The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 21, 1994 - 5
.Speaker
tells of
atrocities
B4.
in Burma
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Daily Staff Reporter
Thousands of protesters have been
gunned down by the military. The
party that received 82 percent of the
vote in the last election is not in
power. There has been little U.S.
foreign policy on the subject.
This is not Haiti, Iraq or China.
In Burma, such atrocities forced
Yuzana Khin to flee her southeast
Asian homeland and come to the
United States to campaign for demo-
cratic reform.
Her life changed dramatically in
August 1988 when she participated
in a protest rally against the govern-
ment. Activistgroups organized thou-
sands from around the country to
Irn out at the government headquar-
ters in the capital city of Rangoon,
for a large rally.
During the first day, the protesters
began to march on the city hail when
they were met by soldiers and tanks.
"They gave the demand 'You
must disperse,"' Khin said.
Khin said the protesters were
scared but continued to demand free
elections and an end to human rights
iolations.
"Soldiers must help and protect
the people," Khin said. "They won't
harm us, we thought."
After a day of rallying, around
midnight, the soldiers began to fire
into the sky. "We were scared but we
did not leave," Khin said.
The military drove their tanks
through the masses and forced the ac-
*vists to withdraw down a main road.
Khin said she was lucky she man-
aged to escape down another street,
since most of the students who with-
drew from the main passage were
killed or arrested.
Government figures indicate
3,000 people were killed that night,
however, Khin said such a number is
unreliable.
Later that night Khin saw two
rucks filled with prisoners parked
outside the friend's house she was
hiding in.
"I couldn't help and shout. If I
shouted they were going to shoot
me," Xhin said.
"Wake up all the people. We need
your help. We must walk together.
Don't sleep," Khin remembers the
prisoners yelling.
# Khinsaid, "I was crying. Those
eople - we don't know when they
will be back. "They will be in jail and
tortured forever."
That night Khin vowed to'fight
until Burma is free.
The small number ofactivists who
escaped began to reorganize imme-
diately. "It was illegal but we did it
anyway," Khin said.
She now tours the United States,
Candidates weigh business,
environment in local forum
By JAMES M. NASH
Daily Staff Reporter
Democratic and Republican can-
didates for local office both champi-
oned environmental issues in a forum
last night at the Ann Arbor Public
Library, but differed slightly on how
to balance environmental protection
with business interests.
The forum, sponsored by three
local environmental groups, high-
lighted areas of agreement between
candidates forAnn Arbormayor, 52nd
and 53rd district state representatives
and 18th district state senator. But the
discussion was not free of partisan
haggling.
While candidates of both parties
painted themselves as "green," Demo-
crats accused their opponents of foot-
dragging and Republicans charged
Democrats with neglecting business
interests.
Republican candidates for state
Senate and 52nd District House were
absent from last night's forum.
Ann Arbor Mayor
Republican incumbent Ingrid
Sheldon and Democratic challenger
David Stead agreed on the need to
cement partnerships with business.
Sheldon said the city should turn
to the Huron River Watershed for
help in minimizing water pollution.
Stead said the city needs to work
more closely with the county Drain
Commission to revise the drain code.
Both candidates advocated un-
specified "incentives" to encourage
citizens to carpool. Stead added that
the city should upgrade its bicycle-
path network.
The mayoral hopefuls disagreed
on a solution to the city's gypsy-moth
crisis, which is attacking certain spe-
cies of trees. Sheldon said the city
should treat the trees with a bacterium
that would retard the moths' repro-
ductive ability. Stead said the mea-
sure is unnecessary, as the moths re-
turn every few years and will soon
disappear-regardless of treatments.
Sheldon and Stead rehashed argu-
ments over the city's Materials Re-
covery Facility, a multi-million-dol-
lar project to reduce the waste stream.
Stead, a 5th Ward council member,
said his opponent only recently has
come to support the facility.
"In the past, she has questioned
the need for that, so I'm glad to see
she's finally coming around," Stead
said.
Sheldon accused Stead of delay-
ing the project by voting against a
council proposal to call in a third
party to review the search process for
a recycling facility.
53rd District House
Democrat Liz Brater and Republi-
can Renee Birnbaum clashed over the
relationship between business and the
See FORUM, Page'7
Halloween party cheers children
KRISTEN SCHAEFER/Daily
Yuzana Khin performs "Struggle for Freedom" in the Rackham Amphitheater.
I couldn't help and
shout. If I shouted they
were going to shoot
me.'
Yuzana Khin
performing a play she wrote titled "A
Struggle for Freedom." Khin per-
formed at Rackham Amphitheater
Tuesday.
Her purpose is to stir up support for
reform in Burma. Khincalled onAmeri-
cans to put pressure on Congress to
sanction the Burmese government.
"Our request is to get support from
the people and the companies who
invest in a dictatorship.
"The U.S. government has been
very supportive," Khin said, but she
said little action has been taken against
the dictators.
Khin also advocates a boycott of
the corporations that invest in Burma.
She feels companies such as Texaco,
Eddie Bauer and Amoco serve to le-
gitimize the military government by
working with the government in
Burma.
"We want Pepsi to divest from
Burma as soon as possible," Khin
said, adding that Amoco has already
begun to pull out.
"My desire and dreams for the
future of Burma is to see democracy."
Khin also called on students to
organizeroundtable discussion groups
on Burma, and to send letters to Con-
gress urging action.
"It's not easy, but they should do
it anyway," Khin said.
By MAUREEN SIRHAL
For the Daily
A group of students spread a little
Halloween excitement at Mott
Children's Hospital last night and
Wednesday night.,
Dressed in costumes such as Jas-
mine from Aladdin, a gypsy and a
cowgirl, the students brought smiles
and giggles to the children's ward.
"They are here all day for weeks
and sometimes months. This is an
extra-special treat for them," said
hospital volunteer Amy Legacki.
The kids were treated to a pizza
party complete with Sweet Tarts and
other candy.
"It's hard. These are really sick
children and they need this," said Pre-
Med Club Service Chair Taryn
Weissman.
"As service chair, this is what I do.
It's great to get one-on-one with the
kids. You're in a hospital and it's just
'Everything we do Is
directed towards more
experience for
students interested in
going into medicine.'
- Taryn Weissman
service chair
great experience. We're exposed to
children of all backgrounds and that
is incredible."
The project lasted for two nights
as a result of limited space. "Last year
we went with a large number and this
year they say we can only take 10
people at a time," Weissman ex-
plained. "I didn't want to turn anyone
down."
The ages of the children that par-
ticipated varied from toddlers to 17-
year-olds. In addition to the food, the
kids enjoyed meeting and talking to
members of the club.
"It's a great idea. The kids just
love it. It eases the scariness," said
mother Karen Wilson.
Many parents also spoke with stu-
dents and explained the difficulties of
their situations.
Many members enjoyed the
chance to donate time to the commu-
nity in a manner related to their future
careers. "You know you're giving
back; you're helping them," said LSA
first-year student Kathy Bereza. "I
definitely want to remain involved in
community service."
In addition to the service that the
members provided, the event also
helped many witness the daily tasks
involved with the medical field.
Overall, it was a worthwhile expe-
rience, participants said. "(The chil-
dren will) be talking about it for
weeks," Legacki said.
INDIA ' {.VIETNAM
SURMA , .
Honors students to teach in elementar
By RYAN FIELDS
Daily Staff Reporter
University students will become
teachers for two hours a week when
the Honors College begins a joint
project in education with Ann Arbor
Public Schools next week.
Students on the Honors College's
community service committee will
teach Burns Park Elementary School
students as part of the project.
Ruth Scodel, director of the Hon-
ors College, came up with the idea
when she heard the elementary school
wanted to start an Able Learners Pro-
gram for its students, but did not have
the staff.
"The school had plans to start the
project, but there was no teacher time
to conduct it, and I figured that outside
resources could help," Scodel said.
The program's goal is "to provide
more opportunity for learning," said
Ruth Williams, principal of Burns
Park. "Basically, this is a chance for
individual challenge."
Williams said elementary students
in mathematics often "are ahead of
the game. They get bored with simple
classroom arithmetic."
The Able Learners Program would
provide these students with enrich-
ment to their classroom learning.
The elementary school will set an
agenda for the Honors tutors. "The
school has shown interest in having
students take small groups of our kids
and performing science experiments,"
Scodel said.
Teachers will also contribute to
the project. The University students
will help teachers with projects that
are potentially valuable. "The teach-
ers here at Burns will dictate how
much the volunteer students do with
our kids," Williams said.
This project was approved by the
Local Site ManagementTeam, acom-
mittee of parents, teachers and ad-
ministrators. Approval from these
committees is necessary to implement
projects in Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Although it will begin on a limited
basis, Williams is enthusiastic about
the project's possibilities. "We are
very excited. It opens up new oppor-
tunities for our children to learn from
'program
eager University volunteers," Will-
iams said.
Scodel said LSA first-year Hon-
ors student Jessica Long is respon-
sible for helping to continue the project
after its initial planning stages. "Jes-
sica has made all the phone calls to
committee members and helped co-
ordinate this project," Scodel said.
Long is part of the Honors central
planning committee, a group of Hon-
ors students and staff who set the
program's agenda. "This project is
part of a general move by the Honors
program central committee to do more
'student-life' type activities. I thought
that this project would be something
to bring the Honors students together,"
Scodel said.
1 U
Corrections
yE The Photostory on Jawbox by Molly Stevens was mistakenly printed in black and white instead of color in
yesterday's Daily.
A production error resulted in the inclusion of an incorrect statement in an article about University funding in
yesterday's Daily.
REAL
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