U.N. ‘furious’ as Myanmar aid ’seized’
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) — Aid agencies are furious over the Myanmar’s government’s refusal to allow them to distribute food and supplies flown in for cyclone disaster victims.
The ruling military junta has been allowing planes to land, but is not letting the cargo be distributed by most foreign aid workers, especially those from Western nations.
The Asia head of the United Nations’ World Food Program said Friday that the government had seized the contents of two flights that arrived in the morning at Yangon which carried enough food for 95,000 people. They contained 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, medical kits and other items.
We off-loaded the food, and then the authorities refused us permission to take that food away, WFP director Tony Banbury said.
We were told we needed a special letter from the Minister of Social Welfare. We hand-delivered a request to him. The answer back was ‘No, you can’t have the food.’
That food is now sitting on the tarmac doing no good. I’m furious. This is unacceptable.
In response, the U.N. temporarily suspended its emergency airlifts.
However, the WFP — which under U.N. rules must control and distribute its aid supplies — said later that it would try to send more aid on Saturday.
The World Food Program has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the government of Myanmar, spokeswoman Nancy Roman said.
Despite earlier reservations, Myanmar has now agreed to allow one American cargo aircraft to land with relief supplies on Monday, White House Deputy Press secretary Gordon Johndroe said Friday. Watch how some aid is getting through
The United States had earlier proposed an aid plan that would minimize the presence of American troops on the ground, with the planes to drop supplies off and then turn around and leave.
The U.S. is also proposing that its Navy helicopters already in Thailand and onboard Navy ships in the region fly supplies to remote areas. The helicopters would conduct low-level flights and air-drop the supplies but not touch the ground.
Four U.S. Navy ships are now moving to a region offshore Myanmar.
The Danish Red Cross said only one out of 10 people have received some kind of aid in the six days since the cyclone hit, The Associated Press reported.
There are problems to get the aid inside (Myanmar) and there are problems to get the aid out to the delta area, director Anders Ladekarl told AP.
We are simply lacking transportation. There are almost no boats and no helicopters. This is really a nightmare to make this operation run.
Agencies such as the Red Cross, World Vision and Doctors Without Borders already had staff inside Myanmar before the cyclone hit, but have been struggling to get permission to bring in more, AP said.
As many as 6 million people lived in the Irrawaddy Delta, the low-lying region that bore the brunt of the storm. More than 2,000 square miles of land are under water. Look at satellite pictures of the damage by the flooding
The Myanmar government says last week’s cyclone killed 22,000 people, but the top U.S. envoy in the country says the death toll may exceed 100,000. Thousands are without food, shelter and clean water, and aid workers say boats and helicopters are needed to reach remote areas.
As the delivery of aid supplies lags, the possibility of diseases such as malaria rises, medical authorities say.
Friday’s move by the Myanmar military government to stop aid workers distributing supplies came one day before a national constitutional referendum that would strengthen the power of the military junta.
The government delayed voting in areas most ravaged by last Saturday’s cyclone, but, despite urging by U.N. General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon, refused to cancel the balloting countrywide. Ban told authorities it may be prudent to focus their resources on emergency response efforts.
Political observers note that Myanmar has been isolated from outside influences since the military began ruling the country in 1962.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the military junta in Myanmar has behaved appallingly by declining to grant more visas to relief workers.
