DICTATOR WATCH
(www.dictatorwatch.org)

Contact: Roland Watson, roland@dictatorwatch.org

LESSONS IN DEMOCRACY - UPDATE RE BURMESE TRANSLATION

September 4, 2012

Please post this statement to all Burma email lists and Facebook groups.

Burma is undergoing a tumultuous period, through which it may - or may not - achieve real democracy, and respect for and protection of human rights. It is therefore essential that all the people of the country become well-educated, about democracy and human rights, so they understand the goals that they are trying to achieve, and also whether the actions of their different leaders are helping with this or not.

There are few resources available on these subjects in Burmese. One of them is my work, Lessons in Democracy, translated by Lwin Aung Soe. I am extremely pleased that readership of the work is becoming widespread.

Downloads last month jumped. There are generally 200-300 per month from the Lessons in Democracy website, but in August this rose to 1,326, or more than 40 per day. The total downloads are now over 15,000.

With the rise in Internet usage in Burma, we may be approaching the tipping point, through which readership will increase ten or even one hundred fold. Having this many people with a basic understanding of the democratic system would truly enhance the prospects for the country.

Please forward the following link to all of your contacts inside Burma, and when you do please ask them to forward the link to all of their contacts as well. This will help the translation to go viral.

http://www.dictatorwatch.org/books//LessonsinDemocracyBurmese.pdf

Please also feel free to post the link on your own websites and blogs.

We are further looking for partners who would be willing to print the work in pamphlet form, for sale to the public at cost, in Rangoon, Mandalay, and elsewhere in Burma. Such a step should be feasible, now that Thein Sein is signaling a reduction in censorship. Distributing the work in print would lead to a skyrocketing number of people formally studying democracy. It would fly off the table at any newsstand.

Thank you for your help. For a truly free and democratic Burma!