Posted on May 27, 2008

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UN Notes Modest Improvements in Myanmar Relief Effort

Nearly three weeks after Cyclone Nargis left at least 134,000 people dead or missing in the Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar, the United Nations has noted modest improvements in the relief effort mounted by the Burmese government, the New York Times reports.

The first helicopters carrying much-needed supplies from the UN World Food Program landed in Yangon, the country's largest city, last week. Although UN officials still are not allowed to travel outside the city, they noted that relief flights into the country have increased to about ten a day, a distribution system is taking shape, arrangements have been made for trucks and barges to carry supplies into the delta, and international relief workers are beginning to receive visas.

As a result of heavy international pressure, the military junta that rules the country has embarked on a campaign to demonstrate that it has been as responsive and open to aid as China has been in the wake of the recent earthquake that killed tens of thousands in Sichuan Province. Nevertheless, only 500,000 of the 2.4 million survivors of the cyclone have received any aid, and reports of startling callousness on the part of government officials have circulated widely. They include reports of homeless refugees being expelled from shelters that the junta says it needs for other purposes and Potemkin-style relief camps built to impress foreign visitors in which supplies remain in their boxes and pots and pans go unused.

Despite the ongoing lack of cooperation from the government, the UN and other aid agencies are moving forward. "We are scaling up, but less quickly than we would have done if we didn't have the same red-tape restrictions," said UN spokesperson Richard Horsey. "We are still not where we need to be, given that 2.4 million people are in need, in the latest United Nations numbers, of which 1.4 million are in urgent need of assistance."

“Junta Offers Showcase Camps, but Most Burmese Lack Aid.” New York Times 5/23/08.

Primary Subject: International Affairs/Development
Secondary Subject(s): Agriculture/Food, Human Services, Health
Location(s): International, Myanmar

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