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Cyclone Disaster in Burma

Started by Imperator; Last updated May 14, 08 6:07 PM CDT by SeacoastNH | View history

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Cyclone Disaster in Burma

"The reports that are coming back from some of our partner organizations ... is that there are some communities where the destruction is close to 100 percent." - Simon Horner spokesman for the EU humanitarian office

As the full impact of the crisis becomes known the junta worries about the political beliefs of the aid workers hat want to come help Burma from its biggest disaster in modern history.

Stories

Stories 41 - 60 of 119

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May 2008
- Cyclone Could Weaken Junta's Grip
  
  Christian Science Monitor | May 8, 08 9:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The devastation of cyclone Nargis could spur stronger opposition to Burma’s ruling junta, the Christian Science Monitor reports. “It could be quite catalytic, like the [2004] tsunami in Aceh,” says a regional aid director. The government, reluctant to allow outside aid, has struggled to cope with the disaster, and Saturday’s constitutional referendum may be an opportunity for Burmese to retaliate. More »
- First Major Aid Finally Reaches Cyclone Survivors
  
  Associated Press | May 8, 08 5:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A single United Nations plane laden with relief supplies has finally landed in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta region—six days after a pulverizing cyclone killed an estimated 100,000 people, AP is reporting. Three other UN planes are expected to land later today, but flights operated jointly by the US and Thailand remain grounded as officials continue to negotiate with Burma's reluctant military leaders to allow foreign aid into the stricken region, Reuters reports. More »
- 100,000 Burmese Now Feared Dead
  
  CNN | May 7, 08 1:34 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The death toll from Burma's catastrophic cyclone could reach 100,000, a US diplomat said today. That's almost five times what the nation's government had estimated, CNN reports—and aid workers are still waiting in Thailand, to be allowed into the country to help the estimated million hungry and homeless survivors. More »
- Millions Homeless, But Junta Impedes Cyclone Aid
  
  Times (UK) | May 7, 08 8:01 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The death toll from Burma's devastating cyclone continues to rise—foreign aid workers now believe 50,000 have died, and 2 to 3 million are homeless—but the military junta is keeping international agencies from mounting a coordinated relief effort. A flight carrying UN relief aid is in the works, but UN workers cannot get visas, journalists are barred, and no comprehensive survey of the damage is available. More »
- Disease, Hunger Now Threaten Cyclone Survivors
  
  Reuters | May 7, 08 3:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Burmese lucky enough to survive a catastrophic cyclone now face the threat of death by disease and hunger. Dirty water and rotting corpses pose a grave danger of cholera and diarrhea, and the devastated infrastructure is making it nearly impossible to deliver food to people who were hungry even before the cyclone hit, Reuters reports. Aid agencies are scrambling to get help to survivors—and to persuade the military junta to grant them increased access. More »
- Bush to Junta: Let the US Help
  
  VOA News | May 6, 08 2:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush today expressed “heartfelt sympathy” to the victims of the Myanmar cyclone and called on the ruling junta to allow the US to offer more help, the Voice of America reports. The government has accepted $250,000 of US aid but balked at letting US Navy rescue teams assist in finding the 41,000 people who remain missing. More »
- Cyclone Death Toll 22,000 and Climbing
  
  BBC | May 6, 08 7:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The cyclone that ripped through Burma has claimed at least 22,000 lives, the military junta said today, and more than 40,000 remain missing. The scope of the disaster forced military leaders to postpone a constitutional referendum—designed to cement their grip on power—in the worst-hit regions, the New York Times notes. The vote is still scheduled to take place Saturday in the rest of the country. More »
- First Lady Steps Up for Cyclone Relief
  
  CNN | May 5, 08 5:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - First Lady Laura Bush took a rare turn in the spotlight today and pressed Burma to let a US disaster response team into the country, CNN reports. In a press conference, she also slammed the junta for its "failure to meet its people's basic needs" after a cyclone killed more than 10,000 people there. More »
- Up to 10,000 Dead in Burma Cyclone
  
  Times (UK) | May 5, 08 1:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As many as 10,000 might have died in the cyclone that struck Burma on Saturday, a government official told foreign diplomats today, and that number could rise yet higher as aid workers pick through the rubble. The death toll, originally estimated at 351, had already been raised to 4,000 earlier today, the Times of London reports. More »
- Burma Cyclone Toll Leaps to 4,000
  
  CNN | May 5, 08 6:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The death toll in yesterday's Burmese hurricane has skyrocketed to 4,000, CNN reports, up from initial estimates of 350. State-run media issued a revised estimate this morning, along with the government's emergency plea for help. Another 3,000 are thought to be missing. Major relief work has already begun, with international groups coordinating a joint effort, but work was being hampered by the government's travel restrictions on foreigners. More »
- Cyclone Savages Burma; at Least 351 Dead
  
  BBC | May 4, 08 7:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A tropical cyclone has wreaked havoc in Burma, killing at least 351 and destroying tens of thousands of buildings, the BBC reports. Cyclone Nargis brought 120 mph winds to the country, knocking down 75% of buildings in one town and cutting off power, water, and phone lines in the largest city, Rangoon. The storm is now headed toward Thailand, but seems to have quieted somewhat. More »
- Thailand Plans OPEC-Style 'Rice Cartel'
  
  Bangkok Post (Thailand) | May 1, 08 9:54 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The prime minister of Thailand is exploring the idea of setting up a rice price-fixing cartel with four other governments in southeast Asia, including the military dictatorship of Burma. The Bangkok Post reports that Samak Sundaravej wants to establish an OPEC-style collective of producers that will influence the market for rice, whose rapidly rising price has resulted in protests and hunger riots. More »
April 2008
- Myanmar Activist Wins Congressional Gold Medal
  
  Reuters | Apr 25, 08 2:29 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Myanmar democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, reports Reuters. Politicians praised her courage, and said the award was a gesture of solidarity with the oppressed Burmese people. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains under house arrest in Rangoon, a prisoner of Myanmar's military junta, which violently put down pro-democracy protests last year. More »
- 54 Burmese Migrant Workers Suffocate in Border Crossing
  
  Reuters | Apr 10, 08 6:54 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Police yesterday discovered the bodies of 54 Burmese migrant workers who suffocated in a truck heading across the border to Thailand. Workers crammed in the 7-by-20-foot space, almost all women, say when they finally managed to alert the driver, he fled. Each worker paid $314 to be smuggled into Thailand, according to some of the 67 travelers who survived the ordeal, reports CNN. More »
- London Erupts in Torch Protests
  
  Guardian (UK) | Apr 6, 08 7:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Despite massive security, London erupted today in a series of protests along the route of the Olympic flame relay, and a "free Tibet" protester managed to grab the torch before p