22,000 feared dead in Myanmar

from Balita

Cylcone Nargis devastates large areas of what was known as Burma.

THE Burma Campaign UK has reported on Tuesday, May 6, that Cyclone Nargis may have killed more than 22,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

One of the groups responsible for promoting democracy in the military junta-run country said the Irrawaddy Delta of Myanmar bore the brunt of the cyclone, that was largely inhabited by farmers and fisher-people who live in bamboo huts held together with dried grass. Cycline Nargis hit the country that used to be called Burma on Saturday, May 3, packing winds of more than 120 miles per hour, the Burma Campaign UK said.

The Burma Campaing UK said in their official website that most people have no electricity and most roads are made from dirt and in bad condition. “Delivery of aid would be extremely challenging even if the government was co-operating,” it said.
It said that what little communications infrastructure that exists has been severely damaged, making contact in the low lying Irrawaddy Delta around Rangoon difficult. “It is this area where the worst devastation is likely to have occurred, with most people living in homes made of bamboo that would struggle to survive torrential rains and strong winds,” the group said.

It added, “Sea levels could also have risen by up to 3.5 metres (about four yards) in coastal areas, causing severe flooding. In addition to potential loss of life, livestock, food stocks and crops are likely to have been severely damaged.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said it is providing an initial $250,000 for emergency relief assistance to help those who have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Nargis. USAID said it also pre-positioned emergency response experts nearby and is prepared to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to assist the people of Burma.
The Burma Campaign UK said it fears the death-toll in Burma will escalate dramatically unless aid is delivered to victims in the next few days. Most people already live in poverty, and have no resources to cope with a disaster on this scale, it said. The group also said what makes rescue and relief efforts very difficult is due to the government’s “severe restrictions on the delivery of aid, and this has largely gone unchallenged by the international community.”
“This is a major humanitarian disaster,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “The British government must provide extra aid to help cope with this crisis. We also need to see the United Kingdom and other governments do more to challenge restrictions on the delivery of aid. Unless aid arrives soon thousands more will die.”
Reports said that although the regime has said it will accept aid, there is no information on what aid it will allow and where it can be delivered. It is highly unlikely that the regime will allow aid to be delivered freely on the basis of need.
Burma Campaign UK said, “It is essential that aid is delivered through independent agencies such as the UN and aid agencies, rather than the regime, which is likely to misuse or steal aid.”
“Thousands more will die unless the international community insists on immediate access for aid, and then puts its money where its mouth is,” said Farmaner. “We appreciate the challenges there are in delivering aid in Burma, but given the scale of this disaster the response from the United Nations and governments is pathetic, and the people of Burma will pay with their lives.”
In its official website, the Burma Campaign UK condemned the regime in Burma for what it claimed as “failing to give adequate warnings to the population about the cyclone that hit Burma on Saturday, and failing to adequately help victims.”
“This is yet another example of how the regime ignores the welfare of the people of Burma,” said Farmaner. “Instead of warning people about the potential danger, state-owned newspapers were full of propaganda telling people that they must vote for a sham constitution that will keep the military in power.” The regime is holding a referendum on Saturday 10 May on a constitution that the military has designed to give a civilian face to continued military rule.
Burma Campaign UK said its sources reported devastation in Rangoon, with roofs torn from buildings and widespread damage. It said aid to states with ethnic minorities face even more restrictions, especially in the east of Burma where the regime is engaged in a war against ethnic Karen, Karenni and Shan populations.
“We know the regime won’t look after people, and instead is likely to block delivery of aid. The international community must stand up to the regime and insist that aid is allowed to be delivered to those in need.”
Over 90 percent of the population of Burma are believed to live in poverty, while the regime spends around half of its income on the military. Aid agencies are not allowed to operate freely in the country. Several agencies have been forced out of Burma, including the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, which was forced to withdraw from the country because of unacceptable conditions by the military. The regime also restricted humanitarian access following the 2004 tsunami, and does not allow aid in areas of Eastern Burma where it is engaged in a war of ethnic cleansing.
As the death toll in Burma rises to at least 22,000, new satellite maps released by the United Nations show the devastating scale of floods affecting Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta.
The maps show large swathes of the South coast under water. Residents in these areas mainly live in bamboo huts that would not be able to withstand the force of the floods.
“Most of the attention so far has been on Rangoon, but this shows that it is difficult to reach areas on the coast that have been most badly affected,” said Johnny Chatterton, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK. “Helicopters and boats are urgently needed to deliver aid, but it is unlikely the regime will agree to this kind of assistance unless more pressure is put on them.”
According to Burma Campaign UK, India has confirmed it had given two days notice to the regime about the cyclone, but the authorities did virtually nothing to warn the population and put aid in place.