Posted on 05/08/2008 10:54:51 PM PDT by rontorr
Burma denies US access Relief supplies from UN starting to get through
AP AND BANGKOK POST
RANGOON - Relief supplies from the United Nations began arriving in Burma yesterday, but US military planes loaded with aid were still denied access by the country's isolationist regime five days after a devastating cyclone.
The military junta also continued to stall on visas for UN teams seeking entry to ensure the aid is delivered to the victims, amid fears that a lack of safe food and drinking water could push the death toll above 100,000.
Two planes carrying high-energy biscuits, medicine and other supplies arrived in Rangoon, and two others were to follow, UN officials said.
The planes had waited for the last two days while the world body negotiated with the military regime to allow the material into Burma.
US ambassador to Thailand Eric John told reporters that US and Thai authorities earlier believed they had permission from Burma to land US military C-130s. But officials in Burma later made it clear this was not the case.
Mr John said it was not clear if they had reversed an earlier decision or if there was a misunderstanding.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej offered to negotiate on Washington's behalf to persuade the junta to accept aid from the US, despite the junta's deep hostility and long-standing suspicion of Washington.
Burma's generals, traditionally paranoid about foreign influence, issued an appeal for international assistance after cyclone Nargis struck on Saturday.
They have since dragged their feet on issuing visas to relief workers even as survivors face hunger, disease and flooding.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband asked Burma's junta to ''lift all restrictions on the distribution of aid''.
The UN also called on the government to let aid and aid workers in.
''It is imperative at this point that they do open up and allow a major international relief effort to get under way,'' said Richard Horsey, who coordinates UN humanitarian aid out of dhBangkok.
Asean meanwhile, appealed to the international community to send aid through Thailand.
''Please keep the help coming, keep the contributions coming, and if you have to, go to Thailand, park there and wait for redistribution from there,'' said Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan.
Burma's state media said cyclone Nargis killed at least 22,980 people and left 42,119 missing, mostly in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta.
Shari Villarosa, who heads the US embassy in Rangoon, said the number of dead could eventually exceed 100,000 because safe food and water were scarce and unsanitary conditions widespread.
UN officials estimate as many as one million people have been left homeless.
Entire villages in the delta were still submerged, and bloated corpses could be seen stuck in mangroves.
Some survivors stripped clothes off the dead. People wailed as they described the horror of the torrent swept ashore by the cyclone.
Even near Rangoon stricken villagers complained they had received no gov ernment assistance and were relying on aid from Buddhist monasteries.
Meanwhile, a senior Burmese army officer has expressed his sincere gratitude for His Majesty the King's expression of concern for the people of Burma, said Maj-Gen Puchong Pongsiri, deputy chief of the civilian affairs department.
Thailand has also agreed to act as an intermediary for Washington, which is trying to deliver aid, government spokesman Wichienchote Sukchotrat said.
Mr Samak has also promised to go to Burma to coordinate wih the junta leaders if needed.
I completely missed these idiots taking power in
“Burma” - will someone tell me how that happened?
...............
THE COUP WAS IN 1962, AND SOCIALIST, BUT SINCE THE 80’S THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY MORE OF JUST A BUNCH OF WARLORDS WORKING IN A GROUP
“we have our own ‘starving millions’”
Not even in the same category quantitatively or qualitatively. Your assertion is ridiculous.
Thanks for posting that. As much as I detest handing out money, these folks are in need. They are not rejecting us, their fearful leaders are. They know the truth, if we get their and help and bend our backs with them... they will let us install a McDonalds on every corner. LOL, this eeevil plot will cause the fall of their civilization, starting with their McGovernment.
Starving millions? Where? The US is the only country in the world where you can have a color TV, cable, a computer, mobile phone, and a car and still 'live in poverty'.
It’s evidently not just us who are being kept out. Yesterday morning on NPR (yes I listen sometimes, LOL) they had an interview with a UN worker. At that point Burma had only allowed 4, yes four, UN workers into the country. She spoke of the extreme need to have people in place to organize the aid, but they weren’t being allowed into the country. Her final thoughts ont he situation, “It’s a very strange country” and she’d never seen anything like this in the past.
Haven’t these guys ever heard the phrase “Beggars can’t be choosers”?
Naw, I would appreciate it if the government would give me back the money they stole from me, you know that money that they intend to give to others abroad that don’t even want it. I can give to the elderly myself, heck, my grandparents could use a new Buick.
The only way people starve in this country is because they are too lazy to pry themselves away from the laptop.
One could assume that this was a way to thin the herd for them. Savages.
Let’s just give the aid to someone else who needs it.
Perhaps the working poor in this country?
Really? You could feed the world with excess lard removed via liposuction from our "starving".
“but lets leave natural disaster humanitarian aid”
Hey if they don’t want our money we shouldn’t complain about that.
I'm still disgusted with the 'junta' and their stonewalling.
I can't believe I missed this since it dates back to the
“early” days.
Must be having - and have had - senior moments!
To: Dawnsblood and everyone who posted negative post about the situation.
This was posted by Dawnsblood: “If their people wish to continue to live under oppressive leaders that is their business. Obviously if something like this will not cause them to stage a government overthrow in that nation nothing will.”
Hey Dawnsblood this is to what u wrote above. Obviously you don’t watch the news do you. Didn’t you hear what happened a few months ago when people including all the monks tried to get away from living under oppressive leaders and when they stage their governments, didn’t you see what happened. They killed whoever that were against them while in protest. Rite now with the cyclone hitting myanmar, the people that gets affected most are the poor people. How do they stage their government when we are talking about two complete levels of power here. One is the poor and one is the government. U wouldn’t understand cuz the cyclone didn’t hit us. If it did, and if we had governments like theirs, U would understand what they are going thru. U can’t blame the people, they are innocent and they don’t deserve to be treated like this by their government. So if you want to talk down on the Burmese people, make sure its towards the right crowd not to the ones that got snatched and killed by the storm. Do you think you can form a group of people and just over throw a government here as well, even with more money than what they have there? Ask yourself these questions if you think you’re so much smarter than they are just because you didn’t get killed in the storm loosing everything, families and your life. Don’t you have an ounce of sympathy for these people at all for you to speak of such ignorance manner in times like this?
Pick up a U.S. history book and read it how about it. One nearly flat broke General and his troops nearly starved and froze to death one winter in a place called Valley Forge to secure this nations freedom. They were broke. The tyrant king had troops sent out ordered to kill them. We called it The Revolutionary War. Yes it can be done.
Now if we go do it for them how long do you suppose they would keep it? Till the next Marxist Dictator promising Utopia comes along perhaps?
Welcome to FR. You're gonna have to do better than this. Most in here a freedom loving Americans. Most also realize that to remain a free nation it requires a people willing to make the sacrifices needed to keep it that way. For example China today could in fact be a free nation if only the majority of people had the will to stand against the government. Some would die yes but most would not. The same with Mexico. They tolerate massive corruption in their government and poverty is a by-product it.
That is not to say it can't happen here in the U.S. because it can. The one thing stopping it is a provision in our Constitution allowing citizens the right to keep and bear arms. Think about that a bit.
Your phone’s ringing in Post 37.
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