Fellow actors and friends, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon have launched an advertising campaign to bring awareness to Myanmar.
The ad, sponsored by the activist group Not On Our Watch, states that the country's regime is putting putting their people at risk by preventing foreign aid from entering since the Cyclone Nagris disaster. "Burma’s neighbors have the power to help victims who remain desperately in need," a quote from the ad which was signed by many surrounding countries’ presidents.
According to Not On Our Watch, Burma (also known as Myanmar) is governed by one of the most brutal military regimes in the world, led by General Than Shwe. Since 1990, fair elections have not been held. Democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, where she has been held for 12 of the last 18 years. Under Than Shwe, the regime continues to perpetrate gross human rights violations against Burmese citizens. It is estimated that the military has destroyed over 3200 tribal villages, violently suppressing opposition forces through torture, rape and execution. In the wake of Cyclone Nargis, Than Shwe repeatedly prevented foreign aid and emergency supplies from coming into the country, a stance that sharply increased death and disease in those regions hardest hit.
Over 130,000 people have died or disappeared from Cyclone Nagris.
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