MoeMaKa 3 Years Anniversary (2006) - Reunion Event and Workshop Report

MoeMaKa 3 Years Anniversary - Reunion Event and Workshop Report

(12/01/2006)

Maung Yit  (Maung Maung Win)

On Behalf of MoeMaKa Team

The Reasons Behind

MoeMaKa Radio & Multimedia, volunteer news group run by Burmese media people in exile was first launched back in April 2003. Stating as an internet radio web-cast station, it has its momentum by establishing and extending services in online news publication, online media catalog order and monthly print-newsletter.

It has at least one thousand over email subscribers for its news and activity updates. It is not only encouraging the readers in Burmese language but also Burmese writers inside and outside Burma to share their experience and their feeling.

In Burma, as the military junta is blocking and controlling freedom of expression and the press, MoeMaKa has tried its best to serve as a place to practice freedom of expression and the press for the Burmese readers and the writers.

While the Burmese literary icon in exile such as Tin Moe and Maung Swan Yi are providing all their moral support, the Burmese audience gradually accepts MoeMaKa as a trust worthy and transparent news source on Burma and its literature.

This is the first time ever after over 3 years of establishment of MoeMaKa when all the founders, editors, writers, volunteer-staffs and the audience come from every corner of the world to meet face to face and to talk, review and do open discussion for the future well-being of MoeMaKa Radio and Mutimedia.

The Attendees High Lights

The Advisors – Tin Moe, Maung Swan Yi

The Guest Writers and Intellects – Moe Hein, Salai Tun Than, Ye Naing Moe, Zaw Zaw

The Editors – Maung Yit, Htain Linn, Zarny Win

The Volunteer Staffs – Ko Oo,Chan Myay Ain, Ottara Moon

The Contributor-Writers – Moe Cho Thin, Hayman Thazin, Decem Moe, May Hninn Le Mon

And The Audience

The Records High Lights

(1)   The Oral History of the advisors and the guest writers on their life, the contemporary experience and the struggle for the freedom of expression and the press.

(2)   The Open Discussion and Workshop of the MoeMaKa Team on the operation and the plan and the capacity of MoeMaKa in the past, present and the future.

(3)   The Opinion and The Suggestion from the audience.

The Event – Brief Facts

1. MoeMaKa Reunion Event and Workshop was held from 4^th to 15^th October 2006.
2. Total Attended Guests were 30.
3. Accommodation took place at (1) 2 Editors' Residences (2) SFSU Guest House (3) Good Nite Inn at Fremont (4) Metta Nanda Vihara Monastery at Fremont.
4. For Boarding Service, credit went to Khaing Khaing Nyunt and her family.
5. For Digital Photo Recording Service, credit went to Ko Ko Photo.
6. The Guest related accommodation, transportation, information and reception services were provided by all MoeMaKa Team and Volunteers.
7. At the reception, we entertain the guest with mini-book stall, show-casing some rare books published back in Burma and handing out free newsletter of MoeMaKa October edition.
8. The Guest-Book had recorded all the messages wrote by the attendees and also from the audience and the writers who could not attend but send their greetings.

The Network High Lights

This the first time that MoeMaKa formally contacted the institution, organizations and the persons concerned interested in Burmese issues.

(1)   Iowa Writers Program, University of Iowa. We have invited their guest writer – U Moe Hein from Burma. We also invited the director of the program but only U Moe Hein could only managed to attend the event.

(2)   International Visiting Scholars' Program, UC Berkeley. We have invited their visiting scholar – Ye Naing Moe from Burma. He could not attend the event but he had managed to attend the pre-event workshop and open-discussion with MoeMaKa.

(3)   Burma Project, Open Society Institute, New York. We have invited Zaw Zaw, a coordinator of Burma Project (our committed donor) and also an advisor to our fellow technical assistance team to us – Burma IT from India. He could not stay until to the reunion event but joined with us in the pre-event workshop and open-discussion.

(4)   South East Asian Study Center, Northern Illinois University. We have invited Burmese scholar, U Saw Tun but due to very short notice, he could not manage it.

(5)   Burmese American Democratic Alliance, San Francisco. We have invited its general secretary, Ko Nyunt Than to attend the ceremony.

(6)   Burmese Students Association, UC Berkeley. We have invited active member and representative, Ko Zin Minn Tun to attend the ceremony.

(7)   Burmese Buddhist Monks presiding in the bay area around San Francisco. MoeMaKa requested the permission of monks from Metta Nanda Vihara Monastery, Fremont to let us hold the ceremony at their monastery. With their blessing and participation, the event became possible.

The High Lighted Notes from Open-Discussions

The Title	The Description	From	To
Burma Project & MoeMaKa	To get continuous support from Burma Project. To assist in small and medium projects inside/outside Burma done by Burma Project. To have more discussion in expansion of MoeMaKa's operation.	Zaw Zaw	MoeMaKa
BIT & MoeMaKa	To help build Burmese/English internet web pages. To assist in technical support for MoeMaKa. To help prepare Burmese articles, e-books and archives.	Zaw Zaw	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa in English	To extend the non-Burmese audience by sharing and presenting the articles by Burmese authors in English translation.	MoeMaKa	Maung Yit, Zarny Win
MoeMaKa & Inside Burma	After having open discussion with the guest writers visiting from Burma, MoeMaKa will have to take a broader role to present more articles and books by Burmese authors inside Burma which are banned by the regime and at the same time, the reasonable royalty has to be arranged. To build more e-books and e-archives of books and articles which are now banned in Burma.	Guest Writers	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa E-Archives	According to open-discussion, MoeMaKa has to be more focus to build a virtual and physical arrangement to archives books and literatures.	Maung Swan Yi	Maung Swan Yi, MoeMaKa, BIT
The capacity of MoeMaKa	To be more efficient, effective and compact in running the whole operation of MoeMaKa, it has to be practical and discreet in taking jobs and responsibility. If things are not possible, admit it and do only things that are affordable to MoeMaKa because Moemaka is mostly running from the fund, knowledge and capacity coming only from the committed volunteer intellects.	Tin Moe	MoeMaKa
The Management	According as the ceremony goes, MoeMaKa has very limited man power and resources to manage the operation. If we can have committed manager to oversee the routines and procedure, it would be better.	Zarny Win	MoeMaKa
Burmese Language Usage	Online Publication of MoeMaKa, it has variety of topics and categories to organize the articles and writers according to the issues and the interest of the readers. But if we stick with simpler topic name and straight forward Burmese language usage, the audience will not be confused while browsing site.	Maung Swan Yi	MoeMaKa
Fund Raising	To take more seriously in doing paper works and book keeping making it more official non-profit organization. To raise such awareness to the audience to seek their assistance and help.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa Newsletter in Print	After launching the MoeMaKa Monthly Newsletter in Print, it has gained significant amount of impact to the audience. The e-Newletter in PDF reached the audience inside Burma and the Print reached more to non-internet audience outside Burma. We have to make freer newsletter contribution to some location where Burmese people are used to gather such as Dentist, Monastery and Mom & Pop Stores.	Tin Moe	MoeMaKa
To Accept Ad	As MoeMaKa seems to be regarded as opposition news media, many Burmese community and business related person and companies are found to be reluctant to place the ad on MoeMaKa publications. MoeMaKa is only asking 300 US$ for the whole year to place an ad on both online and monthly newsletter. If we continue to ask more support from the audience, we might be getting ad-placement from the community. Reading an ad is also fun because it provide regional information and some personal datas.	Tin Moe	MoeMaKa
To Serve as Publication Service Provider to outside customers with reasonable fees	There's a need of the place where you can have one stop service for books or articles typing, compilation, layout/design and production. If MoeMaKa can provide such service, it can be served as one of fund-raising work. We have to estimate the service charge for preparing a book, it may be 300 to 500 US$ no printing included.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa, Ko Oo
MoeMaKa Online Library	As we already have the habit of buying, collecting and sharing books among the team members of MoeMaKa, if we were to come up with the list of books and archives that we have and post online as Online Library Service, it will be a good reference place for other institution and persons alike.	Zaw Zaw, Maung Swan Yi, MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa Online Catalog (Online Shop)	To be able to serve as on stop location to find and purchase the multimedia produced by the Burmese opposition media groups, MoeMaKa is offering "Online Catalog Order System" – Online Shop.  It is getting it popularity and also it is offering free e-PDF downloads by some media groups' periodicals. We are also planning to post some collectible books and publications from inside Burma	MoeMaKa	Ottara Moon
MoeMaKa Oral History Week	Most of the conversation and talk by our advisors and our guest-writers are recorded as their reflections of their lives, experience and the struggle for the freedom of expression and the press. It will be organized and edited by MoeMaKa team to present it online or on the internet radio.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa Daily News Updates	MoeMaKa does daily article update at least with one article. But we still could not do the daily Burmese news updates like other news group. If we can have more volunteer news-writer and tech-support people, it could be arranged	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa
History and Research Section	We already have editors on policy, technology, literature and current-issues. The audience is in demand on history, term-paper and research. We can present articles on historical facts and biography of people normally banned inside Burma. If Maung Swan Yi could oversee the task, it would be great.	MoeMaKa	Maung Swan Yi
MoeMaKa Award	To promote the movement and the struggle of press freedom in Burma and the local Burmese people who are committing into it through their lives and raise the awareness of the struggle towards the audience and to get the public participation onto it, MoeMaKa is thinking of giving a yearly award to such Burmese people.	Zarny Win	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa Guests of Honor	Salai Tun Than – Independent and individual intellect activist raising human rights issue in Burma. Family of Zarganar – famous artist and comedian of Burma recently banned from public performance due to his constant criticism towards the junta. The Monks residing at the Burmese monastery in the bay area of San Francisco – without their support and the willingness to let us use their place, MoeMaKa event should not have been possible. The attended Buemese guests from all walks of life – it is remarkable for MoeMaKa to see their interest and enthusiasm to come out and be present at this Reunion event.	The Guest	MoeMaKa
Next Year Event	It is the first ever showcase of MoeMaKa to show its readiness and capacity to work, to coordinate and to participate with any organization, institution and individuals interested in freedom of press issues of Burma and Burmese People. MoeMaKa is ready and willing to welcome and to be welcomed to and from the institutions and the individual who has the similar goal and policy as MoeMaKa. May be in next year, MoeMaKa might host the cultural and traditional music festival if the faith and situation permit.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa
MoeMaKa 3 Years Anniversary Event  - Guest Book	We are going to publish both online and print special newsletter featuring of the photos, auto-graphs and articles by the guest-writers.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa, Ko Oo
The Event Souvenir	The Reunion Event Logo will be used as a print out on the coffee mug and will be sent out to all the volunteer workers and attend guest-writers.	MoeMaKa	MoeMaKa