CaRe

Myanmar junta has seized all aid material


Eric John, the U.S. ambassador told a news conference that the United States and Thailand had thought the Myanmar generals had agreed to let a U.S. military cargo plane fly in supplies. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

BANGKOK - A UN official says Myanmar's junta has seized all the food and equipment that the World Food Programme had flown into the country for cyclone victims.

But the WFP said that two relief flights will be sent to Myanmar on Saturday, just hours after suspending flights due to the 'unacceptable restrictions' by the Myanmar government.

Earlier on Friday, WFP spokesman Paul Risley said that all 'the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in had been confiscated'.

The shipment included 38 tonnes of high-energy biscuits.

Mr Risley said it is not clear why the material was seized. It was also not clear if the shipment seized was the one that was flown in Thursday or another one.

The UN's WFP then said it was suspending aid flights into cyclone-hit Myanmar because of 'unacceptable' restrictions imposed by the country's military rulers.

'Yes, WFP is suspending the flights,' its Myanmar country director Chris Kaye said. 'The restrictions on us are unacceptable.'

'Two flights landed this morning with food, which has not been taken out yet,' he said, without specifying why the supplies had not been unloaded.

'We have made a request to the Social Welfare Ministry,' Mr Kaye said. 'We have to find a way to resolve the problem as soon as possible.'

Myanmar has said it was not ready to let in foreign aid workers, rejecting international pressure to allow experts into the isolated nation where disease and starvation are stalking cyclone survivors.

One week after the devastating storm killed tens of thousands, Myanmar's ruling generals - deeply suspicious of the outside world - said the country needed outside aid for those still alive, but would deliver it themselves.

The foreign ministry announcement came as a top UN official warned time was running out to move in disaster experts and supplies to prevent diseases that could claim even more victims.

Instead, the ministry said some relief workers who arrived on an aid flight from Qatar on Wednesday had been deported.

'Currently Myanmar has prioritised receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own labours to the affected areas,' it said.

'As such, Myanmar is not ready to receive search and rescue teams as well as media teams from foreign countries.'

The military regime that rules this impoverished country, once known as Burma, has long been wary of any influences that could threaten the iron grip on power it has maintained for almost half a century.

Even with the country battered by tragedy, the generals insist they will hold a constitutional referendum on Saturday, brushing off criticism they are ignoring the plight of the homeless while devoting resources to the vote.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said the junta should delay the vote on a document her party says will merely enshrine military rule.

'With this situation, it is not the appropriate time to hold the referendum,' NLD spokesman Nyan Win said.

The extent of the catastrophe unleashed by Cyclone Nargis has also put the regime under intense international pressure to postpone the vote and open up the country, where only a handful of outside aid groups are allowed to operate under strict controls.

The United Nations estimates more than one million people have been left homeless by the disaster and, as each hour passes without clean water and food, they are at ever greater risk of starvation and disease.

'The situation is getting critical and 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,' said Noeleen Heyzer, the top UN official for the Asia-Pacific.

Rotting bodies of people and animals are piled up in many places across the remote southern Irrawaddy delta, where the storm's high winds and waves washed entire villages away.

In many places, the stench of death is overwhelming. Houses have been demolished, roads and bridges are damaged and huge swathes of land are still underwater a week after the disaster hit.

The United States has said the death toll could be around 100,000, but the regime on Thursday increased its official death toll by 17. It gave figures of 22,997 dead, 1,430 injured and 42,119 missing.

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

'Now I do not have money to buy essential food items,' said 75-year-old Thant Aung, who said his whole village in the Kyaklate delta district was destroyed.

'We have less food to eat. I am borrowing money from my friends to keep my family going.'

The World Food Programme said another plane laden with energy biscuits, emergency medical tents and other gear landed on Friday in Myanmar's main city Yangon, which is several hours' drive from the worst-hit areas.

In its statement, issued before the latest plane, the foreign ministry said 11 aid flights had landed so far and the world could help by sending cash and emergency supplies, rather than aid workers.

'The donors and the international community can be assured that Myanmar is doing its best,' it added.

Other nations are divided on whether they have the right to force Myanmar, whose most powerful ally is China, to open up to humanitarian intervention. -- AFP

misterKIDDY

lol why they like that one

shypineapple

fu*ked-up goverments....only think for themself, pity the citizens of Burma.

I know i screwed it up but I will love you forever.
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CaRe

Singapore should not have given them aid materials.

guantanamera

we are doing our best to help them yet they dun wan our help dunno which brain of their is spoil so many ppl die they dun stop their kuku bird mindset muz wait till million die then they siok isit

Everybody is important. Nobody is special.
A man without imagination,is like a bird without wing.

Siong2

Actually I dun really understand why they stop? What are the unacceptable restrictions?

Milk_Mynk

Are they INSANE?

Hallyu

wth is wrong with the damned Myanmar government! They hope everyone to die is it? 100,000 dead and they still refuse help

Hallyu

agree. others want to help, they refuse their help

byakuya

politcs should be cast aside when it comes to saving ppl

thegame

Myanmar is really a very set back, old school nation.

It isnt the government people who are suffering, those well off bastards, so why would they care or allow foreigners to haul stuff in?

Seriously they are worst than the taiwan chen shui bian.

on a lighter note, i say evacuate all citizens, leave the politicians and gov ass lickers behind, and nuke that shit country

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King of Kings - unstoppable fury

guantanamera

remember they are communist county they dun like democracy country help them

Everybody is important. Nobody is special.
A man without imagination,is like a bird without wing.

rockerbaby

thn might as well not waste too much money on them.....

the citizens are suffering cant d general see tht?

T1T2T3

i m sorry to the people of Myanmar...but personally i would not donate a cts unless it is guaranteed that the $$$ wud reach the people.
we should still remembered the billions the world donated for the indian ocean tsunamis....many years later the victims are still living in the open...what happened to the $$$$$??

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shypineapple

totally agreed w/ you.
clear everyone out, & nuke them out....nation like this must be treated in this manner.
kill them to save them.

I know i screwed it up but I will love you forever.
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Huaikong