BurmaNet News, May 9, 2008

[Editor]

May 9, 2008 Issue # 3462


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Pro-government thugs attack relief vehicles
Mizzima News: Junta expels Qatar aircraft carrying relief supplies
Mizzima News: Voters feel referendum date inappropriate
Reuters: Corpses dot waterways of Myanmar's stricken delta
Reuters: Burma authorities approve single US aid aircraft
DVB: Funeral fund distributes rice to disaster victims

HEALTH / AIDS
Irrawaddy: Cyclone survivors now racked by disease
Mizzima News: Urgent health-care and food needed for survivors
The Australian: Red Cross workers get visas for Burma

REGIONAL
AFP: Myanmar at risk from further cyclones: UN weather expert

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN agency to resume aid flights into Myanmar

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima News: 100,000 and still counting; dying on Burma junta's clock
Irrawaddy: Wanted: Immediate US aid air drop
DVB: Burma's victims need help right now
AP: Why is Burma junta afraid of letting foreign aid workers?

STATEMENT
ABMA, 88 Generation, ABFSU: The military junta’s sham constitution rejected
Seven Alliances: Referendum must be called off & International aid allowed in
AHRC: This colossal humanitarian crisis demands a far more resolute
response from the global community and the Burmese government



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 9, Irrawaddy
Pro-government thugs attack relief vehicles – Min Lwin

Club-wielding members of a pro-regime citizens’ group attempted to hijack
relief supplies in Rangoon, according to local charity groups and
non-government organizations in the former Burmese capital.

A convoy of vehicles carrying rice to cyclone victims in Rangoon’s
Thanlyin Township was attacked on Thursday by armed members of
Swan-Ar-Shin, a government-supported organization that helped suppress
last September’s demonstrations, one Rangoon source reported. The
attackers were armed with clubs and knives, the source said.

One NGO worker said permission had to be obtained from another
pro-government organization, the Union Solidarity and Development
Association, before relief supplies could be delivered

Looting and violent clashes involving hungry residents are being reported
from Rangoon’s outskirts, where security is lacking. Fighting broke out on
Thursday among people queuing at a food distribution center set up by a
local relief group in Rangoon’s Hlaing Tharyar Township.

Looting is also being reported from the Irrawaddy Delta, where at least a
million survivors of the cyclone are in dire need of food, fresh water and
medicines. One source told The Irrawaddy that one group of people had
broken into a paddy mill in Dedaye Township and carried away the rice.

____________________________________

May 9, Mizzima News
Junta expels Qatar aircraft carrying relief supplies

The obduracy of the Burmese military junta is inexplicable. On Thursday it
sent back an aircraft from Qatar carrying relief material for cyclone hit
victims. The aircraft was sent back from Rangoon's Mingalardon airport.

The military aircraft from Qatar carried a team of 62 people along with
relief material including medicines and landed at the Mingalardon airport,
a source working in the airport said.

"They were sent away after officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs met
them at about 9:15 a.m.," the source said.

In a statement issued from Naypyitaw, the junta's Foreign Ministry said
the government refused to allow the rescue and information team which came
in the aircraft, therefore the government has ordered the aircraft to
return.

"Myanmar (Burma) had no prior knowledge of the rescue, search and
information team which came along with relief supplies. The government was
only aware that the aircraft would come to hand over relief supplies," the
statement said.

"We are not yet ready to receive such emergency rescue, search and
information teams from foreign countries for the time being," the
statement added.

____________________________________

May 9, Mizzima News
Voters feel referendum date inappropriate – Maung Dee & Jone Mann

Several Burmese voters said they are not happy with the government's plan
to conduct a nationwide referendum on Saturday amidst the devastation and
loss of the monster Cyclone Nargis.

"At this point of time, to me, I think it is important to focus on the
cyclone victims rather than on conducting a referendum," said a resident
of Myit Kyi Na town in Burma's northern Kachin state.

A woman in Mandalay, Burma's second-largest city, said she does not like
the idea of having different dates for the nationwide referendum.

"It would be good to have the referendum on the same day as those in the
Irrawaddy and Rangoon divisions," she added.

The government, in the wake of the deadly cyclone, postponed the
referendum for 47 townships in the Irrawaddy and Rangoon divisions to May
24, two weeks later than the rest of the country.

"I am really disturbed by what the cyclone has caused," she added. "There
are so many people dying and a lot of devastation."

Several businessmen in Mandalay are now collecting donations and rushing
to the delta region to help victims of storm, she added.

While refusing to answer whether she will vote in favor of the junta's
draft constitution or will oppose it, she echoed others in Mandalay when
she said, "We have no choice, since the dates are fixed. We would just
have to go and cast our vote."

A shoe-shop owner in Mandalay also said he had choice but to go to the
poll on Saturday, as the date has been fixed. But he was coy about which
way he would vote.

"I will cast my vote in favor of the people and for the rule of law in our
country," he said. "My sympathies are with those who are suffering from
the impact of the cyclone."

A local Christian pastor in Myit Kyi Na said the church is organizing a
nightly prayer service for cyclone victims.

"I feel that at this time we should not waste any more time and rush to
the rescue of the survivors, and put all our focus on them," the pastor
said.

A government worker in Myit Kyi Na said everyone in the country should
focus attention and bring relief to survivors.

"The government should do everything to help the victims, and the
international community should pressure the government to immediately
allow aid to come in," she added.

She said the government should not divert its attention to the referendum.

Meanwhile, Burma's main opposition political party – the National League
for Democracy – has called on the government to postpone the referendum
and instead come to the aid of cyclone victims.

Aid workers said so far aid has not reached the heart of the most impacted
areas in the Irrawaddy Delta.

Cyclone Nargis, which struck the delta and Rangoon division last weekend,
killed more than 100,000 people and left more than 1.5 million people
homeless.

____________________________________

May 9, Reuters
Corpses dot waterways of Myanmar's stricken delta

Bloated corpses bobbing in canals or spread eagled on riverbanks dot the
Irrawaddy delta, the most somber symbol of devastating Cyclone Nargis and
the military government's struggle to respond.

"I have been looking for my wife and three daughters for six days," said
farmer Tei Lin in Bo Thin, one of the hamlets struck last Saturday by a
cyclone and huge waves in Myanmar's worst natural disaster.

He said he was far away from the family boathouse at the time and when he
raced home, there was nothing and no one left.

Reuters witnesses saw seven corpses along a 5 km (3 mile) stretch from the
delta town of Labutta, which is 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Myanmar's
biggest city of Yangon.

Tei Lin said he has seen hundreds of bodies in the past week.

"It's so difficult. Many of them are badly decomposed," he said through an
interpreter.

In the tropical heat and humidity of Southeast Asia, bodies decay within a
few days and can quickly become unrecognizable.

Diplomats and aid experts believe as many as 100,000 people may have been
killed, but the government's latest toll announced on Tuesday recorded
nearly 23,000 killed and more than 42,000 missing.

The exact number of casualties may never be known, but it is the worst
cyclone in Asia since 1991 when 143,000 were killed in neighboring
Bangladesh.

The grieving farmer carries a photograph of two of his daughters in the
breast pocket of his shirt.

He said it is the only assistance he has.

"There are no NGO's here. No U.N. Only me."

Several Asian governments including Thailand, China, Indonesia, Singapore
and India have flown in supplies, but the military government has dragged
its feet in allowing aid experts from United Nations agencies and western
countries.

On Friday, trucks carrying 20 tonnes of high-energy biscuits were
traveling toward the inundated delta, among the first batch of U.N. aid to
be sent from outside Myanmar. The U.N. World Food Programme has
distributed some supplies stored inside Myanmar.

State-run TV repeatedly shows senior military officers visiting towns and
villages and soldiers unloading boxes of food and supplies or clearing
debris.

In Bo Thin, some people sit in the front rooms of their houses, simply
staring into space.

Many in the hamlet rely on friends and relatives in Labutta, 90 km (56
miles) away, for food and water.

O Myin cries every day for her only son who perished along with his wife
and two daughters, one a two-month old infant.

The 73-year-old grandmother survived the storm by curling into a ball in
the corner of her modest home.

"I am out of mind with grief," she said.

(Writing by Grant McCool; Editing by Bill Tarrant )

____________________________________

May 9, Reuters
Burma authorities approve single US aid aircraft

Authorities in Burma have given approval for a single US military aircraft
carrying relief supplies to land in the country on Monday.

"An aircraft has been approved to land with relief supplies on Monday,"
the military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The UN World Food Programme also announced that it is to resume aid
flights to cyclone-hit Burma as further strong wind and rain is forecast
for the region.

"The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as
planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the Government of Burma
on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released
to WFP," Nancy E. Roman, WFP's communications director, said in a
statement.

The UN food agency had previously said it would suspend aid flights over
the seizure.

The news came as strong winds and rain were forecast to hit the region
over the coming week, threatening to hamper relief efforts.

A spokesperson from the UN weather agency, World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO), said: "Occasional tropical rain showers are expected
along with a period of heavy rainfall settling in around Thursday or
Friday next week".

It said southwesterly winds may then hit the low-lying areas devastated by
Cyclone Nargis, which killed nearly 23,000 people and has left as many as
1.5 million in need of housing, food and clean water.

The WMO said the weather front could "compound the situation in the
coastal region by enhancing precipitation and possibly affecting run-off
or surge".

"While the uncertainty of the exact timing of more significant rainfall is
high, ensemble prediction systems also support the threat of a stronger
rainfall episode during next week," it added.

____________________________________

May 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Funeral fund distributes rice to disaster victims – Naw Say Phaw

The Free Funeral Service Society is working to help victims of Cyclone
Nargis in Rangoon, distributing rice and setting up relief camps, the
group’s financial coordinator said yesterday.

Shwe Zee Gwat, the FFSS’s financial coordinator and wife of actor Kyaw
Thu, a prominent member of the charity, said they were using donations
from Burmese nationals overseas to buy what they could.

"We are currently distributing rice to disaster victims in Rangoon's
Thanlyin township which we bought with donations we received from Burmese
nationals in Singapore,” she explained.

“This is all we can buy at the moment. When fresh water is available to
buy, we'll also distribute water," she said.

"The aid distribution is currently being led by my husband Kyaw Thu and
actor Wai Lu Kyaw."

On Wednesday, the group gave out rice in South Dagon township, and Shwe
Zee Gwat said they play to go to Labutta in Irrawaddy division and help
victims there when they receive more donations.

Yesterday the FFSS gave out rice and set up emergency relief camps near
Thanlyin township’s Htamalon village, where a poor neighbourhood was
completely flattened by winds, leaving people with nowhere to live and no
food to eat, Shwe Zee Gwat said.

The charity’s members have also helped retrieve and bury the bodies of
those killed in the disaster.

"We were so busy on 4, 5 and 6 May collecting dead bodies and burying
them,” Shwe Zee Gwat said.

“None of the mortuaries in Rangoon are functioning due to the shortage of
electricity, so we had to bury them quickly."

Other actors have also offered assistance and will be helping with the
group’s future aid distribution.


____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

May 9, Irrawaddy
Cyclone survivors now racked by disease – Saw Yan Naing

One in five children who survived in the areas hit by Cyclone Nargis is
suffering from diarrhea, according to a UNICEF official in Rangoon.

Osamu Kunii, UNICEF’s chief of health and nutrition, told the Associated
Press that the number could still rise.

Veronique Terrasse, a communications officer for Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) in Bangkok, told The Irrawaddy that her organization was treating
“many” diarrhea sufferers.

She said MSF had set up several mobile clinics, staffed by 35 helpers. Two
trucks with food, fresh water and medical supplies had arrived in the
worst affected region, the Irrawaddy Delta.

Outbreaks of cholera and malaria are also being reported in the delta
region, where the cyclone created all the conditions for epidemics.

"Most of the area is covered by dirty water,” said Osamu Kunii. “There are
a lot of dead bodies and the people there have very poor access—sometimes
no access—to clean drinking water or food."

One Rangoon source said: “It is very difficult to bury the dead because
everywhere is flooded. We needed expert relief workers.”

The World Food Program (WFP) announced that two trucks with 20 tonnes of
rice and four tones of high-energy biscuit, left Rangoon for the Irrawaddy
Delta on Thursday.

A total of 156 tonnes of emergency supplies had so far been dispatched to
the Delta and other devastated areas, the WFP reported.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
pledged at a meeting in Singapore the organization’s readiness to help
with aid and reconstruction.

The group suggested that Burmese authorities could establish a
coordinating mechanism that could work with the international community
and aid agencies, to assess the damage and needs in the affected areas as
well as facilitate in-country distribution of humanitarian aid, and entry
and deployment of rescue and medical personnel and equipment.

The Burmese government announced on Friday that only foreign cash and
supplies are welcome, not international relief workers.

____________________________________

May 9, Mizzima News
Urgent health-care and food needed for survivors – Nem Davies

One week after the deadly cyclone, survivors in the Irrawaddy Delta still
urgently need health care and food, while many are suffering from trauma,
residents and aid workers said.

In Laputta Township, 30 monasteries and schools were filled with homeless
survivors who were sharing food collected from local residents.

"But it is not enough for them," said an eyewitness from the township.

Others were in desperate need of medical care, as many suffered cuts and
burns on their bodies from debris and the cyclone's severe winds and
lashing rains, the witness said.

International health experts suggested that starvation was looming and
diseases were increasing by the day. But aid workers were becoming
increasingly frustrated by the military government's refusal to grant
visas for aid workers and allow in shipments.

Shantha Bloemen, Bangkok-based spokeswoman for UNICEF, told Mizzima the
major concerns were sanitation and water contamination. She said
water-purification tablets and health-sanitation facilities were needed to
prevent the outbreak of diseases and diarrhea. Many children already had
diarrhea, which "is a big killer of children," she said.

"Malaria and dengue is a serious problem," she added.

Moreover, survivors were suffering from trauma after the cyclone's storm
surge dragged away their families in front of their eyes.

A survivor from Chan Thar Kyi village, 10 miles from Laputta Township,
lost nine family members in the cyclone.

"I lost all my family members while we tried to escape from the heavy
storm," he said. "I lost them while I tried to pull them from the storm
and rain. I lost them all. I did not get back any of their bodies."

The man added, "Nobody cares about the dead bodies spread on the ground
while we try to reach downtown for food and water."

An eyewitness said survivors had blank stares when he talked to them.

He added: "We do not have any food and water after the cyclone. We have
been trying to drink rain water but it has been made salty and we could
not drink it."

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) report, 92
percent of houses in Laputta Township were destroyed by the cyclone.

Many survivors were taken to nearby townships, such as Myaungmya and
Wakema, in Irrawaddy Division, because there wasn't enough food assistance
in Laputta Township.

"Yesterday morning, military trucks from battalion 66 came and picked up
survivors, those who freshly arrived from villages by boat, and carried
them to Myaungmya and Wakhema Township," the eyewitness said.

____________________________________

May 9, The Australian
Red Cross workers get visas for Burma

SEVEN Red Cross aid workers, including four Australians, have received
visas to enter cyclone-hit Burma.

Australian Michael Annear, regional disaster response coordinator who has
been in Burma since Tuesday, spoke to international media tonight.

An estimated 1.5 million people have been left homeless by the deadly
cyclone Nargis, which has killed an estimated 66,000 people.

Red Cross workers in Burma have had two truckloads of aid supplies arrive,
Mr Annear said.

Those aid packs contain hygiene kits, mosquito nets, safe drinking water,
some rice, jerry cans and water cleansing tablets.

Mr Annear said those packs will be distributed to aid workers in the
worst-hit areas as soon as possible.

"As they are part of the community they are able to see where the greatest
need is and really distribute that."

He said aid workers do have setbacks but are doing their best to get
supplies out.

Mr Annear said he had not been able to get down to the worst-hit Irrawaddy
Delta area.

"But my colleagues there have informed me many of the population are
concerned about the situation. There are concerns about shelter.

"They are also looking at the Burma Red Cross if we can give water supply
to the people, because they are searching for water."

He said the jerry cans and water treatment pills the Red Cross have been
supplying had helped.

"Basically they are trying to rebuild their lives. They are working there
slowly."

He said the visa process was slow, but more Red Cross workers are expected
to arrive every day.
Workers are being prioritised because of the lengthy process.

Flights carrying supplies into Rangoon had been booked every day, he said.


____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 9, Agence France Presse
Myanmar at risk from further cyclones: UN weather expert

Myanmar could suffer another major storm this season even as it braces for
more bad weather after the devastating impact of Cyclone Nargis, a UN
weather expert warned Friday.

"It's not rare if they have another (cyclone)," said Yuichi Ono, a
programme officer for the UN's International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (ISDR).

The Bay of Bengal generally sees two cyclone 'peaks' either side of the
monsoon season which is likely to start by the end of May, Ono told AFP.

An estimated 1.5 million people have been left homeless in Myanmar by the
disaster, which has killed tens of thousands and left the country's
infrastructure in tatters.

The impact of any further cyclone would be much more devastating and even
if early warnings were issued, it is not clear where people could go amid
the devastation, Ono said.

"But they shouldn't be in low-lying areas or stay in destroyed houses," he
added.

UN relief spokesman Richard Horsey warned that another storm was heading
in Myanmar's direction, which could further complicate the slow-moving
relief efforts.

"Our meteorological people tell us there's likely to be fairly strong
rainfall in the next seven days," he told AFP in neighbouring Thailand.

"That's going to be a big issue with unpaved roads. Heavy rainfall could
complicate things for all those people going without shelter," Horsey
said.

"If there's an epidemic of water-borne disease and a lack of shelter when
a storm comes in ... if we have another storm coming into the delta,
that's going to be a significant concern for all those people without
shelter."

Myanmar's reclusive military leaders have blocked journalists and
international aid workers from coming in to assess the situation, making
it difficult to get a true picture after the storm, which the government
says left 60,000 dead or missing.


____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 9, Agence France Presse
UN agency to resume aid flights into Myanmar

The UN said Friday it would resume aid flights into Myanmar after a
suspension triggered by a tussle with the military regime over two
planeloads of goods meant for desperate cyclone survivors.

The junta has refused to allow foreign relief workers to direct the relief
effort after the disaster which struck a week ago, drawing condemnation
from the United Nations and world leaders who urged the ruling generals to
open their doors.

The wrangle with the UN's World Food Programme cast further doubt on the
regime's claim to be doing all it can to save the 1.5 million people at
risk of starvation and disease after last week's devastating storm.

"The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as
planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the government of
Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not
released to WFP," said Nancy Roman, WFP director of public policy and
communications.

According to the military government the death toll is almost 23,000, with
another 42,000 missing, but the United States says more than 100,000 could
have perished.

The situation on the ground is one of horror almost beyond imagining --
with starving survivors picking for food in waterways littered with the
bodies of the dead -- and aid groups agree time is running out.

Compounding the disaster, the worst-hit area was the major -growing
region, wiping out the main local food source until the government is able
to deliver supplies.

But the military, deeply suspicious of any outside influence that could
dilute the tight control it has kept on the nation for 46 years, insists
that it will welcome supplies from abroad, but must distribute them
itself.

In a sign of the tensions, a UN source said the global body's chief Ban
Ki-moon has not been able to contact directly the head of ruling junta,
General Than Shwe, to discuss opening up to the relief effort.

State media said Friday that Myanmar will accept emergency aid from the
United States, but did not specify how it would be delivered or
distributed.

The row with the UN came shortly after the junta, which has a long history
of thumbing its nose at the international community, announced in the
state-run press that it was "not ready" to allow foreign experts in.

"The international community can best help the victims by donating
emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, clothes, electricity
generators, and materials from emergency shelters with financial
assistance," it said.

"Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of actions. The donors
and the international community can be assured that Myanmar is doing its
best."

Countless masses are suffering in the country's waterlogged southern
delta, where huge swathes of terrain remain under water since Cyclone
Nargis struck last Saturday, and entire villages were washed or blown
away.

"I am angry with the government," said Dowla Shwe, a single mother with
five children who said her house was one of the many that simply vanished
when the powerful storm tore through her village.

She said the military had brought no aid or food -- and that she feared
her children would now starve to death.

"If they can't help," she said, "why not allow foreigners to come and help
us?"

Aid groups have repeatedly said that foreign experts who specialise in
moving aid through disaster zones and assessing which regions need help
first are essential to keep more lives from being lost in the tragedy.

"The situation is getting critical," said Noeleen Heyzer, the top UN
official for Asia.

"There is only a small window of opportunity if we are to avert the spread
of diseases that could multiply the already tragic number of casualties."

Critics of the regime have warned relief organisations that if they do not
supervise the aid supplies handed over, they may be snatched by the
generals and never reach the victims in Myanmar, one of the world's
poorest nations.

Despite the catastrophe, however, the generals insist they will hold a
constitutional referendum on Saturday, brushing off criticism they are
ignoring the plight of victims while devoting resources to the vote.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party said they should delay the
vote, and that it is only intended to tighten the rule of the military
that blocked her election win in 1990 -- and have detained her most of the
time since.


____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 9, Mizzima News
100,000 and still counting; dying on Burma junta's clock – May Ng

Long before the catastrophic cyclone smashed into Burma and brought down
the already feeble nation to its knees, the core of the military
organization suffered a serious blow last September. During the monks'
uprising, a Burmese diplomat privately expressed his sympathy for the
monks uprising and his worries about the affect of western sanctions on
his family. He did not approve of the killing of the monks and he was
unhappy to be identified with the generals who had ordered the killing.

Here lies the crucial reason why the hardliner-generals are furiously
pushing through tomorrow's constitutional referendum. The generals are not
worrying about what the world or the political opposition may think. The
generals with the blood of monks' on their hands are now desperately
trying to protect themselves from the rest of the army who were not
involved in killing of the monks. Constitutional referendum is their last
ditch attempt to protect themselves from future prosecution and to ensure
their own safety from those who did not commit the crimes. However,
despite the existence of such resentment the army will remain intact, for
it is a close-knit organization where members need each other for over all
survival. But the generals with bad conscience want to put the
constitutional vote, more than the catastrophic Cyclone Nargis, safely
behind. To ensure victory at the voting booth the junta has been trying to
beat their opponents into submission. But the fate of the military junta
no longer rests with the opposition, international critics, or even the
constitutional referendum. After the deadly Cyclone Nargis, the future of
the generals and the future of Burma are now hanging by a thread. No one,
but the generals in Naypyidaw is being fooled into believing that they are
still in complete control of the storm ravaged country.

The credibility of the military as a capable and responsible government is
diminishing by the minute, as storm victims are continuing to die in the
second phase of Cyclone Nargis. Unlike last September or China's crackdown
in Tibet; one hundred thousand rotting corpses in Irrawaddy delta are hard
even for
the junta to completely cover up. And it is provoking bitter hatred from
all over Burma and the world, against the inhumane government.

A study of the 2004 tsunami stresses the responsibility and accountability
of the native and foreign humanitarian actors. As the Burmese junta cannot
be trusted to act responsibly or with transparent accountability, most
reliable aid donors will decline to hand over the aid supplies and cash
donations directly to the military. Instead, lessons from the past tsunami
recommend involvement of aid recipients in delivering and making decisions
by putting aid workers in direct contact with the receivers.

The "Joint evaluation of the international response to the Indian Ocean
tsunami", published on January 2007, revealed that no community or nation
has a full set of resources to meet all possible catastrophic emergencies
from within their own capacities. Humanitarian emergencies in general are
events that overwhelm the immediate local capacity and demand external
help. The report stressed that communities
may need to call for assistance from the provincial capacities; provinces
from national capacities; and nations from international capacities.

Unlike the present situation in Burma, in the aftermath of the 2004
tsunami, native volunteers in India, Thailand, and Indonesia, and
government official teams with the national military, played a key role in
the early rescue and relief work. Similar to the Irrawaddy Delta area, the
2004 tsunami in Indonesia killed many local officials; and the military,
especially naval units were destroyed, along with government offices and
transport infrastructure and the local people before the government
responded to the storm. Mobile phone systems and telephone cables were
destroyed making communication impossible for local officials in Aceh to
get a view of the true scale of the problem and to coordinate relief
efforts at the beginning.

Main roads as well as key bridges and main seaports along the coasts of
Sri Lanka and Aceh were destroyed. The main airport at Aceh was unusable
from flooding. It was up to 10 days before the most isolated groups got
outside help from lack of access even after the international militaries
coordinated successfully with
national military capacities during 2004 tsunami.

The arrival of international actors with huge resources brought
much-needed help. International aid both replaced some local resources
which the early relief effort had exhausted, and provided new resources
which were either not available locally or available in very limited
quantities, according to the 2004 tsunami report.

The 2004 tsunami evaluation defined the 'capacity' as multi-faceted, and
an effective response calls for interventions from a wide range of actors
each of which may bring particular capacities. While the affected
population can bring their knowledge of the context to the response;
international agencies can bring their specialist medical or relief
skills; the international military can bring their logistics capacity.

Victor D. Cha , Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security
Council in Washington wrote that within 48 hours of the 2004 tsunami, the
United States had enlisted Australia, India, and Japan and organized the
largest emergency relief mission in modern history. It sent over 16,000
U.S. military personnel, two dozen ships, and 100 aircraft as part of its
immediate $346 million relief package, followed by an additional U.S.
commitment of $600 million. This rapid response gave UN agencies both the
time and the infrastructure they needed to mobilize and get on the ground.

No other nation, and no international organization, could have coordinated
such a response. In comparison Beijing's response to the tsunami which
killed 280,000 people and displaced over 1.8 million was slow, feeble, and
parochial.

According to John Cosgrave, 'capacity' refers not only to resources,
skills and knowledge but also to the ability to influence and control
policies and actions. During the 2004 tsunami similar to Cyclone Nargis,
the huge needs for relief and recovery all clearly exceeded local capacity
to provide them.

Dr. Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins who has worked
extensively in Burma viewed the country as particularly ill equipped to
deal with a public health catastrophe. The United Nations World Food
Program spokesman, Paul Risley also commented that Myanmar's refusal to
grant visas to foreign aid teams is "unprecedented in modern humanitarian
relief efforts". Many in the worst-hit delta areas have no access to food,
drinking water, or medical care and the risk for disease outbreak is
increasing.

Most of the delta has been flooded with salt water and CNN Correspondent
Dan Rivers reported that the low-lying delta region, home to six million
people is receiving no help from anyone, including government soldiers or
aid agencies. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged the junta to
focus on mobilizing all available resources and capacity for the emergency
response efforts instead of tomorrow's referendum.

The UN has just reported that the Burmese government seized tons of aid
material flown in to help victims of Cyclone Nargis; and the WFP had no
choice but to halt aid until the matter is resolved. As the Burmese junta
continues to deny several of the world disaster assessment experts' entry;
a former under secretary for humanitarian affairs of the 2004 Southeast
Asian tsunami lamented that, "We have now lost five or six days because of
the government's intransigence," even though plane loads of supplies, and
military forces from 12 countries were ready to go in to help the disaster
victims in Burma.

The cry to force humanitarian aid into Burma will get louder by the hour
as the military government carts away supplies, cash, and emergency aid
without allowing the entry of aid workers. The death toll during the mean
time continues to climb above the estimated 100,000--on Burma junta's
clock.

(May Ng is from the Southern Shan State and NY regional director of
Justice for Human Rights in Burma.)

____________________________________

May 9, Irrawaddy
Wanted: Immediate US aid air drop – Kyaw Zwa Moe

A US air drop of humanitarian aid to the desperate survivors in the
Irrawaddy delta—with or without Burma’s permission—is the only way to save
lives that hang in the balance with each passing hour.

Unilateral humanitarian intervention is justified, because the Burmese
junta has been given a chance to cooperate with dozens of international
offers of aid, and it has failed miserably. But so far—as expected—the
junta is demanding humanitarian aid be shipped to Burma, but it doesn’t
want any foreign aid workers to enter the country.

On Friday, the junta seized all food and equipment that the World Food
Program had flown into the country for relief aid. Later, the UN announced
that it was suspending all aid shipments to Burma.

Four US navy ships, now located in the Gulf of Thailand, are positioned
with relief supplies that could be air dropped into Burma or shipped on
the ground, if the foot-dragging junta gives the go-ahead.

The US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday the US is
seeking the junta’s permission for an air drop, and it respects a
sovereign’s state air space. There would be no air drop without
permission, he said.

The fact is that it may be days or weeks before sufficient humanitarian
aid gets to the survivors in the delta. Or, knowing the regime, the aid
may never get there. Much of it could end up in junta warehouses.

If you think this is a harsh, distorted, cynical view, consider this:

The majority of 1.5 million homeless people are living without safe
drinking water and sufficient food six days after the cyclone; thousands
of people are injured or ill from bad water, helplessly waiting for
treatment. Tens of thousands of corpses, including many children, are
floating in ponds, creeks and rivers. The photographs are heartbreaking
and too grim to publish.

Aircraft loaded with relief supplies have been sitting on tarmacs for
days, waiting for a green light. International aid workers have been
waiting for days to get visas. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Burmese
officials take Saturday and Sunday off, ignoring the desperate calls to
speed things up.

Small shipments of aid have started trickling into Rangoon’s airport, but
only after the generals have captured their propaganda pictures designed
to make them look responsible and caring.

So far, aid has been allowed in mainly from close friends Thailand, India
and China. Few planes from the Western world have been allowed into
Rangoon. It’s xenophobia and hubris politics, totally ignoring the welfare
of people.

“The Burmese regime is behaving appallingly,” Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd said in an interview on Thursday.

US Ambassador Eric John told reporters in Bangkok on Thursday, “We are in
a long line of nations who are ready, willing and able to help, but also,
of course, in a long line of nations that the Burmese don’t trust.”

Relief workers, he said, “are ready to go in to help. They are not going
in to overthrow the government. They are not going in to spy. They have
specific skills for immediately responding to disaster.”

The junta is still telling the country through its state-run media that
22,997 people died and 42,119 are missing, when reliable local sources and
US embassy estimates say more than 100,000 people are dead; the UN
estimates at least 1 million people are homeless.

The junta boasted that it has seven helicopters dispatching food aid.

In fact, hundreds of airplanes and helicopters and thousands of skilled
relief workers will be needed to organize the distribution of food,
shelter, medicine and create temporary camps to house the homeless.

Mobile hospitals will be needed to treat the injured and the sick and to
prevent the outbreak of serious, communicable diseases. One of the first
tasks will be to gather up the tens of thousands of corpses from water and
land so that the water system can return to its normal, non-contaminated
state.

On Tuesday, US President George W Bush said: “We’re prepared to help move
US Navy assets to help find those who have lost their lives, to help find
the missing and to help stabilize the situation.”

Sadly, there is no chance the junta will allow US assets on Burmese soil.

The man making that decision is Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who should be held
responsible for humanitarian crimes by blocking the world’s relief
efforts.

The US—and other willing nations—must act unilaterally. Act now, knowing
right is on your side.

The people in villages and towns of the Irrawaddy delta are looking up at
the sky waiting for relief supplies, local sources told The Irrawaddy. It
started after shortwave radio broadcasts said the US navy was ready to
help supply aid.

It’s time for immediate US-led air drops to help save the lives of
thousands of helpless people in the Irrawaddy delta.

____________________________________

May 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma's victims need help right now – Bo Kyi

The secretary-general of the United Nations and the leaders and foreign
ministers of many nations including the United States, China, France and
the UK have all urged the Burmese regime to allow international aid into
the country to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis.

The situation in Burma is becoming increasingly desperate. Most peripheral
towns south of Rangoon, like Kungyan Gone, Kawhmu, Kayan and Thongwa, are
still heavily flooded and only accessible by helicopter.

Tens of thousands of families are still stranded in their farm houses,
surrounded by sea water. No help has reached the area yet, and the death
toll in the area is likely to continue rising.

Yesterday, donations of rice from merchants in Rangoon began to arrive in
Bogolay, one of the hardest-hit towns in Irrawaddy division.

Donors reported tragic scenes of families searching for loved ones amongst
the corpses. No-one has the capacity to deal with the thousands of dead
bodies scattered everywhere, increasing the risk of disease.

About 25,000 injured and traumatized survivors from Latputta and Mawgyun
townships in Irrawaddy division were picked up by boats and carried to
safety in Myaungmya. The regime ordered local people to provide food.

But the locals have quickly run out of rice and medicines, clean water,
food and clothing are all urgently required, with 5,000 more survivors
expected to arrive in Myaungmya tomorrow.

In Rangoon division, people in Hlaing Tharyar, North and South Dagon,
Shwepyithar, Dawpone, Dala, Seikkyi Kanaungdo, Thanlyin and Kyauktan areas
were among the hardest hit.

Relief provided by the regime in these areas has been inadequate, angering
local people. Local authorities have assumed complete control over aid
distribution in the area, with the Union Solidarity and Development
Association giving some aid to local people merely as a token gesture.

In Rangoon itself, suburban areas of the city are now becoming accessible,
but electricity and water supplies are still cut off. Many people have to
rely on lakes on the outskirts of the city for water.

In downtown Rangoon, state-sponsored agencies like the USDA are selling
construction materials such as zinc roofing and nails rather than giving
it away. Rangoon is the only place in the storm-hit area where clean
drinking water is available, but at vastly inflated prices.

In spite of this desperate situation, the Burmese regime has been slow to
accept international aid and still refuses international expertise.

The regime’s refusal to issue visas to relief experts is unprecedented,
according to the UN. The country is technologically poor, and the regime
does not have the expertise or the capacity to effectively manage the aid
operation. The regime can ill-afford to refuse this help.

If the international community - particularly the United States, the UK,
France and China - cannot get access to Burma to help victims, even more
people will lose their lives.

The authorities have stated that they are only willing to accept money and
aid. This allows them to maintain their absolute grip on power and,
through their propaganda machine inside Burma, the illusion that they are
the benevolent ones who are providing aid to the people.

The regime is still determined to go ahead with the referendum on its
draft state constitution. Its obsession with legitimacy and refusal to
postpone the referendum nationwide in favour of focusing efforts on
delivering aid is costing Burmese lives.

Now is the time to go into Burma and deliver the help that is so
desperately needed, with or without the regime’s permission.

The United Nations must give an ultimatum to Than Shwe's regime, calling
for permission to enter the country within the next 48 hours. If Than
Shwe's regime ignores the ultimatum, the UN should enter Burma without his
permission.

Burma does not belong to Than Shwe and his army. Burma belongs to 57
million people. Now nearly two million people are suffering and need
water, shelter, medicine and food immediately.

The people of Burma cannot wait any longer; too many will die.


____________________________________

May 9, Associated Press
Why is Burma junta afraid of letting foreign aid workers?

In the eyes of Burma's military rulers, everyone is a potential enemy.
Even foreign aid workers.

As the international community waits to deliver desperately needed aid to
Burma's cyclone survivors, it is getting a lesson in the mind-set of the
country's military rulers: reclusive, xenophobic generals who despise the
Western world.

Six days after Cyclone Nargis slammed into Burma's western coast, killing
more than 22,000 people, the impoverished country's needs remain enormous.
After initially pleading for urgent help, the junta now seems in no rush
to welcome it.

"The military regime is extraordinarily xenophobic. They are afraid of
everything," said Sean Turnell, a Burma expert at Australia's Macquarie
University.

Among the junta's fears are internal uprisings, a US invasion,
globalization and its capacity to dilute traditional Burmese culture. In
the aftermath of Saturday's cyclone, the junta appears to be afraid of
losing face with its people.

"If they can't handle the situation and they let Westerners come in with
helicopters, this will demonstrate to their own people the shortcomings of
the military," Turnell said. "They are more concerned with control and
maintaining an omniscience in front of their people than saving lives."

Burma's Foreign Ministry indicated Friday that it wants relief supplies
but not foreign aid workers in the country, saying in a statement carried
in state media that the government was delivering emergency aid "with its
own labor to the affected areas."

After days of stalling, the junta gave clearance Thursday for the first
major international airlifts carrying aid to cyclone survivors. But it was
not allowing US military planes to fly in critical relief and continued to
withhold visas for several UN teams seeking entry, said Richard Horsey, a
UN spokesman in neighboring Thailand.

A foreign military's presence in Burma would mark a major concession for
the junta.

"They're afraid that if foreign soldiers come in they are the spearhead to
overthrow the government," said Josef Silverstein, a retired Rutgers
University professor who studied Burma for more than a half century. From
the junta's perspective: "Aid workers could be carrying weapons to give to
the people, they could give them ideas of how to overthrow the
government."

Aid agencies say efforts to rush relief supplies to large-scale disasters
are often slowed by red tape.

But Burma's foot dragging has a deeper, historical context.

The junta has long mistrusted the Western world stemming from more than a
century of British colonial rule that ended in 1948. A parliamentary
democracy survived until the ruthless dictator Gen Ne Win seized power in
a 1962 coup. During his 26-year rule, Ne Win's regime curtailed human
rights and political opposition and closed the country off to outsiders,
earning Burma, as it was then known, the nickname the "Hermit Kingdom."

Tourists were, for the most part, not allowed in for years until the 1970s
when visitors were given strict, seven-day visas.

These days, tourists get one-month visas but journalists are welcome only
during carefully scripted occasions, such as the annual celebration of
Armed Forces Day to commemorate the military's might.

Over the years, ruling juntas have imposed a variety of laws designed to
keep Burmese culture strong and block the influence of the outside world:
It is illegal for locals to hold foreign currency and to host foreigners
in their homes overnight. Foreign diplomats are required to seek
government permission to travel outside Rangoon, the commercial capital.

One of the junta's main foes is the United States, which has imposed
economic sanctions against the generals and is a strident critic of
Burma's human rights record. Washington is a regular target of contempt in
Burma's state-controlled media.

US invasions of Iraq in 1991 and in 2003 reportedly spread panic among the
junta and high hopes among the people.

Some analysts believe that the junta's abrupt decision in 2005 to relocate
the country's capital from Rangoon to the remote city of Naypyidaw, which
it carved out of dense jungle, was driven by fears of a US invasion.

On Monday, first lady Laura Bush described the junta as "very inept" on
several fronts and accused leaders of failing to give citizens some
lifesaving warnings about the cyclone. President George W. Bush said
Tuesday that his message to military rulers was: "Let the United States
come help you."

The language is not helpful, said Monique Skidmore, a Burma expert at
Australian National University.

"It's actually making it a lot more difficult for the US agencies because
Bush must be enraging the generals," said Skidmore. "And that's not the
thing to be doing if he wants to get aid there as quickly as possible."

Awaiting a decision from Burma, the US stepped up preparations Thursday
for a humanitarian mission in Burma, readying some navy ships and Air
Force planes already in the region, said Eric John, the US ambassador to
Thailand.

"We are in a long line of nations who are ready, willing and able to
help," John said. "But also, of course, in a long line of nations the
Burmese don't trust."


____________________________________
STATEMENT

May 9, All Burma Monks’ Alliance, the 88 Generation Students and All Burma
Federation of Student Unions – The Military Junta’s Sham Constitution
Rejected

International Humanitarian Intervention Requested

(1) It is obvious that the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council),
official name of the military junta that has ruled the country of Burma
illegally for many years with arms and threats, oppresses and kills the
people of Burma who demand democracy and human rights peacefully, by using
not only its military power, but also natural disaster.

(2) Knowing in advance that the dangerous and strong Cyclone Nargis was
coming, the military junta failed to provide sufficient warning and
suggest preparation to the people of Burma. Hence, when Cyclone Nargis
attacked, hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions became
homeless in states and divisions of Rangoon, Bago (Pegu), Irrawaddy, Karen
and Mon. If there were sufficient warnings, serious preparations and
systematic evacuations earlier, the number of deaths and damages would be
much less.

(3) In the aftermath of the Cyclone attack, the military junta continues
to not provide sufficient assistance to the victims. People are facing the
potential danger of more and more deaths because of the junta’s inability
to remove the rotted bodies quickly, a lack of drinking water and food,
and impending deadly diseases. However, we are witnessing sadly that the
military junta does not help the victims effectively and it even blocks
assistance generously offered by the international community.

(4) While nearly half of the total population in Burma is suffering
through this national tragedy, instead of putting all resources toward
saving the lives of the victims, the military junta is concentrating on
legalizing military rule in Burma forever through a sham constitutional
referendum, scheduled for tomorrow, May 10, 2008.

(5) Therefore, we would like to urge the people of Burma, from all walks
of life, to object to the military junta, which rules the country against
the will of the people, neglects the welfare of the people and focuses
only on holding on to its power, by marking a (X) mark on the ballot paper
decisively in the referendum.

(6) To save thousands of lives before it’s too late, we would like to urge
the United Nations and foreign governments to intervene in Burma
immediately to provide humanitarian and relief assistance directly to the
people of Burma, without waiting for the permission of the military junta,
with a decision made by the UN Security Council or individual country.

All Burma Monks’ Alliance, the 88 Generation Students and All Burma
Federation of Student Unions

____________________________________

May 9, Seven Alliances
Referendum must be called off & International aid allowed in

The Seven Alliances of the Burmese democracy movement - a united front of
umbrella organizations representing the majority of Burma's ethnic and
democracy groups in exile - today calls on the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) to suspend the referendum nationwide, and allow all
international aid into the country immediately.

So far 35 disaster teams from 18 countries have offered to help and over
20 countries have pledged aid worth more than 40 million USD, but most of
them have been denied entry to the country or are waiting for permission
from the military regime to begin aid distribution. Even the United
Nations assessment team has yet to be given visas.

Currently, thousands of dead bodies remain piled in paddy fields and the
UN estimates millions are without food and water. Up to 40 per cent of the
victims are believed to be children. Last night, junta officials approved
a single UN aid flight bringing in emergency supplies accompanied by a
disaster response team.

"So far the SPDC seems to be giving preference to aid delivered by its
perceived allies. It must allow all international aid into the country
immediately, especially teams offering much-needed international
expertise. Failure to do so directly violates principles of humanitarian
assistance and international agreements to which Burma is a signatory",
says Lian Sakhong, General Secretary of Ethnic Nationalities Council.
"Authorities must allow local communities to work together to help each
other, instead of harassing and intimidating them," he adds.

There is a real risk of epidemics in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in Burma,
particularly waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea. For such
conditions, simple, cost-effective interventions such as rehydration salts
can reduce the risk of mortality from over 20% to less than 1%, especially
in conjunction with provision of other basic services, such as clean
water, food, and shelter.

The Seven Alliances points out that the delay in aid is contributing to
what is already a catastrophic situation in Burma. "We urge the UN and the
international community to carry out high-level negotiations with the
leaders of the SPDC, to persuade them to open the country up and allow
international aid teams unrestricted access," says Dr. Naing Aung,
Secretary General of Forum for Democracy in Burma. "If the SPDC continues
to obstruct international assistance, then the world has a responsibility
to respond to the
life-threatening situation in Burma by invoking the 'Responsibility to
Protect' clause, a concept the UN recognized in 2005," he adds.

Media Contacts:
U Myint Thein (National Council of Union of Burma) (087 808 3552)
Dr. Lian H Sakhong (Ethnic Nationalities Council) (081 029 6100)
Hseng Noung (Women's League of Burma) (081 884 4963)
Dr. Naing Auang (Forum for Democracy in Burma) (081 883 7230)


____________________________________

May 9, Asian Human Rights Commission
This colossal humanitarian crisis demands a far more resolute response
from the global community and the Burmese government


>From the very scanty news that has reached the global media it is already

clear that a human catastrophe of the highest category is taking place in
Burma. Some figures indicate that the numbers of deaths known so far may
be around 200,000. In one area alone around 80,000 people are dead. By all
indications there is not only an absence of anything that may be called an
adequate response but there is a visible inability to make a coordinated
and well organised response to this tragedy.


>From the sheer numbers and from a purely humanitarian point of view this

tragedy compares with the worst seen in the region and, in fact, globally.
However, what is missing even when we compare it to the tsunami which
affected several countries in Asia on December 26, 2004, is a quick and
efficient response with a moral determination that is equal to deal with
the tragedy. The type of neglect we see in Burma is one that will kill
more and more persons who can be saved and who can be helped.

Though not equal to the proportion of the tragedy, there has been a
significant response from the global community and also from the
neighbours. No doubt far more needs to be done within the shortest time
possible. However, the main obstacle to dealing with the tragedy comes
from Burma’s military ruling regime. Initially the regime was not even
willing to admit the tragedy and later tried to minimize it. Whether this
was done simply because of the very nature of the inward looking regime,
which does not possess sufficient capacity to generate an information flow
about actual social conditions of the people or whether they were
suppressing the information that they possess is not really the issue. Now
that the partial information available reveals a tragedy of the worst
proportions there is no political or moral justification to obstruct any
and every form of intervention to save lives.

The unwillingness of the regime should not be taken as an excuse by the
global community to allow the situation to degenerate and to allow more
people to die or suffer when, in fact, it is possible to prevent it. It is
just a question of the level of pressure that needs to be applied on a
regime by everyone including the friends of the regime. China and India
have an irrefutable moral and political obligation to intervene with the
regime and to do so with effective pressure to change this situation. It
is also the duty of other powerful neighbours in the region such as
Thailand, South Korea and Japan not to spare any effort to get space for
humanitarian assistance. The mere verbal football of making accusations of
non-cooperation by the regime is inexcusable under the present
circumstances.

In fact, the world’s diplomatic community faces a serious moral challenge
in Burma. Has it the capacity and the will, at least, to make a meaningful
intervention in a moment of the worst human tragedies that has arisen out
a natural disaster. Can the factor of the absence of political will on the
part of the existing regime be dealt with effectively by quick and strong
diplomacy? Of course this challenge will also test the United Nations
capacity to deal with this humanitarian crisis.

It is time once again for the global media to demonstrate that in the time
of crises like this, the media has the highest potential of making the
difference. Even the limited information we now have reveals the appalling
and outrageous events that have taken place in the country. With more
information it is very likely that the world will respond even more
generously to deal with this crisis and also to bring political and moral
pressure on the Burmese regime to respond to the sufferings of the people.

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional
non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues
in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984