While in Northern Thailand, Mark and Emily meet with Digital Democracy’s partner The All Burma IT Students’ Union (ABITSU) to set up equipment and train ABITSU’s core staff, as well as members of other human rights groups working along the border, in the uses and features of Handheld Human Rights (HHR) for its initial launch. HHR enables organizations to communicate securely through the use of mobile phones, and to make human rights data accessible and actionable. ABITSU, an organization that teaches the next generation of young leaders critical IT skills to be effective leaders in the 21st Century, also runs a school and technical support for human rights organizations working along the border. While working with ABITSU, Mark and Emily hear a powerful personal story from one of the organization’s head trainers – his determination at any cost, to do this important and necessary work.

On Sept. 26, the protests were still going strong. It was 11 am, and Aung Aung Ye was juggling two computers and a mobile phone from his office in Thailand. That morning he was on his mobile talking with contacts in Burma’s commercial capital, Rangoon. At 1:34 am EST, he told me that more than 10,000 people had gathered near Traders Hotel in downtown Rangoon.

By 1:40, the mood, still palpable electronically, changed. He had received frantic calls – the military had begun using tear gas and bullets against the peaceful demonstrators. His status message read, “Now, shooting in North/Oakalapa.” Two minutes later, it changed again – “Don’t brake my heart into a million pieces.”

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