As a good number of people who are close with me on deviantart know, I am an officer at my school's own Amnest International.

Amnesty International is a humanitarian group which fights for basic human rights world wide no matter what religion an individual or believes in or the government they are under or any other thing they may believe. Generally, many of the situations we look in to deal with opressed people.

Recently we've put a lot of focus on the genocide in Darfur, but tonight I went to an Amnesty meeting outside of school where two individuals from Burma spoke.

While you can do as much research as you'd like on a subject, nothing will connect as much as if you've heard it straight for the source.

The problems in Burma started in 1988 when their government tripled gas prices. Here in America we complain greatly about gas prices, but never have we experienced gas prices tripling over night.

Certainly people would protest about this. Why? Not just because it's an inconvienance but without being able to pay for gas you can't drive to work, if you can't drive to work then you can't make money, if you can't make money then you can't eat, if you can't eat then you die.

Their military government did not take well to said protests which were peaceful for the most part and soldiers began to beat and kill individuals in these peaceful protests. In one incident a group of monks sat down in front of the soldiers and prayed in protest and these MONKS were beaten and even SHOT for a protest as peaceful as so.

As years went on more people became afraid to outwardly protest and the population was and IS left helpless. People aren't allowed out at night because of the government therefore whole families disappear in the night and it was also said some group of hundreds of monks disappeared during the night.

Not only this, but their military often uses RAPE as a weapon.

How is the government able to do this? Obviously many individuals themselves are afraid of being killed by the government so they join the military. This is where the problem lies. Soldiers are brainwashed in to bloodlusting gunslingers. This even starts in the education. Children are taught history INCORRECTLY in their schools. They turn situations in Burma's history where they had taken control of another country ruthelessly in to situation of glory and victory.

How can you help? Write letters to your government telling them to put pressure on the Myanmar government directly or to put pressure on the Chinese, Japanese and/or Russian government to cut all ties with Burma.

Also, I met people whose lives and family's lives were affected by this, I'd appreciate more people educating themselves about this topic. Spreading the word is the only way Burma's population won't eventually disappear.