The poster and video can be viewed here:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/therealdisaster.html
In the wake of the devastating cyclone that hit Burma on 2 May, the Burma Campaign UK today launched a new video and poster campaign to highlight the ongoing disaster in Burma – the military dictatorship.
The new animated film ‘The Real Disaster’ was created by Ogilvy Advertising and is narrated by famous comedian Ricky Gervais. It tells the story of a little girl called Khin Mar, who survived Cyclone Nargis but whose village is later destroyed by the military dictatorship. The message is ‘The real disaster in Burma is the government’.
An advertising van displaying a powerful poster of a cyclone victim with the message ‘The real disaster in Burma is the government’, will visit the following locations in London today:
Burmese Embassy, Charles Street
Buckingham Palace
House of Parliament
“If the Burmese regime cared about its people they wouldn’t leave storm victims to die, shoot at peaceful protestors and rape 5 year old girls, like Khin Mar,” said Johnny Chatterton, Campaigns Officer for Burma Campaign UK. “We are launching this campaign because the world must realise that the real disaster in Burma is the regime. The last 9 months have shown the world that the regime will stop at nothing to stay in power.”
The Burmese military dictatorship refused to allow international aid to survivors of cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma seven weeks ago, resulting in unknown thousands of deaths. Seven weeks on hundreds of thousands of people have still not received any aid as the regime broke its word to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about allowing free access to the delta region.
However, the regime’s restrictions on aid are not new. The regime has been blocking aid to its people for two decades. In Eastern Burma the military junta has been waging a war of ethnic cleansing against Burma’s ethnic groups, driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The attacks have led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, but the regime makes sure that very little aid reaches the victims.
The poster and video can be viewed here:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/therealdisaster.html
For more information, please Johnny Chatterton, Campaigns Officer, 020 7324 4714.
High resolution images of the poster and campaign launch, including images of the ad van as it travels around London are available on request.