Jayde is okay, and back on the blog, sort of.

Hi, its Lee - Jayde's husband - posting to Jayde's blog since I can't convince her to do it herself. She is in Bangkok, safe and sound. Here's an email from her with an update (sorry that the 9 months in between postings will still, for now, remain mysterious!)

Hello Everyone,

Given the recent events in Yangon and Myanmar as a whole, I thought I should email to say that I am okay. I am actually in Bangkok for yet another visa run and to write up fellowship applications. (It is nearly impossible to fill in online forms in Yangon. The connection is painfully slow and often drops.)

I am surprised by how quickly things escalated in Burma. Last week, it still seemed like a relatively small disturbance with few lay people showing up on the marches. The brief visit to Aung San Suu Kyi's house must have inspired people. I was fairly certain that this protest would remain small like the many little demonstrations that has taken place this year but now, it looks like the masses are taking to the streets.

I had a ticket to fly back 9-30-07 but learned that an American friend was not able to enter the country. His plane got as close as the air space above Yangon Int'l Airport but was not allowed to land. I don't know if there was someone in particular on his flight that the government wanted to keep out or if they are just blocking all entries. We shall see. So for now I'm staying put, house-sitting and cat-sitting for friends of a friend, finishing my fellowship applications, and waiting to see what happens.

If you want more news about events in Burma, try http:// www.irrawaddy.org/ . They provide lots of information if written in an inflammatory tone. You can also try Voice of Asia and Radio Free Asia.

I'll keep you all posted. The only complaint right now is that writing my dissertation fellowship proposal is HARD!!! Otherwise, I'm good.

from Bangkok,

Jayde