Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 3, 2008 2:44:43 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Burmese Junta Still Blocking Cyclone Aid

Posted May 9, 08 4:52 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Emergency supplies for some 1.5 million Burmese desperately in need of help are ready to be flown into the cyclone-stricken regions—but the military junta is still blocking delivery. Only two UN planes have been allowed to land in Burma. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tried unsuccessfully to telephone Burma's top general to make a personal appeal to allow more relief supplies to get through, reports the Washington Post.

"It is very frustrating, if you look at the people's suffering," said the American ambassador to Thailand, where US planes wait for clearance to deliver food. The Burmese government's reluctance could trigger a new catastrophe, warned a UN spokesman. "Burma has got to open itself up to a major international effort very soon if we are not to face a second disaster, where infectious disease and other problems start to take a significant toll," he said.

Source Washington Post

1 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Burma Still Cleaning Up 6 Months Later

    Nov 2, 08 7:18 PM CST
    Burma Still Cleaning Up 6 Months Later Six months after Cyclone Nargis smashed into Burma's coastline, killing tens of thousands of people, aid groups say once-lagging relief efforts have picked up pace but the task of rebuilding and recovery is far from finished, the AP reports. Foreign aid staffers were initially barred from cyclone-affected areas and the ruling military junta was criticized for its ineffective response to the disaster last May.
    More »

  • Burma Aid Delays Less Deadly Than Feared

    Jun 18, 08 5:13 AM CDT
    Burma Aid Delays Less Deadly Than Feared Delays in getting help to cyclone survivors in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta have not caused the catastrophe initially feared, according to aid workers. Hardy villagers have managed to survive on fish and coconuts, helped by aid from private Burmese citizens and monks, reports the New York Times. Expected massive outbreaks of disease have not occurred—but aid workers warn that many are still at risk. More »

  • Burma Arrests Activist Linked to Cyclone Aid

    Jun 5, 08 6:58 AM CDT
    Burma Arrests Activist Linked to Cyclone Aid The Burmese junta has arrested a leading activist who led a private aid program for victims of last month's Cyclone Nargis. Zarganar, a top comedian in Burma who was also arrested during September's protests, was taken away by secret police last night, Reuters reports. The junta continues to block aid to millions of survivors, and today four American warships abandoned efforts to provide aid. More »

  • Gates: Junta Aid Delays Killed Thousands

    May 31, 08 6:21 AM CDT
    Gates: Junta Aid Delays Killed Thousands Tens of thousands of Burmese have died because of their government's refusal to allow in foreign aid after Cyclone Nargis, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday. Gates accused the military leaders of being "deaf and dumb" to the plight of their people, Reuters reports. American ships in the region have not been allowed to deliver relief supplies to Burma. More »

  • Burma Agrees to Accept All Aid

    May 23, 08 5:34 AM CDT
    Burma has agreed to let international disaster relief workers into the country to help with the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, Bloomberg reports. The junta's about-face came after  UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who flew in yesterday, met the nation's  reclusive military leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. The UN hopes to ramp up operations in the Irrawaddy Delta, where over a million cyclone survivors are thought to be in urgent need of assistance. More »

Houses destroyed by Cyclone Nargis in a village in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar. More than 20,000 are known to be dead.   (AP Photo/Burma News Agency via Xinhua News Agency)
Houses destroyed by Cyclone Nargis in a village in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar. More than 20,000 are known to be dead.   (AP Photo/Burma News Agency via Xinhua News Agency)
Cyclone survivors wave to a helicopter carrying relief goods in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar.   (AP Photo/Burma News Agency via Xinhua News Agency)
A young Myanmar cyclone survivor holds her baby sister at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, Friday May 9, 2008. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
A Myanmar child displaced following Cyclone Nargis looks on at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, Friday May 9, 2008. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
A Myanmar woman displaced following Cyclone Nargis, fans her baby at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, May 9, 2008. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
A Myanmar woman displaced following last weekend's devastating cyclone sits with her children at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, Friday May 9, 2008. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
Myanmar novice monks walk past a shack damaged by Cyclone Nargis on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, Friday May 9, 2008. (AP Photo)   (AP Photo)
In this photo released by the Democratic Voice of Burma, a resident of Yangon walks past fallen trees Tuesday, May 6, 2008, following cyclone Nargis. International aid has begun to trickle into Myanmar,...   (AP Photo/Democratic Voice of Burma, HO)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

United Nations • Burma • Myanmar • disease • Cyclone Nargis • junta • Ban Ki-Moon • hunger • emergency aid • Irrawaddy Delta • World Food Program • Save the Children


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories