Posted on 05/17/2008 10:27:29 AM PDT by blam
Myanmar cyclone: Burma junta may be prosecuted over aid block
By Philip Sherwell in New York
Last Updated: 6:17PM BST 17/05/2008
Burma's ruling generals could be threatened with prosecution for crimes against humanity as a last resort to pressure them to allow an international relief operation to reach desperate cyclone survivors.
A boy looks out onto his devastated village near Yangon, Burma
"The strategy is to raise the bar for the consequences of not allowing humanitarian intervention by introducing the threat of prosecution for crimes against humanity," said a senior US health expert involved in the discussions. "The goal is to save lives in the delta by elevating the threat level against the regime."
In a letter sent to Gordon Brown, President George W.Bush and the French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, several Nobel Peace Prize laureates also raised the spectre of crimes against humanity and called for the three countries to act unilaterally to deliver aid.
"By refusing aid, the Burmese regime has effectively declared war on its own population and is committing crimes against humanity," wrote Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a letter co-signed by six other Nobel winners.
"The UK, United States, and France have the capacity to respond immediately. Please use your ships, helicopters, and all other tools within your capacity to immediately deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Burma. We must wait no longer for permission from China and Burma's military regime. The time to save 1.5 million lives is now."
International law applied in war crimes tribunals makes "inhumane acts" a crime against humanity and Mr Brown has chosen the word "inhuman" to describe the actions of the junta. Burma has also ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that makes it illegal to restrict health care for "vulnerable" children.
Diplomatic efforts are focused on pushing the junta to accept a combined aid operation conducted by Burma's Asian neighbours and the United Nations.
France's UN ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, criticised Burma's military junta on Friday, saying the government's refusal to allow aid to be delivered to people in need "could lead to a true crime against humanity."
Diplomats witnessed "huge" devastation in the Irrawaddy delta on Saturday and the toll of dead and missing from the cyclone rose above 133,000 people, making it one of the most damaging to hit Asia.
With about 2.5 million people clinging to survival in the delta, and the military government refusing to admit large-scale outside relief, disaster experts say the death toll from Cyclone Nargis which struck on May 2 could rise dramatically.
"It was useful to catch the magnitude of the devastation. It's huge," Bernard Delpuech, head of the European Commission Humanitarian Office in Rangoon said of the trip. "For the recovery you can't expect it to be six months or a year. It will take longer," he said.
Helicopters took some 60 to 70 diplomats split in three groups to different parts of the delta, where Nargis struck with 120 mph (190 kmh) winds and a 12-foot (3.5 metre) wall of water.
The itineraries were arranged by the Burmese government, under fire for refusing to allow significant numbers of foreign aid workers and major international aid operations. The generals running the country say they have things in hand.
"The purpose was to show the situation was under control. Where we were they didn't hide anything but of course they selected the places we visited," Mr Delpuech said.
During the tour diplomats repeatedly told the the accompanying government minister that Burma should allow more access to international aid. Mr Delpuech said the answer was: "Yes, they're willing, but they don't want the people who will create more problems".
Local state television said media reports were inaccurate in suggesting the government was not doing enough.
There have already been tens of millions of dollars spent and extensive aid deliveries and other efforts by the army, navy and air force, state television insisted.
I used to have a coffee mug with a map of Pangaea on it...when hot coffee was poured into it, the land masses would drift apart to their current locations. Kids liked it, lol.
And just how are these guys going to be “arrested” and “brought to trial?” Is Interpol going to drive up to their headquarters in Yangon with a SWAT team?
Yes, Tutu has taken an interest in the entire world. His opinion is just as good as that of the average FReeper.
What exactly is your point?
Myanmar agrees to "all" cyclone aid workers
Either the threat of possible prosecution scared them, or the junta was bribed. I'd like to know which it was.
Thanks for the update. We'll see what happens.
Thanks...we'll see.
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