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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 ... 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"... more -
New storm deepens misery in cyclone-hit Myanmar
Torrential tropical downpours lashed Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Friday, deepening the misery of an estimated 2.5 million destitute survivors of Cyclone Nargis and further hampering the military government's aid efforts.
Despite the latest storm, which is likely to turn already damaged roads to mud in the swamp-covered region, the former Burma's ruling generals insist their relief operations are running smoothly.
However, they issued an edict in state-run newspapers on Friday saying legal action would be taken against anybody found hoarding or selling relief supplies, amid rumors of local military units expropriating trucks of food, blankets and water.
If emergency supplies do not get through in much greater quantities, foreign governments and aid groups say starvation and disease are very real threats.
The European Union's top aid official met ministers in Yangon on Thursday and urged them to admit foreign aid workers and essential equipment to prevent the death toll, which the Red Cross says could be as high as 128,000, from going any higher.
The trip, like so many others before it, yielded no results.
"Relations between Myanmar and the international community are difficult," Louis Michel told Reuters. "But that is not my problem. The time is not for political discussion. It's time to deliver aid to save lives." Torrential tropical downpours lashed Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Friday, deepening the misery of an estimated 2.5 million destit... more -
Burma storm aid frustrations grow
Top aid envoys are ramping up pressure on Burma, as reports from the country suggest aid is still not reaching the region worst hit by Cyclone Nargis.
A BBC reporter visiting the Irrawaddy Delta said there was little sign of aid from the government, which has banned foreign aid staff from the area.
But Burma's prime minister said the emergency relief phase was finished, and rebuilding was beginning.
Aid agencies say relief for up to 2.5m affected people is vastly insufficient.
Official death figures from Burma - also known as Myanmar - have risen to more than 43,000, with nearly 28,000 missing, but the Red Cross and UN both say the toll could top 100,000.
No aid in delta
The BBC's Natalia Antelava reports that the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy Delta are lined with white, swollen bodies and the air reeks of rotting flesh.
Nearly two weeks after the cyclone struck, survivors who have lost loved ones have no fresh water and just enough rice to get by, our correspondent says.
While the military government has put impressive effort into clean-up operations in the former capital, Rangoon, she reports, there was no sign of an aid operation as she travelled into the Delta by boat.
Burma's authorities have welcomed aid donations from all over the world, but only a few foreign experts have been allowed into the country to help organise the relief effort.
'Time to save lives'
The EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, who is in the country for talks, urged the Burmese government to improve access for international aid experts. Top aid envoys are ramping up pressure on Burma, as reports from the country suggest aid is still not reaching the region worst hit by... more
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Aid Frustration
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Aid Frustration
