BANGKOK — Myanmar agreed Monday to let its Southeast Asian neighbors help coordinate foreign relief assistance for cyclone victims, bending to international pressure to allow in some more outside aid, Singapore’s foreign minister, George Yeo, said.
“We will establish a mechanism so that aid from all over the world can flow into Myanmar,” Mr. Yeo said, speaking at an emergency meeting in Singapore of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, which includes Myanmar.
“Myanmar is also prepared to accept the expertise of international and regional agencies to help in its rehabilitation efforts,” he told a news conference.
But he said the entry of aid workers from countries outside the Southeast Asian bloc would continue to be limited. “We have to look at specific needs — there will not be uncontrolled access,” Mr. Yeo said.
Since the cyclone, Western nations and major relief groups have raised alarm about Myanmar’s refusal to allow in large-scale relief shipments to the estimated 2.5 million survivors in need of aid after of the May 3 cyclone.
Myanmar has permitted a small flow of aid from several nations, including the United States, but relief officials say that this amounts to only 20 percent of the needed supplies. Without more aid, they say, many more people may die of disease and starvation.
Myanmar’s limited concession Monday came as international pressure continued to build from several directions, with the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, warning that the junta could be guilty of “crimes against humanity” if it continued to restrict the supply of aid into the country.
However, despite the international criticism, Myanmar’s foreign minister, Nyan Win, was quoted by Reuters as telling reporters that there had been no delay in accepting aid. “We always welcomed international aid,” he said.
After failing to receive a reply to letters and telephone calls made to the military junta, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to travel to Yangon this week in hopes of meeting the country’s leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe.
More than two weeks after the cyclone, General Shwe emerged from the isolated capital, Naypyidaw, and was shown on Myanmar state media for the first time in public Monday, meeting ministers involved in the rescue effort and touring some affected areas. In addition, the government announced that a three-day mourning period for the cyclone’s victims would begin Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. State television announced that the national flag would be flown at half-mast, beginning at 9 a.m.
State-run television showed General Shwe visiting a refugee camp, checking supplies, patting the heads of babies and shaking hands with survivors. Some of the cyclone victims, surrounded by neat rows of blue tents, clasped their hands and bowed as the general and other senior military officials walked by.
While accepting a limited amount of help, the government has insisted that it can handle the disaster on its own. The televised images were part of a broad propaganda campaign by the government to show its citizens and the outside world that it is in control of the situation.
Mr. Ban has called for a “high-level pledging conference” to deal with the crisis and for cooperation between the United Nations and Southeast Asian countries in overseeing aid delivery.
Mr. Yeo said that Asean would work with the United Nations to hold such a conference in Yangon on May 25 to coordinate aid deliveries. He said that Myanmar had agreed to allow in medical teams from any of its nine neighbors in Asean. Thailand has already sent a contingent of more than 30 medical workers.
In addition, Myanmar has allowed in 50 medical workers from India. China’s Xinhua news agency reported that a team of 50 Chinese medics arrived in Yangon Sunday night.
Mr. Yeo said the Myanmar government estimates losses at $10 billion in the cyclone, which swept through the Irrawaddy Delta and the country’s main city, Yangon, early on the morning of May 3.
Myanmar has raised its official death toll to 78,000.
Representatives of United Nations relief agencies said that some of their supplies were getting into Myanmar but that the authorities were still severely limiting delivery and withholding many visas from foreign relief experts.
The United Nations World Food Program said it had managed to deliver food aid to just 212,000 of the 750,000 people it thinks are most in need.
The United Nations and France have naval vessels just outside Myanmar’s territorial waters, and are prepared to deliver supplies directly to affected areas along the coast, but they have not received clearance from the government.
In a column in the French daily Le Monde, Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, said the United Nations should intervene by force, or be guilty of cowardice in the eyes of the world.
“What we need to bring is hand-to-hand, heart-to-heart help, not donor conferences with all their bowing and scraping,” he said in an interview with French radio. “In the meantime, people are dying.”
Mr. Yeo rejected the idea of delivery by force. “That will create unnecessary complication,” he said at the news conference. “It will only lead to more suffering for Myanmar people.”
On Saturday, Myanmar’s powerful neighbor and ally, China, said that other countries must show “due respect” to Myanmar in its handling of the disaster within its borders.
“Myanmar is a sovereign country,” said Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, at a briefing. “In the end, rescue and relief work will have to rely on the Myanmar government and people.”
Seth Mydans reported from Bangkok and Alan Cowell from Paris.
Got it from here.
Cyclone Nargis
May the generations learn how to protect from the disaster...
May the generations learn how to work together as Burmese
Citizens, as we do now for the Cyclone Nargis's relief.
May the generations know the world is with us..........
May the generations know the darkness can't overcome the Light....
May the generations realize that they are part of history......
May the sky of Burma free from darkness cloud.
We shall not forget this sadness movement.
** You can almost find ever thing here and here about Cyclone Nargis relief works.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Myanmar Agrees to Allow Aid Efforts by Neighbors
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Malaria, diarrhea reported after storm hits Myanmar
By MARGIE MASON
Health experts are scrambling to prevent widespread illness after reports of malaria outbreaks and diarrhea surfaced in areas of Myanmar hardest hit by a cyclone, U.N. health officials said Thursday.
Early estimates indicate 20 percent of children in the most devastated areas are suffering from diarrhea, and the situation could worsen, said Osamu Kunii, UNICEF's chief of health and nutrition in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city.
"Most of the area is covered by dirty water," he said. "There's a lot of dead bodies and they have very poor access — sometimes no access — to clean drinking water or food."
Water purification tablets are unlikely to help because much of the water supply has been contaminated by saltwater, he said.
It was unclear how many people may have malaria, but the mosquito-borne disease is endemic to Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, deputy director of the World Heath Organization's Southeast Asia office in New Delhi. She said 10,000 mosquito nets were being sent in.
"Safe water, sanitation, safe food. These are things that we feel are priorities at the moment," Singh said.
Cyclone Nargis lashed Yangon along with the country's major rice-growing region Saturday, killing tens of thousands.
The WHO team in Myanmar is working to assess the situation, and a few international technical experts are making their way into the country, Singh said.
"It reminds me of the tsunami when every day the figures kept rising, and that's really the pattern here," she said, referring to the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed nearly 230,000 people.
Kunii said the situation in Myanmar is worse in some ways because more people suffered severe injuries from strong winds, high tides and flooding. And he noted that after the tsunami, food and water could be obtained from inland areas that were not hit by the killer waves.
"This time it is quite difficult because most of the areas are quite remote and difficult to access," Kunii said. "We are trying our best."
Tens of thousands of people die every year in Myanmar, also known as Burma, from tuberculosis, AIDS and diarrhea. Malaria alone kills about 3,000 people annually in the country.
In 2000, WHO ranked Myanmar's health system as the world's worst after war-ravaged Sierra Leone. There are hospitals, but most people cannot afford treatment because about 90 percent of the population lives on just $1 a day.
Margie Mason covers medical issues for The Associated Press across the Asia-Pacific. She is based in Hanoi, Vietnam.
I got this from here.
UN: Burmese Authorities Not Moving Fast Enough to Let In Aid Workers
By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
08 May 2008
Besheer report - Download (MP3) audio clip
Besheer report - Listen (MP3) audio clip
The U.N.'s humanitarian chief says he is disappointed with the government in Burma because it has not moved faster to allow in international aid workers and relief supplies to the cyclone-devastated country. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefs correspondents following a meeting of the Security Council, 25 Feb 2008
John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (file)
John Holmes told reporters Thursday that the humanitarian situation in Burma is "increasingly desperate", and that an even worse disaster could unfold if aid agencies cannot get urgently needed aid in. He said he is disappointed the Burmese authorities are not moving to let foreign aid workers and supplies in quickly.
"The frustrations have been growing that this humanitarian response is being held back because of difficulties of access in different ways," he said.
He said there has only been limited progress since Wednesday. Four World Food Program flights have landed in Burma, and the Red Cross is also having some success in getting relief into the tightly controlled country.
But Holmes said that a U.N. disaster coordination team comprised of four Asian nationals that had clearance to enter Burma - which is also known as Myanmar - had met with mixed success. Two of the team members were allowed in, but two were turned away. He said the United Nations is still trying to find out why. A fifth team member who is not Asian and requires a visa, is still awaiting clearance.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the United States is shocked by the Burmese government's slow response to allowing in international assistance.
The USS Essex, anchored in the Gulf of Thailand, stands ready to assist Burma, 08 May 2008
The USS Essex, anchored in the Gulf of Thailand, stands ready to assist Burma, 08 May 2008
"We are outraged by the slowness of the response of the government of Burma to welcome and accept assistance," he said. "It is clear that the government's ability to deal with the situation, which is catastrophic, is limited. And a government has responsibility to protect its own people, to provide for its people. And since it is not able to, you would expect the government to welcome assistance from others."
Burmese officials estimate that Saturday's cyclone killed at least 23,000 people. Some 42,000 more are missing. But the top U.S. diplomat in Burma said Thursday that the death toll could exceed 100,000.
U.N. officials say more than a million more have been left homeless.
The United Nations plans to launch a flash appeal for Burma Friday. U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes also says he is considering traveling to the cyclone-devastated country himself.
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I got this from here.
Pentagon steps up prep for Myanmar humanitarian mission
By PAULINE JELINEK – 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military stepped up preparations Thursday for a humanitarian mission to Myanmar, readying some ships and Marines now in the region for a multinational exercise.
Though the country's military junta had not accepted the offer of help, the U.S. Air Force also moved more airplanes to a staging area in neighboring Thailand, Air Force spokeswoman Megan Orton said at the Pentagon.
The Navy Thursday was moving Marines and helicopters into Thailand from an aviation combat element of the USS Essex expeditionary strike group. Ships were to move later Thursday, a defense official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
As the humanitarian disaster in Myanmar unfolded this week, the Navy and Marine Corps happened to have ships and thousands of service members in the Gulf of Thailand for a multinational exercise on humanitarian missions — an exercise that started Thursday.
Because it would take the ships several days to get to the Myanmar area, the Navy was sending some of the group's helicopters and troops ahead over land, the official said.
The group includes the USS Essex, the USS Juneau and the USS Harper's Ferry. The Essex is an amphibious assault ship with 23 helicopters aboard, including 19 capable of lifting cargo from ship to shore, as well as about 1,500 Marines.
The Essex and Juneau were expected to depart the gulf later Thursday when they finished off-loading the helicopters, then steam around the Malay Peninsula through the Strait Malacca and into the Andaman Sea to be in position closer to Myanmar.
The Harper's Ferry and destroyer USS Mustin were expected to start their transit toward Myanmar Friday, the official said.
Three Air Force planes were sent to Thailand and a fourth was on the way, the Air Force's Orton said.
"We are moving forward," she said.
A C-17 transport with water and food landed Thursday. Two C-130 aircraft were already in place and another was en route, she said.
Officials said that although the military junta has not agreed to allow U.S. humanitarian assistance, it did ask for some other U.S. help — satellite pictures of the cyclone-devastated areas.
"They asked our defense attache at the embassy in Rangoon for some imagery and we provided it," said Marine Maj. Stuart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman.
I got it form here.
UN says Burma's cyclone response 'disappointing'
![Burma has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis, with the latest estimates suggesting more than 100,000 people may have died. [AFP]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u4E0FZrN0tkAaXQun-FZXi4Dsmc1c9afwYV7_QyJPRvXkFSWWX7Gbx2HkF85Gyd9hPtontJfoyWC_g-UXF8_qsJbMuPE1_Xtt_kkFChp2FgkAVQk6MxJTclgHChsy_J546Bn5qr8Ee5JVQi7mjUA=s0-d "Burma has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis, with the latest estimates suggesting more than 100,000 people may have died. [AFP]")
Burma has been devastated by Cyclone Nargis, with the latest estimates suggesting more than 100,000 people may have died. [AFP]
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has requested a meeting with Burma's senior general Than Shwe over getting more aid to the country's cyclone survivors.
Nearly a week after Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma's delta region, UN humanitarian affairs director John Holmes says the situation on the ground is increasingly desperate.
Up to 100,000 people are believed to have died, and around one and a half million people are in desperate need of food and water.
Mr Holmes says two UN disaster assessment experts have been allowed into Burma, but two others have been held up without reason, and another 40 visa applications from UN aid workers are still pending.
Mr Holmes say four World Food Program flights have reached Burma, while emergency supplies have also begun arriving from India, Thailand and China.
But he says the lack of progress in getting millions of dollars of promised aid into the country is disappointing.
"We are in close touch with the Myanmar authorities to keep on pressing hard for more cooperation, for more facilitation, for much greater ease of access, if possible for waiver of visas and other requirements for the expert staff who are needed to help the distribution," he said.
EU says Security Council action "impossible"
The European Union executive has dismissed a French suggestion that Burma could be forced to accept international aid for cyclone survivors.
On Wednesday the French foreign minister said Paris was considering pursuing a UN Security Council resolution that would allow aid agencies into Burma without government approval.
But an EU Commission spokesman says it is not possible to force the entry of aid into Burma.
He says diplomatic efforts are the best means of convincing Rangoon to allow humanitarian agencies to provide help.
US considers food air-drops
The US says it is still waiting for permission to fly aid to Burma, and US disaster response groups say Washington is considering air drops to get food into the country.
On Thursday the US Senate passed a resolution demanding that Burma's military rulers lift restrictions on delivery of foreign relief.
The resolution was adopted unanimously, and urged Burma to allow "free and unfettered access" to American and other disaster aid response teams.
China urges Burma to accept help
Burma's closest ally China has urged the military junta to work with the international community.
"Because of the serious situation of disaster in Burma it is natural that international community expresses their concerns and willing to provide assistance," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a press briefing.
"We hope Burma will cooperate with the international community, will have consultations with the international community, and we hope Burma will overcome the disaster at an early date."
