Word: zaganar
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Another anti-junta stalwart is comedian Zaganar (the name means "Tweezers"), also briefly jailed for his role in last year's protests. Zaganar and his celebrity friends have bought food and medical supplies for Nargis victims and are using their names to raise more funds. Both the disaster and the grassroots response to it are unprecedented in Burma. "I think there will be political consequences," he says. "People are very angry with the government...
Despite the participation of thousands of Burmese, the impact of this homegrown relief effort will always limited, admits Zaganar. "We deliver our supplies by road because we cannot afford a boat," he says. "But most victims live close to the water. We cannot get through to them." He says Burma desperately needs more boats and helicopters from abroad. Not even the nation's richest private donors - who include junta cronies like tycoon Tay Za, who was put on a U.S. sanctions list last year - have the means or expertise to meet even a fraction of the needs in far-flung...