Replies

More than just sad...how many more people will die from starvation and disease?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2013469/posts

“Burma Denies Aid From USA”
The Bangkok Post ^ | 9 May 2008 | Bangkok Post
Posted on May 8, 2008 10:54:51 PM PDT by rontorr

“Burma denies US access Relief supplies from UN starting to get through”
AP AND BANGKOK POST

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “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.”