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.