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$4 Billion In Damages in Myanmar Cyclone Disaster!
"SINGAPORE - Myanmar needs at least $1 billion over the next three years to help rebuild the lives of survivors of Cyclone Nargis, a U.N.-led report said Monday in the first comprehensive assessment of the damage caused by the disaster that killed more than 84,000 people.
The May 2-3 cyclone caused an estimated $4 billion in damage, said the report prepared by the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Myanmar's military junta. Damage to assets was estimated at $1.7 billion and loss of income at $2.3 billion.
The cyclone devastated large swathes of the Irrawaddy delta and the Yangon region, killing at least 84,537 people and leaving 53,836 others missing and presumed dead, according to the junta.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said the three parties involved in the report are seeking at least $1 billion in international aid for humanitarian relief efforts alone over the next three years to deal with "a tragedy of immense proportions."
"The task ahead is clearly enormous and will take a lot of time, a lot of effort," Surin told a news conference, flanked by the foreign ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries and the U.N. humanitarian chief, John Holmes.
ASEAN helped facilitate contacts between international donors and Myanmar's military junta, which had initially refused to allow in foreign relief workers. The junta had also insisted on full control over international relief, holding up delivery for weeks while survivors waited in desperate conditions.
At a donor conference after the cyclone, participants demanded full access to storm-hit areas and an independent assessment of aid to ensure it was not being wasted or stolen.
"Both of those things are in place," Holmes said. "It is important to have a report of this quality to assure donors that resources are being well spent ... and that future assistance is fully justified," he said, appealing to donors to "continue to be generous."
U.N. short on aid request
He said the U.N. had appealed for $482 million in immediate assistance but is still short $300 million.
The report paints a dismal picture of the devastation caused by the cyclone, saying it is expected to wipe out about 2.7 percent of Myanmar's projected gross domestic product in 2008.
The storm destroyed 450,000 homes and damaged 350,000. About 75 percent of health facilities were damaged, as were 4,000 or more schools.
About 1.5 million acres of farmland and 60 percent of agricultural implements were destroyed, it said. In mid-June, 55 percent of survivors had enough food for only one day or less.
"We have tired to wipe some tears, soothe some aching hearts ... but not all," Surin said. Failure to provide them aid over the long term "will be detrimental to the very survival of the victims," he said.
Report avoids issue of junta's response
The report does not mention the junta's limited action in the first week after the disaster which drew worldwide criticism. Pictures of bodies floating in the water amid reports that soldiers were standing by idly horrified people around the world. The junta also was criticized for failing to accept international aid quickly and even physically preventing it from going to the hardest-hit areas.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, who chaired the news conference, refused to allow a reporter's question to Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win about whether the junta felt that many lives could have been saved had it acted differently.
Yeo said that while "political questions" are relevant, the news conference was only about the assessment report.
ASEAN experts said the cyclone-hit area remains in a state of emergency.
"People live in a very precarious condition now. If we fail to sustain the recovery efforts, they may face a second emergency," said Puji Pujiono, a recovery assessment specialist in the ASEAN team."
"SINGAPORE - Myanmar needs at least $1 billion over the next three years to help rebuild the lives of survivors of Cyclone Nargis, a U... more -
Myanmar Cyclone: Karen refugees a 'forgotten story'
Nine refugee camps stretch along western Thailand's border with Myanmar, but Mae La, with a population of 43,000, is by far the largest.
"I came to the camp 10 years ago after the army burned our village and took our rice," one young mother told me.
Most of the camp's residents arrived after being forced to flee their homes due to the violence in Myanmar, as documented by the United Nations.
The refugees' stories were often identical: Direct military attacks by the Myanmar army, forced labor, destruction of homes and food crops, and enslavement.
The camps are overseen and run by the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), a union of 11 international non-governmental organizations that provide food, shelter and non food items to refugees and displaced people from Myanmar, also known as Burma.
The Mae La camp is situated about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Mae Sot, a Thai border town known for its cross-border trade in gems and teak, and more recently, as the home to the Sylvester Stallone movie character, John Rambo.
The first view of the camp is spectacular -- hundreds of wooden houses with roofs made from leaves dot the lush, hilly landscape, as limestone cliffs rise steeply in the background.
There were no guards and little fuss while entering the camp, which somewhat reflects the plight of these displaced people.
The conflict between the Myanmar government and the Karen and other ethnic groups such as the Karenni, Mon and Shan is considered by many analysts as the longest-running civil war in the world. Yet, according to TBBC director Jack Dunford, it has become a "forgotten story."
The recent storm that hit Myanmar's delta region, killing at least 78,000, has raised the question of whether border camps will be inundated with new refugees.
But Saay Tae Tae, a coordinator with the Karen refugee Committee, believes it would take months, if at all.
"The Delta is where most of the Karens live, but it would be very difficult for them to get here. Travel is very restricted by the army, and the people have no money to pay for transport," Saay said. "It will take four or five months until we see the real picture." Nine refugee camps stretch along western Thailand's border with Myanmar, but Mae La, with a population of 43,000, is by far the larges... more -
Myanmar journalist arrested for burying cyclone dead
Aung Kyaw San, editor of the Myanmar Tribune, was arrested on June 15 along with 16 other people who had volunteered to help bury the cyclone dead, Aung Kyaw San, editor of the Myanmar Tribune, was arrested on June 15 along with 16 other people who had volunteered to help bury the ... more
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The real disaster in Burma
Ricky Gervais features in this video showing why "The Real Disaster In Burma is The Government".
In the wake of the devastating Cyclone Nargis that hit Burma on 2 May, more than one million people are homeless, up to 128,000 killed. This natural disaster was turned into a man-made catastrophe by Burma's brutal regime. They blocked international aid and left thousands without food, shelter or medicine. The real disaster in Burma is the government.
Ricky Gervais features in this video showing why "The Real Disaster In Burma is The Government". ... more -
Myanmar says US aid can't be trusted
There are so many valid reasons to be this suspicious of U.S. intentions. How many lives will be lost over this distrust?
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Myanmar detains activist Comedian
U Maung Thura, a popular comedian in Myanmar was detained by police after carrying out private campaigns to help survivors of last months cyclone. Police raided his house and seized computer files which showed things the military government would prefer the world doesn't see, including videos of the cyclone victims and also video of the "Champagne and diamonds" wedding of a senior general's daughter. U Maung Thura, a popular comedian in Myanmar was detained by police after carrying out private campaigns to help survivors of last mon... more
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Burmese still lack aid a month on
A month after Burma was devastated by a cyclone, foreign aid agencies say a quarter of a million people have still not received any help.
Despite claims by the Burmese generals that the relief operation is now over, aid workers say there remains an urgent need to provide food, shelter, clean water and other basic aid. A month after Burma was devastated by a cyclone, foreign aid agencies say a quarter of a million people have still not received any he... more -
Burma cyclone: Myanmar warned over forcing survivors home
In the same week that a US official has accused the Myanmar junta of being 'deaf and dumb' to foreign aid pleas, rights groups have urged the regime to stop forcing survivors of the recent cyclone to return to their shattered homes, where they face more misery and perhaps death.
Yesterday saw the junta begin the process of evicting destitute families from state-run disaster relief centres, fearing that the 'tented villages' would become permanent fixtures. In the same week that a US official has accused the Myanmar junta of being 'deaf and dumb' to foreign aid pleas, rights groups have ur... more -
Open up if you want more cyclone aid, Myanmar told
Myanmar was promised millions of dollars in cyclone aid on Sunday, but some Western donor countries said the cash was contingent on the junta keeping its word on letting in foreign aid workers.
"The Myanmar authorities must turn promises into action. The eyes of the world are watching," British development minister Douglas Alexander said after a landmark aid conference in the former Burma, under army rule for the last 46 years.
The United States, which deems the country an "outpost of tyranny", said it was ready to offer more than the $20.5 million of aid sent after the May 2 cyclone that left 134,000 people dead or missing and another 2.4 million destitute.
"However, in order to do so, the government must allow international disaster assistance experts to conduct thorough assessments of the situation," U.S. envoy to southeast Asia Scot Marciel said.
Three weeks after Nargis pounded the Irrawaddy delta, the United Nations says three in four of those most in need have yet to receive any help -- and that hunger and disease could send the death toll soaring if the situation does not change.
The junta, by contrast, says the relief phase of the disaster is already over.
Prime Minister Thein Sein thanked the 500 delegates from 50 countries for the help so far given, and said more would be welcome as long as it came from "genuine goodwill" and "provided that there are no strings attached nor politicization involved".
China and some other Asian countries said it was important to keep aid and politics separate in dealing with a regime that has defied all pressure to loosen its vice-like grip on power. Myanmar was promised millions of dollars in cyclone aid on Sunday, but some Western donor countries said the cash was contingent on th... more -
Burma to let in all Cyclone Nargis aid workers
Military junta's decision could dramatically affect flow of desperately needed aid into devastated country
The UN general secretary, Ban Ki-moon, today hailed a decision by Burma's leadership to allow all aid workers into the country to help the cyclone survivors as a breakthrough.
The U-turn by the military government came during a meeting between the Ban and Burma's leader General Than Shwe in the new capital of Naypidaw.
"I had a good meeting with the senior general, particularly on these aid workers," Ban said. "He has agreed to allow all aid workers regardless of nationalities."
Asked if he believed Shwe, Ban said the Burmese leader had made the statement "in front of many senior generals".
"I urged him that it would be crucially important for him to allow aid workers as swiftly as possible and all these aid relief items also be delivered to the needy people as soon as possible," Ban said after his two-hour meeting at a modern government complex in the foothills of the Shan uplands.
The junta will accept relief flights into Yangon from many countries, including the United States, its fiercest critic.
But it rejected offers of French and American ships delivering aid.
UN officials said the idea that ships should dock was "very sensitive idea for them [the junta]."
But Shwe said Burma was open to receiving relief supplies and equipment from civil ships and small boats.
Three weeks to the day after Cyclone Nargis struck, killing an estimated 134,000 and leaving 2.4 million destitute, the decision could dramatically affect the flow of desperately needed aid into the country.
Aid agencies and the UN have complained bitterly that relief and international disaster management experts needed to cope with such an enormous calamity have been largely kept out by the reclusive regime.
Ban said that three-quarters of those affected by the cyclone in the Irrawaddy delta - the area worst affected - had yet to receive any assistance.
The UN chief's meeting came the day after he inspected the damage in the delta first-hand during a four-hour military helicopter tour.
On his arrival in Naypidaw today, Ban was driven the 30 minutes from the airport along largely deserted streets to the government complex, where he was met by Shwe, dressed in a dark green uniform covered in medals and military decorations.
Observers who witnessed the start of the meeting said Shwe was surrounded by military aides and remained impassive as he greeted Ban.
The breakthrough could see international aid experts staffing logistical hubs in the delta, though there were scant details of the agreement.
Ban had said he also planned to urge the Burmese leader to accept more international helicopters and ships in the disaster zone to bring in shelter, food, water and medical supplies across the region where 60% of the infrastructure was destroyed, greatly hampering the relief effort.
The UN chief offered no details of the concessions he had won. It seemed unlikely that the US ships and helicopters lying just off the coast would have been accepted by the Burmese generals. Military junta's decision could dramatically affect flow of desperately needed aid into devastated country ... more -
Myanmar cyclone: Burma 'to let in all foreign aid workers'
Burma's top leader has agreed to let all foreign aid workers into the country for relief work in cyclone-hit areas. UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon made the announcement after meeting with Gen Than Shwe and 10 other junta officials in Burma's capital. Ban was there for what was called "a last-chance effort" to persuade them to accept much-needed aid and relief experts.
About 78,000 people died and 56,000 are missing after the 2 May cyclone. Ban called Gen Than's decision "a breakthrough."
Yesterday, Burma's junta told Ban that the first phase of relief effort is over. Ban took a "carefully managed tour" of the Irrawaddy delta yesterday to see for himself the damage caused by Cyclone Nargis. It was reported that Ban was taken to a well-managed relief camp, known by locals as a "happy camp." The visit was filmed by state run media, depicting scenes that sharply contrasted the reports from international aid agencies on the ground in Burma that the majority of the 2.4 million affected had yet to receive aid.
The international community remains skeptical about the junta's optimism about relief progress in Burma. Ban Ki-moon said he was "very upset" by what he saw during his tour, and encouraged Burmese not to lose their hope and courage. Burma's top leader has agreed to let all foreign aid workers into the country for relief work in cyclone-hit areas. UN secretary gener... more -
Myanmar junta OKs UN helicopters for relief deliveries
Bangkok, May 21 : Myanmar’s junta has allowed the World Food Programme (WFP) to bring 10 helicopters into the country to deliver emergency supplies to thousands of victims of Cyclone Nargis, 19 days after the storm struck, officials confirmed Wednesday. “We received approval Tuesday, but we still have not been able to work out the specific agreement with the Myanmar authorities for bringing in ground operation crews for the helicopters and where the helicopters will be used,” said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the UN aid agency.
The first UN helicopter, a M18P based in Malaysia, would be sent to Yangon Thursday, but the remaining nine are likely to face several days of delays as they are flown in from various locations, reassembled in Bangkok and delivered to Yangon - and only after details on where and how the aircraft can be used are hashed out with Myanmar authorities.
“Obviously, from our point of view, the need for the helicopters is urgent,” Risley said.
The WFP, which is handling the logistics for a multimillion-dollar disaster-relief operation in Myanmar, requested permission to use its own helicopters in the country almost immediately after Cyclone Nargis crashed into Myanmar’s central coast May 2-3.
The cyclone left at least 133,000 people dead or missing, according to government estimates, and another 2.5 million in need of food, water, shelter and medicine.
The emergency relief programme for reclusive Myanmar, which has been run by military dictatorships since 1962, has been severely hampered by logistical and visa restrictions put in place by the ruling regime.
The WFP estimated that 19 days after the cyclone, it has reached about one-third of the 750,000 people it deemed in desperate need of food and water.
Many of the villages hardest hit by Nargis live on the remote fingertips of the Irrawaddy delta in areas reachable only by boat or helicopter even before the storm. Bangkok, May 21 : Myanmar’s junta has allowed the World Food Programme (WFP) to bring 10 helicopters into the country to deliver emerg... more -
U.N. Chief to Visit Cyclone-Devastated Burma
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will fly to Burma this week and visit the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis, a U.N. spokeswoman said Sunday.
Burma's military government has given permission for the U.N. chief to travel to the Irrawaddy delta, where U.N. officials fear tens of thousands of cyclone survivors are not getting adequate aid, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said.
Ban sent U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes to Burma, as called Burma over the weekend to assess the needs of the survivors and urge the isolationist junta to open its doors to more international aid.
The military junta has not allowed most international relief workers into the devastated region.
Burma's military leader, Senior General Than Shwe, has refused to take the secretary-general's phone calls or answer two letters sent urging that international relief teams be allowed in quickly to provide relief.
At least 78,000 people were killed in the May 2-3 storm and another 56,000 are missing.
Ban will leave New York on Tuesday and is scheduled to arrive in Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, on Wednesday, Montas said.
"He will go to the areas most affected by the cyclone," she said.
The secretary-general will leave Burma on May 23 and stop in Bangkok, Thailand, on his way back to New York, she said. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will fly to Burma this week and visit the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis, a U.N. spokeswoman said S... more -
Burma to allow in foreign medics
Foreign medical workers are to be allowed into cyclone-stricken Burma to help bring aid to millions of victims.
At a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo confirmed agreement had been reached, saying: "Myanmar will accept international assistance".
The development comes ahead of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon's visit to the country later this week to discuss aid for the millions displaced by Cyclone Nargis.
Mr Ban's trip is expected to culminate in a rare meeting with junta supremo Than Shwe, who has refused to answer phone calls from the UN since Nargis struck two weeks ago, leaving 134,000 dead and missing and up to 2.5 million destitute.
The UN also wants a conference in Bangkok on May 24 to talk about funds for the relief effort in Burma, also known as Myanmar, where the military government has so far refused to admit large-scale foreign aid for fear it will loosen its 46-year grip on power.
Humanitarian agencies say the death toll from Nargis, already one of the most devastating cyclones to hit Asia, could soar without a massive increase of emergency food, shelter and medicine to the worst-hit region, the Irrawaddy Delta.
Save the Children said research found "30,000 children under the age of five in the cyclone-affected Irrawaddy Delta were already acutely malnourished before the cyclone hit".
It said: "Of those, Save the Children believes that several thousand are at risk of death in the next two to three weeks because of a lack of food." Foreign medical workers are to be allowed into cyclone-stricken Burma to help bring aid to millions of victims. ... more -
Myanmar Agrees to Allow Aid Efforts by Neighbors
Myanmar agreed Monday to let its Southeast Asian neighbors help coordinate foreign relief assistance for cyclone victims, bending somewhat to international pressure to allow in more outside aid, Singapore’s foreign minister, George Yeo, said.
But the supply of aid and the entry of relief workers from countries outside the Southeast Asian bloc would continue to be limited, he said.
“We will establish a mechanism so that aid from all over the world can flow into Myanmar,” Mr. Yeo said, speaking at an emergency meeting in Singapore of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, which includes Myanmar.
“Myanmar is also prepared to accept the expertise of international and regional agencies to help in its rehabilitation efforts,” he told a news conference. Referring to the continuing limitations on help from countries outside Southeast Asia, he said: “We have to look at specific needs — there will not be uncontrolled access.”
Since the cyclone, Western nations and major relief groups have raised alarm about Myanmar’s refusal to allow in large-scale relief shipments to the estimated 2.5 million survivors in need of aid after of the May 3 cyclone.
Myanmar has permitted a small flow of aid from several nations, including the United States. But relief officials say that this amounts to only 20 percent of the needed supplies. Without more aid, they say, many more people may yet die of disease and starvation.
Myanmar’s limited concession Monday came as international pressure continued to build from several directions, with the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, warning that the junta could be guilty of “crimes against humanity” if it continued to restrict the supply of aid into the country.
However, despite the international criticism, Myanmar’s foreign minister, Nyan Win, was quoted by Reuters as telling reporters that there had been no delay in accepting aid. “We always welcomed international aid,” he said.
After failing to receive a reply to letters and telephone calls made to the military junta, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to travel to Yangon, the main city, this week in hopes of meeting the country’s leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe.
More than two weeks after the cyclone, General Shwe emerged from the isolated capital, Naypyidaw, and was shown on Myanmar state media for the first time in public Sunday, meeting ministers involved in the rescue effort and touring some affected areas. Also on Monday, the junta said that beginning Tuesday, flags would be lowered as part of a three-day mourning period for the victims of the cyclone. Myanmar agreed Monday to let its Southeast Asian neighbors help coordinate foreign relief assistance for cyclone victims, bending some... more -
ASEAN to coordinate Myanmar aid effort
Southeast Asian nations will take the lead in an international aid effort for cyclone-hit Myanmar, but the military junta will not give Western relief workers unfettered access to disaster areas, Singapore said on Monday.
"We will establish a mechanism so that aid from all over the world can flow into Myanmar," Foreign Minister George Yeo said.
He was speaking after hosting a regional meeting to prod the generals to accept large-scale foreign aid and expertise for up to 2.4 million people left destitute by Cyclone Nargis.
The details were to be worked out with the United Nations, which announced later on Monday that a donor conference would be held in the cyclone-hit former capital, Yangon, on May 25.
Myanmar agreed to accept nearly 300 medical personnel from its neighbors in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the foreign ministers said in a statement.
A few have already sent teams two weeks after the disaster which left 134,000 dead or missing. But aid workers from outside ASEAN will only be granted visas on a case-by-case basis.
"We have to look at specific needs -- there will not be uncontrolled access," Yeo said after the meeting which named ASEAN chief Surin Pitsuwan to work with the United Nations on aid delivery.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Myanmar on Wednesday, when he plans to visit the country's Irrawaddy delta area which was hit hardest by Nargis, his spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters. Southeast Asian nations will take the lead in an international aid effort for cyclone-hit Myanmar, but the military junta will not giv... more -
Myanmar cyclone: Burma to mourn cyclone's victims
Burma's junta has declared three days of official mourning for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, 17 days after the storm struck, state television has announced.
The move came as Burma's closest ally, China, began three days of mourning for its own disaster, the Sichuan quake.
Analysts say Burma's move may indicate it now recognises the scale of the disaster it initially downplayed, and could be more open to outside help.
Earlier, Burma agreed at an emergency summit in Singapore to accept more aid.
Burma's secretive military rulers have been criticised for the slow response to the 2 May disaster, which left about 78,000 dead - more than double the number killed in China's earthquake.
The BBC's South East Asian correspondent Jonathan Head says Burma's junta still seems implacably opposed to using the US, French and British navy helicopters aboard ships anchored just off their coast.
Catalyst for change?
But the firm line they have taken until now, that they can cope without foreign expertise, is softening, he says.
Burmese state television announced that the national flag would be flown at half-mast during the mourning period, beginning on Tuesday.
"Because many people were killed by Cyclone Nargis, we have declared three days of mourning from 20 May to 22, and will lower flags to half-staff starting at 0900 (0230 GMT) on 20 May," the statement said.
The regime has so far allowed only a trickle of aid to reach the 2.4m people estimated to be in desperate need of help.
At a meeting of regional foreign ministers in Singapore on Monday, Burma promised to accept significantly more international aid to help cyclone victims.
Credit: BBC News Burma's junta has declared three days of official mourning for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, 17 days after the storm struck, state te... more -
Junta rebuffs EU humanitarian Commissioner
The European Union Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Lois Michel has left Burma empty-handed. He failed to convince Burma's military rulers to make any concessions to the international aid effort during his three-day visit.
"I urged the Burmese government to grant more visas and allow more expertise in so that there is a more efficient response to the disaster," the commissioner told journalists. "I stressed that my mission was purely humanitarian and nit in the least political," he added.
The EU envoy went with several key requests: give EU commission staff a thirty day extension to their visas; rapidly process the outstanding visa applications from UN and NGO personnel, of which there is more than 200; grant six-month multi-entry visas to NGOs and UN international aid workers, thereby increasing the number on the ground three-fold; and allow NGO and local staff access to the Irrawaddy Delta without seeking prior permission.
"This would significantly help the international aid effort," he said. "Time is of the essence," he insisted. But the regime took little heed of his appeals.
He also asked for improved air access for planes flying from aboard to land at airports closer to the areas affected by the cyclone to unload aid supplies. The Burmese authorities rejected this appeal on the grounds that Burmese traffic control was incompatible with foreign flights. The international community has recently proposed establishing an air corridor to the affected areas so that some aid flights could by-pass Rangoon airport and deliver the supplies more directly and save time.
Although none of his requests were immediately granted, he remains optimistic that there will be some movement on them in the near future. "I felt they were tempted to react positively but there was a reluctance to co-operate with the international community," he said.
The main problem was that the EU commissioner only met relatively powerless ministers and did not get chance to talk directly to any of the senior members of the junta. The ministers told the envoy candidly that they could take any decisions themselves and had to refer it up, according to a European diplomat travelling with the European delegation.
This was taken to mean only Senior General Than Shwe had the power to make these decisions. "We now know the chain of command and who's at the top," Mr Michel told Mizzima.
Mr Michel also strongly urged the regime to allow him access to the delta during his visit to see the extent of the damage for himself. This they have now arranged, for the day after the envoy had left the country. More than sixty diplomats and heads of UN agencies in Rangoon are being taken to the delta in three helicopters.
"I hope my visit has been useful," the commissioner told journalists in Bangkok on a stop between Rangoon and Brussels. But it seems to have achieved no concrete results. Now the focus is on the UN humanitarian chief John Holmes' visit on Sunday. The European Union Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Lois Michel has left Burma empty-handed. He failed to convince Burma's milit... more -
Myanmar death toll soars, new reached 133000+
Diplomats witnessed "huge" devastation in the Irrawaddy delta on Saturday and the toll of dead and missing from the cyclone rose above 133,000 people, making it one of the most damaging to hit Asia.
With about 2.5 million people clinging to survival in the delta, and the military government refusing to admit large-scale outside relief, disaster experts say the death toll from Cyclone Nargis which struck on May 2 could rise dramatically.
"It was useful to catch the magnitude of the devastation. It's huge," Bernard Delpuech, head of the European Commission Humanitarian Office in Yangon, said of the trip.
"For the recovery you can't expect it to be six months or a year. It will take longer," he told Reuters from Yangon, the former Rangoon.
Helicopters took some 60 to 70 diplomats split in three groups to different parts of the delta, where Nargis struck with 120 mph (190 kmh) winds and a 12-foot (3.5 meter) wall of water.
The itineraries were arranged by the Myanmar government, under fire for refusing to allow significant numbers of foreign aid workers and major international aid operations. The generals running the country say they have things in hand.
"The purpose was to show the situation was under control. Where we were they didn't hide anything but of course they selected the places we visited," Delpuech said.
In the last 50 years, only two Asian cyclones have exceeded Nargis in terms of human cost -- a 1970 storm that killed 500,000 people in neighboring Bangladesh, and another that killed 143,000 in 1991, also in Bangladesh. Diplomats witnessed "huge" devastation in the Irrawaddy delta on Saturday and the toll of dead and missing from the cyclone rose above... more -
French aid ship awaits Myanmar decision
A French navy vessel packed with 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid for cyclone survivors is prepared to wait for "days or weeks" off the coast of Myanmar as the military junta debates whether to accept the goods, the vessel's commander said Saturday.
Le Mistral spent all day Saturday sailing in circles about 22 kilometers (13 miles) outside Myanmar's territorial waters waiting for a green light that did not come.
"We are patrolling in place while waiting for the authorization," Rear Adm. Alain Hinden said by telephone from the ship. "The ship itself can stay here for days or weeks" if needed, he added.
The French government is hoping it doesn't take that long.
France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, criticized Myanmar's military junta Friday, saying the government's refusal to allow aid to be delivered to people in need "could lead to a true crime against humanity."
The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis has soared to 78,000 with about 56,000 missing. Aid groups say the death toll alone is probably about 128,000, with many more deaths possible from disease and starvation unless help gets quickly to some 2.5 million survivors of the May 2-3 disaster.
Despite having few means to deliver aid quickly and efficiently, the isolationist military government insists it does not want international aid groups to manage relief operations in the desperately poor country.
Le Mistral is carrying 1,000 tons of materials, including food, water, cooking utensils, tents and basic medicines. Its 400 tons of rice is enough to feed 100,000 people for 15 days, the French Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Negotiations between the two countries began about 10 days ago, shortly after the cyclone struck, Hinden said.
A French navy vessel packed with 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid for cyclone survivors is prepared to wait for "days or weeks" off the ... more
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Burma Cyclone
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Burma Cyclone
