Library to Host Program on Myanmar and Cyclone Nargis

The Tompkins County Public Library and Cornell University's Southeast Asia Program will sponsor a presentation by Cornell Humphrey Fellow Ohnmar Khaing on the impact of Cyclone Nargis on the country of Myanmar (Burma), Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 6:00 PM in the Thaler/Howell Programming Room.

An agriculture specialist with the United Nations World Food Program, Khaing supports and collaborates with local authorities and non-governmental organizations to initiate dialogue and action planning for livelihood activities. She also provides technical advice, relevant technical training and workshops.

Khaing's talk will provide background on Myanmar and an overview of the May 2008 cyclone and its path of devastation. She will discuss relief and recovery efforts after the cyclone, including domestic and international responses. Her presentation of where the situation currently stands in Myanmar will be supplemented by slides and information from a panel of Cornell Southeast Asia Program graduate students who have all been in Myanmar in recent months.

Two educational exhibits Burma/Myanmar: Creativity, Diversity, and Everyday Life and Karen Textiles from Burma and the U.S. are currently on display in the library's Avenue of the Friends and the Youth Services department.

For more information, please contact Thamora Fishel at (607) 275-9452 or tf14@cornell.edu.