[liberationtech] Fwd: Burma Groups Expose Fraud and Abuse in the November 7 Elections

[Katrin Verclas]

FYI...

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Rob Runyan" <rrunyan at ndi.org>
> Date: November 9, 2010 4:14:36 PM EST
> To: "Rob Runyan" <rrunyan at ndi.org>
> Subject: Burma Groups Expose Fraud and Abuse in the November 7  
> Elections
>
> BURMA GROUPS EXPOSE FRAUD AND ABUSE
> IN THE NOVEMBER 7 ELECTIONS
>
> WASHINGTON, DC – Dozens of Burma border-based organizations with  
> feeds from human rights organizations and exile media launched a  
> website to share citizen reports of widespread abuse and fraud  
> around the first elections in Burma in 20 years. Burma Election  
> Tracker (www.burmaelectiontracker.org) shows detailed reports, eye  
> witness accounts, pictures and video gathered through established  
> networks of civic organizations operating throughout Burma. The site  
> also provides ongoing analysis and recommendations.
>
> The group concluded that “The reports that we have gathered  
> demonstrate that these elections are deeply flawed, and are  
> fundamentally illegitimate, unfree, unfair and undemocratic.”
>
> More than 300 reports have been posted on the site, varying from  
> stories of voter intimidation to journalists being arrested and  
> refugees streaming into neighboringThailand due to election-related  
> violence. The site will be updated continuously over the coming days  
> as additional reports about election day and the post-election  
> environment trickle out of the country.
>
> Due to restrictions on communications and suppression of political  
> activities it is very difficult to move this information out of  
> Burma. These groups are using a variety of means to collect and  
> transfer the information so it can be published on the site,  
> including Internet and mobile communications as available, and  
> physically carrying media cards containing pictures and video out of  
> the country. Still, many reports never make it.
>
> “Because of the extreme difficulty of collecting information in  
> Burma, we recognize that these reports represent a small portion of  
> similar violations, fraud and atrocities,” said Khin Ohmar,  
> coordinator of  the Burma Partnership, a Burmese-led network of  
> organizations in Asia advocating for and mobilizing a movement for  
> democracy and human rights in Burma.
>
> Burma Election Tracker provides an interactive map of several  
> hundred reports that allow visitors to identify geographic trends of  
> various types of human rights and electoral violations. Additional  
> data sets will be added to the site over the coming days. The  
> website is another step in the creation of approaches and tools that  
> citizens can use to assess and improve political processes in  
> repressive countries.
>
> Burma Election Tracker is supported by a mostly volunteer team of  
> about 50 Burmese citizens and the courageous work of hundreds of  
> activists and rights defenders around the country. The site is  
> designed and managed by the Burma Partnership.
>
> NDI has provided ongoing technical support to the Burma Partnership  
> and assisted with the development of the Burma Election Tracker.  
> This work is part of the Institute’s broader effort to assist  
> democracy and human rights activists in using the internet and  
> mobile technology to document abuses and advocate for political  
> reform. NDI has supported international advocacy for Burma since 1995.
>
>
> The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan  
> organization working to support and strengthen democratic  
> institutions worldwide by promoting citizen participation, openness  
> and accountability in government.  More information is available at www.ndi.org 
> .
> ###
>


Katrin Verclas
MobileActive.org
katrin at mobileactive.org

skype/twitter: katrinskaya
(347) 281-7191

A global network of people using mobile technology for social impact
http://mobileactive.org

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