for Burma.
Start Time: Monday, April 12 at 12:00pm.
End Time: Saturday, April 17 at 12:05pm.
Where: Worldwide.

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:.

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=377433483845&mid=20f4815G5220e769G19d09d7G7&bcode=3POos&n_m=shinminoo%40gmail.com



MPU
Chanting Metta for Burma
Between 12th and 17th April at 12 noon local time we will chant or read အရပ္(၁၀)မ်က္ႏွာ ေမတၱာပို႔ or some other version of Metta Sutta. In this way there will be someone chanting or reading Metta Sutta during the whole period of the Burmese New Year Thingyan, because we all live in different countries. Hopefully people living in Burma will also join us. It is very important that we do this, because there must be a CHANGE in Burma before the so called elections this year. Because of the constitution drawn 2008, military power will become permanent after the "elections" in Burma. We don't have much time, we must act NOW. Let us all learn Metta Sutta (no matter in what language) and let us chant it togheter during the Burmese New Year Thingyan. Let the New Year really mark the beginning of something NEW. It is time to END the power of the military government in Burma with the power of METTA (Loving Kindness).
http://ping.fm/asN5Y
Between 12th and 17th April at 12 noon local time we will chant or read အရပ္(၁၀)မ်က္ႏွာ ေမတၱာပို႔ or some other version of Metta Sutta. In this way there will be someone chanting or reading Metta Sutta during the whole period of the Burmese New Year Thingyan, because we all live in different countries. Hopefully people living in Burma will also join us. It is very important that we do this, because there must be a CHANGE in Burma before the so called elections this year. Because of the constitution drawn 2008, military power will become permanent after the "elections" in Burma. We don't have much time, we must act NOW. Let us all learn Metta Sutta (no matter in what language) and let us chant it togheter during the Burmese New Year Thingyan. Let the New Year really mark the beginning of something NEW. It is time to END the power of the military government in Burma with the power of METTA (Loving Kindness).

http://ping.fm/oaGey
Burma’s principal opposition party is to launch a legal challenge against election laws that bar its leader from running for office and require her expulsion if the party is to participate.
http://ping.fm/zYpzH
“We request you to ask the members of the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Burma as soon as possible,” said the letter. “From the meeting, we would like to call for a collective and effective action, with an aim to stop the regime from continuing its dangerous path to militarism and start negotiating with democratic forces and ethnic representatives for a peaceful political settlement.”
http://www.bdcburma.org
Three prominent exiled Burmese dissident groups have called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to urge members of the Security Council to aid the people of Burma.

The All Burma Monks' Alliance, the 88 Generation Students and the All Burma Federation of Students Union in a letter to Ban said, “Now is the time for the UN Security Council to intervene in our country’s affairs. Burma cannot afford further delay.”
http://ping.fm/shvLx

Exiled Groups Seek UN Action on Burma

Three prominent exiled Burmese dissident groups have called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to urge members of the Security Council to aid the people of Burma.

The All Burma Monks' Alliance, the 88 Generation Students and the All Burma Federation of Students Union in a letter to Ban said, “Now is the time for the UN Security Council to intervene in our country’s affairs. Burma cannot afford further delay.”

Ban has scheduled a meeting of his ad-hoc Friends on Burma on Thursday.

“We request you to ask the members of the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Burma as soon as possible,” said the letter. “From the meeting, we would like to call for a collective and effective action, with an aim to stop the regime from continuing its dangerous path to militarism and start negotiating with democratic forces and ethnic representatives for a peaceful political settlement.”

Referring to Burma's recently announced election laws, the three groups urged that the international community and the UN not endorse and recognize the regime’s electoral laws and the election, which they said goes against democratic norms and undermines genuine democracy from taking place.

“We also would like to reiterate your recent statements on Burma that, “without the participation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all key political prisoners, the elections would not be inclusive.”

The people of Burma have never accepted the regime’s 2008 Constitution designed to enshrine permanent military rule in the country, said the letter.

The three groups said that despite persistent demands by the UN and the international community to create the necessary conditions to make the 2010 elections inclusive, transparent and fair, the regime has deliberately failed to heed the calls.

“Instead, the regime responded by issuing a set of unfair and unjust electoral laws, which will beget undemocratic elections,” said the letter. “In addition to removing Aung San Suu Kyi and over 2,100 political prisoners from the country’s political process, the regime harbors plans to intensify its military assaults against ethnic cease-fire troops who refuse to obey its orders.”

The groups said they supported UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Quintana's recommendation to the UN to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18088