'Our government in Burma is lying when it says just a few people were killed'

Daily Telegraph ^ | 02/01/05 | Damien McElroy

[Dog Gone]

Their population has never been surveyed and the tribes who live there are renowned for their amphibian way of life.

Ah, that renowned amphibian way of life...

[flitton]

Hopefully their constituencies will take a fresh look at the issues after things have improved a bit. I think they say these things to try and marshall their supporters who may be in danger of coming to an independent conclusion.

[Larry Lucido]

I'm amazed how a show about nothing can cover so much ground. I always loved John Hurley's Peterman character, too. (Looks at Urban Sombrero, "The Horror!")

[sayakyi]

Here is an extract from what the military government said about the disaster in Burma:

Next, Deputy Minister for Information Brig-Gen Aung Thein told the newsmen about strong earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean and damages in some areas in Myanmar. An earthquake of severe intensity with its epicentre about 1600 kilometres Northwest of Jakarta, Indonesia took place at 07:32:4 on 26 December. After that, nine earthquakes of intensity about 6.0 on the Richter Scale were recorded in the Andaman Sea. The eighth earthquake of strong intensity with 6.1 on the Richter Scale with its epicentre about 100 kilometres Southwest of Kokogyun took place at 09:38:42. The ninth one of strong intensity with 7.3 on the Richter Scale centred about 640 kilometres south of Kokogyun was recorded.

Some buildings collapsed in Taninthayi, Yangon, Bago and Ayeyawady Divisions and some regions in Rakhine and Shan State (South) due to the earthquake and coastal regions were hit by tidal waves. According to the latest information received, 138 buildings were destroyed and 788 people were homeless. Thirty six people were killed, 45 injured and 14 missing. Chairman of Ayeyawady Division Peace and Development Council Commander Maj-Gen Soe Naing, Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Maj-Gen Sein Htwa and acting Director-General Dr U Tin Win Maung of the Ministry of Health visited the earthquake-hit regions in Ayeyawady Division yesterday morning and provided relief to the victims. Chairmen of State/Division Peace and Development Councils also visited the affected areas and carried out rescue operations.

Source:http://www.myanmar.com/nlm/enlm/Dec29_h6.html

---

Here the dead numbers the military government announced is not accurate!They said only 36 people were killed! If you've watched CNN or BBC or others news channels that give information on my country, you'll know that the dead numbers in Burma are more than these figures officially given by the regime! That shows the regime is trying not to attract the international attention to my country.As I said before, I very much hope the affected people in Burma will not be forgotten to give a helping hand.

All the best,

sayakyi

[flitton]

Thanks for that. I too hope Burma isn't forgotten, it can so easily happen when the tv cameras aren't there to give publicity to the situation.

[sayakyi]

Which tv cameras could be there to report on what really happened to those poor Burmese living along the river when the junta tries to hide the death toll even from his own people!( Sorry to say that to you. I know what you meant in your reply. I just want to emphasize it a bit stronger.) The Burmese people living in the country don't even get to know how any people were killed in the other involved countries!

Burma is the country where it is forbidden to speak of the dead numbers caused by this tsunami!

May God be with those helpless affected people

Give them the strength to live on,

The hopes they will be helped.

Amen.

[seavisionburma]

err, sorry to jump all over your political bandwagons, but I am inside the Mergui Archipelago now and I can say first hand that there is certainly NOT thousands dead.
The impact of the tsunami was minimal here. The islands of the Mergui Archipelago, in particular - were extremely lucky - however for geographical and physical reasons, we have escaped any major catastrophes here.

Stop your sensationalist rubbish everyone, thanks!

[sayakyi]

Err, sorry to say that I don't buy your story. Really sorry!
So you are inside the country for the time being.May I ask for whom you are working for and how you got the permission to be there? How much money did you have to bribe for that?

Is this a rubbish what we are here talking about? Do you mean to say we are over-emotional? And the prayers are useless?

If you don't want to hear our "rubbish", the choice is up to you.

Thanks for the info.

Best regards,

P.S. Are you a Burmese?

May God bless you,
Amen.

[VOA]

I believe it was an WorldVision charity worker that I heard on the radio saying they
were at work in Myanmar (Burma). And that WorldVision was one of the few NGO charities that
has stayed on in Myanmar despite the nasty government.

[subterfuge]

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

[subterfuge]

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

[seavisionburma]

I am a foreign national resident in the Mergui Archipelago for 6 years. Nobody bribed me to be here. I am neither affilliated to the military or any NGO. I am here by my own choice. Given that I have been here for 6 years, then I would hope you are intelligent enough to deduce that this means I am not here 'for the time being'. It does not surprise me in the least that you assume that I was 'bribed' for permission to be here. Give me a break. My passport is as good as anyones.

Have you ever been here? I doubt it.

There was very little effect from the tsunami here. Geographically, the Mergui Archipelago was protected by the gradual shallowing of depth between then open ocean and the inner islands and coastal areas between Dawei, Myeik, and Kawthoung. We were well protected, thank god. I have seen the effects on the areas south of the border - and it is devastating - but why would anyone want to try and state that an area left relatively untouched was the scene of some awful disaster??

Your rubbish? Yes - I think some of you are over emotional (and aside from that - read again to see who's post I replied to, I was merely giving facts to dispute misinformation, and telling you all to pull your heads in).
I would hazard a guess to say that I am the only person in this thread who is actually able to see first hand what has happened here - instead of the majority who either guessed (wrongly) or relied on outside media, to have some opinion on the extent of effects from the Dec 26th disaster.

You don't by my story? Bad luck. I am here in the southern islands of Myanmar/Burma and I stand by my original post.

SVB

[seavisionburma]

Burma can look after itself, generals and aid agencies
agree
January 7, 2005

The United Nations has concluded that damage to Burma
from the tsunami has been relatively light, with just
over 50 people confirmed dead and a few thousand in
need of assistance.

That conclusion, based on field reports from
independent aid agencies, contrasts sharply with
Thailand, where more than 5000 have been confirmed
dead.

It also contradicts a statement earlier this week by
the UN World Food Program that probably hundreds of
people died in Burma and that 30,000 people were in
need - estimates the agency revised down on Wednesday
to 60 dead and 10,000 in need.

Charles Petrie, the United Nations' resident
co-ordinator in Rangoon, Burma's capital, said he was
confident the tsunami's impact had been minimal. "We
need to move on to other issues here because there are
many more important humanitarian issues to deal with
right now."

Mr Petrie said distrust of the Burmese Government and
the discrepancy between its figures and those from
nearby countries probably contributed to the much
higher early casualty estimates.

Perhaps Burma's largest loss of life in a single
incident occurred in Kaw Thoung, near the Thai border,
when about 20 people gathered on a bridge across tidal
flats to watch the wave. The bridge was swept away.

 Burma's military rulers were capable of caring for
the country's victims and aid should be sent
elsewhere, the Prime Minister, Lieutenant-General Soe
Win, said yesterday.

Speaking at the international donors' conference in
Jakarta, he said more than 3000 people had been left
homeless but his government's quick action meant the
country was "able to mitigate the effects of the
disaster".

The New York Times

Copyright © 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald.