6/11/22, 9:52 PM Burma: Constructive Engagement in Cyberspace? | Cultural Survival However, after seeing how e-mail worked and being urged by colleagues in Japan and the West to get `on-line,' some young Burmese, Karen, and Mon computer experts asked for help getting e-mail accounts. When other young exiles saw their peers using the Internet, they asked them what they were doing. Soon, everyone wanted an account. The Burma Project and other foreign NGOs have provided funding for Burmese political organizations to purchase computers, modems, and e-mail accounts. At first, learning how to use e-mail was done informally by members of Western NGOs and foreigners volunteering or doing research along the border. In the past two years, however, teaching about e-mail and the Internet has shifted to members of the exile groups, who not only instruct other members of their own organizations, but also individuals from other organizations. In particular, members of Green November 32, an indigenous organization which focuses on human rights and environmental issues, have traveled the border holding month-long computer classes that include an introduction to e-mail and the web. They also do private consultations, helping people upgrade their skills and solve computer-related problems. A self-taught Karen, who learned mostly by studying computer books and magazines, has provided similar assistance for Karens and Burmese living in his border town. Meanwhile, Mon professionals and students who were raised in Thailand have worked with Mon from Burma to show them how to browse the web and access Mon home-pages. One young Mon from Burma, now living in Thailand, has gone on to develop 17 Mon fonts. While it took him two months to perfect the first one, he can now develop a new font in two days. The fonts are used for Mon language publications produced outside Burma and sent into Mon state. In the future, they will also be used on the Internet. Ethnic minority groups based in the border areas of Burma and abroad use e-mail and the Internet for three primary purposes: first to distribute news about abuses in their areas, to network with others, and to educate outsiders about their histories, cultures, and political demands. Exile offices of armed resistance groups such as the Karen National Union, the Karenni National Progressive Party, and the Shan United Revolutionary Army regularly post news on listservs and the Internet about human rights abuses committed by SLORC soldiers in their territories. Written reports are sent from the border areas to offices outside Burma, where they are translated into English and e-mailed around the world. This news is essential because it is virtually impossible for journalists to travel to sensitive areas in Burma, particularly the ethnic minority homelands in the border regions. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/burma-constructive-engagement-cyberspace 4/10