Friday, December 10, 2010

Refugees, humanitarian volunteers bask in U2's limelight at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium

U2'S HEROES: Burma refugees Htee Ku Sot Win, Hayblu Win, Eh Ta Ler Htue, Sarblair Twayjaw, Tem Leh and Christabel Wah were part of a group of 30 who were invited on stage during the U2 concert in Brisbane. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail


SIX refugees from Burma now living in Brisbane were part of a group 30 humanitarian volunteers to join Irish supergroup U2 on stage at Suncorp Stadium.
The Footsteps for Burma Campaign volunteers worked for Burma Campaign Australia (BCA) before the concert asking U2 fans to join the BCA campaign's email database and raise awareness of the oppressed people of Burma.

Htee Ku Sot Win, Hayblu Win, Eh Ta Ler Htue, Sarblair Twayjaw, Tem Leh and Christabel Wah - all from the Karen community of eastern Burma - joined volunteers from Bono's own advocacy group, One, to make an Amnesty International circle of light on stage in front of 55,000 fans.

The band wrote the song about Burmese opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from 15 years of house arrest last month.

Sarblair Twayjaw, 36, has been living in Australia for six years after coming to the country as a refugee.

He escaped military oppression in his township by crossing the Thai-Burma border, eventually spending 14 years of his life in the Mae Lae refugee camp in Thailand.

``I am so happy and proud to be part of this,'' he said.

``U2 have given us the opportunity to tell people about the Burma Campaign."


www.couriermail.com.au

No comments: