Dear friends of INEB,
We send greetings and best wishes for your health and wellbeing as the pandemic continues to affect the entire world.
Here in Southeast Asia, the military coup that took place in Burma on February 1, 2021, has sent shock waves across the entire region and is seriously impacting the lives of our friends in Burma as they find ways to survive the oppressive tactics of the military. This issue focuses on the pro-democracy movements in Siam and Burma with country reports and articles giving insights into the unfolding situations. Urgent funding appeals to support Burma’s civil disobedience movement with additional information available on INEB’s and the Spirit in Education’s (SEM) websites are also included.
The Niwano Peace Foundation has announced that INEB’s patron Venerable Bhikshuni Chao Hwei of Taiwan has been awarded the 38th Niwano Peace Prize. The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine presented their Humanities Award to Roshi Joan Halifax. Roshi Joan is a member of INEB’s Advisory Committee. We send our heartfelt congratulations to both Venerable Chao Hwei and Roshi Joan for their contributions in their respective fields of peacebuilding and palliative care. We also offer our congratulations to Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni for successfully donating the land on which the Songdhammakalyani Monastery is located in Nakom Pathom province. The process took 40 years and now the Kalyani Temple has become the 25th temple in Sampran district.
