THE DURGAS ARE RETURNING TO THAILAND JUNE 14TH - 25TH 2009

This will be The Durgas' third trip to Thailand and to Mae Sot. They have previously played at the XV International AIDS/HIV Conference in Bangkok in 2004, at AIDS hospitals and orphanages, at the rubber plantations in the south, and at the Saphan Jai festival in 2007. The Durgas are committed to an ongoing relationship of exchange with the Burmese migrant community of Mae Sot, and to continuous efforts to draw awareness to the issues of this incredible community. In March The Durgas launched a signature campaign in Malibu, California, to free Burmese political prisoners, and have played a number of concerts in the US and Europe to raise awareness and support. The title of their upcoming album is Burma.

Project Synopsis: The Durgas will be in Thailand from June 15th to June 25th, this time to focus on the migrant community in Mao Sot. With live concerts and a spirit of exchange, The Durgas hope to inspire the next generation, while promoting the opportunity for a structured education of all migrant children in Mae Sot.

Advocacy Target: Empowering children through music and supporting a chance for education for all Burmese migrant children. Drawing attention to the needs of the Burmese migrant community and to the issues of Burmese political prisoners by bringing back audio and video recordings to the wider global audience.

Requesting Contribution: All costs upon arrival (travel to Thailand from N. America and Europe covered by the band).

Invitations to Mae Sot Good Morning School AAPPB Mae Tao Clinic

Tour Schedule June 2009

16 June Chiang Mai

DVB Recording
The Democratic Voice of Burma television will produce a studio recording of The Durgas new songs written for Burma and will shoot a feature story about their tour for broadcast in Burma. This will include interviews with the band, live shows in Chiang Mai and Mae Sot and interviews with the Karen, Burmese and Thai communities who join the events.

17 June Chiang Mai

School Show: venue to be confirmed
Evening Show: Chiang Mai Live Music pub

18 June Mae Sot

Good Morning Primary School, 50 students from nursery to grade 4. Burmese and Karen students.
Ratwitiya School, Thai Government School inviting Burmese children
The show will include a cultural exchange with local Thai and Burmese musicians groups and dances by Burmese children.
AAPPB, Donation of Song for Political Prisoners Campaign

19 June Mae Sot

Namtok Middle School, 200 students from nursery to grade 6. A country school established for the rural farming community.
Hsa Thoo Lei Primary and High School, 646 students, from nursery - grade 10. Majority Karen students.
Evening Show: Mae Tao Clinic, Aung San Suu Kyi Birthday Celebration,
The show will include a cultural exchange with local Thai and Burmese musicians groups and dances by Burmese children.

20-21 June Mae Sot

Light School, Majority ethnic Mon.
Hlee Bee Middle School, 346 students form nursery to grade 7.
Majority ethnic Mon students.
Hsa Mu Htaw Primary School, 166 students from nursery to grade 5.
Majority ethnic Mon students.
Agape Primary School, 105 students from nursery to grade 4.
Established for street kids in Mae Sot.
Parahita Primary School, A rural school established by Monks for both novice monks as well as regular students taught together.
New Light Primary School, 180 students from kindergarten to grade 4.

BURMA AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
The Durgas have been asked by Jack Healey and the US Campaign for Burma to contribute a song from their next album for upcoming awareness campaign commercials. Jack Healey is the former director of Amnesty International and founder of the Human Rights Action Center. He is currently working on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma (the only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient in the world), to end the continuing human rights violations in Burma.

FREE BURMA'S POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW!
After having played at the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma (AAPPB) headquarters in Mae Sot, Thailand in January 2008, The Durgas were asked to write the official “theme song” for their campaign Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now!. This song entitled Face the Sun is now part of The Durgas' repertoire since summer 2008 and will be recorded at DVB Studios, Chiang Mai, Thailand in June 2009 in collaboration with members of AAPPB.

More than 2.000 people are now imprisoned for expressing their belief in human rights and for suppoting democratic change. We want 888.888 signatures to give to the UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon to show that the world cares about Burma.

888.888 represents the 8th of August 1988, the historic day that the people of Burma took to the streets to demand freedom and democray.

Sign the pedition at www.fbppn.net and tell your friends to sign the pedition.
888.888 Signatures for Burma.

PEACE HAS BEGUN / PROJECT-PEACE ON EARTH
The Peace Has Begun Campaign is a series of events leading up to the Project-Peace on Earth worldwide music concert. It is part of a multi-platform awareness campaign to inspire people to take action toward making the world we all live in a better and more peaceful place. The PHB campaign is an effort to transition the word "Peace" from a noun into a verb; as a verb, “Peace” is transformed into actions that create tangible benefits for individuals, families, schools, communities and cities.

The Peace Has Begun Campaign began with the I Stand for Peace Promotional video leading up to the Peace Has Begun traveling show that is bringing the power of music directly to the people from coast to coast across the US and Canada in a 46-city tour.

Each week a new band or performing artist joins the traveling show aboard the double-decker tour bus that has “PEACE HAS BEGUN” printed across itís length. Two broadcast journalists will travel on the tour bus documenting the performances and the behind-the-scenes stories along the way, uploaded from the road to YouTube, Face Book, GaiaField, etc.

Invited by Steven Robertson - Executive Producer of Project-Peace on Earth, The Durgas will be aboard the bus one week in September 08 an perform at Project-Peace on Earth 2009.

At a Peace Has Begun concert and rally attendees will be able to participate in activities such as meditation and yoga classes, listening to lectures, or sampling a variety of “products with a purpose” that include the PHB wristband.

The Peace Has Begun USB Wristband will contain music, concert footage, and audio-video excerpts from leaders a wide range of related fields, including Exercise and Nutrition, Reflection/Meditation, Yoga, Parenting, and Domestic Violence.

The Peace Has Begun Campaign will culminate at Project-Peace on Earth, a worldwide telecast concert of superstar musicians performing from the most mystical venues on the planet. The inaugural event is scheduled to be held in Summer 2009 with performances broadcasted from Egypt's Great Pyramids, Englandís Stonehenge, Australia's Ayers Rock, Peru's Inca Pyramids, Japan's Mount Fuji, and California's Mount Shasta to name a few.

Proceeds generated from the Project-Peace on Earth live concert telethon will be immediately used to address these issues locally, worldwide. Use of these proceeds will be tracked through a weekly Reality TV series also called Project - Peace on Earth. This ìExtreme Village Makeoverî TV show will feature a celebrity host and/or philanthropist, supported by a team of specialists who will work together for seven days to bring much needed changes to struggling communities worldwide.