Tension builds over Myanmar aid refusal

In my last post, I said that Myanmar had begun accepting international aid following a cyclone that left over 20,000 dead. "Letting in aid programs is an important step for a nation like Myanmar. (Just think, what would happen if North Korea were hit with a disaster like this; would they allow foreign aid?)" But perhaps I was a bit too quick to assume they were all that different.

The New York Times reports, "Almost a week after Cyclone Nargis inundated Myanmar’s densely settled coast, wiped out villages and left untold tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, the first two United Nations flights carrying relief supplies arrived in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, on Thursday. One carried seven tons of high-energy biscuits, while the other contained a larger load of humanitarian supplies.

"Yet emergency supplies on that scale seemed woefully disproportionate to the needs of the survivors, if the scope of the disaster is as extensive as the United Nations and most international aid groups believe.

"And because of logistical delays heightened by the storm damage, even the trickle of aid that has arrived is not expected to reach victims until Friday at the earliest.

"Aid officials and health experts warned that the slow response could lead to outbreaks of diseases like cholera and malaria, adding substantially to the death toll. And a prolonged delay could spread malnutrition and starvation across the vast area affected."

From Al Jazeera, "Myanmar's refusal to grant visas to foreign aid teams is 'unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts,' a UN official has said, underscoring mounting frustration over the military governments' response to the cyclone crisis.

“'Currently Myanmar has prioritized receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own labors to the affected areas,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 'As such, Myanmar is not ready to receive search-and-rescue teams as well as media teams from foreign countries.'”

The death count could rise to 100,000 soon, according to reports, if the government doesn't accept relief soon. What Myanmar is doing is deplorable -- putting petty governmental differences over the lives of the 1.5 million citizens affected by Cyclone Nargis. They don't have the manpower to spread aid across the entire nation, but they're living in denial. In an effort to prove the power of their military junta, and their desire to keep media out, they've done more harm than they could have imagined. They are effectively responsible for the hundreds of thousands of deaths in the coming weeks.

Myanmar bans foreign journalists after cyclone

The official death count estimate from a cyclone that hit Myanmar Saturday has risen to 22,500, and may continue to rise as millions have lost homes, according to the NY Times today.

41,000 people are still missing after Cyclone Nargis struck Yangon, Myanmar's main city. The cyclone struck just days before residents were set to vote on a new draft constitution. Voting has been delayed in Yangon, but will continue as planned outside of the Irrawaddy Delta area. The new constitution would strengthen the military's grip on power.

But locals report that the government response to the crisis has been slow. They say it lies in contrast to the speedy response a few months ago when police swept in to immediately stifle a non-violent uprising led by monks, where 31 were killed. Monks, on the other hand, have been seen in villages all over the area, cleaning up debris.

Just like after the riots over the protests, foreign journalists have been banned from Myanmar. The military junta favors a tight control over all media, and have put out a ban on all "unofficial" news -- that is, all news not coming from state-controlled radio.

Myanmar is accepting international relief, and the UN and China have both pledged to provide the ailing nation with food. But the disaster and the slow response of government officials have left the citizens angry and grim, according to reports.

Letting in aid programs is an important step for a nation like Myanmar. (Just think, what would happen if North Korea were hit with a disaster like this; would they allow foreign aid? And would anyone offer it?) But with the lackluster performance of their own government in providing relief, can officials really hope to get their constitution passed? If the people of Myanmar want a change to the shabby treatment they've been given in 2008, they have to reject the prospect of more government control. An important step in sparking the change -- let foreign journalists and "unofficial" news reports tell the citizens what is actually going on.