Myanmar cyclone death toll nearly 78,000
The cyclone's official death toll has nearly doubled to almost 78,000 and another 56,000 people remain missing two weeks after the devastating storm, state television reported Friday.
The United Nations, meanwhile, said that severe restrictions by Myanmar's military junta have left aid agencies largely in the dark about the extent of survivors' suffering.
John Holmes, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, will go to Myanmar on Sunday in an attempt to convince junta leaders to grant more access to U.N. relief workers and massively scale up aid efforts, said Amanda Pitt, a U.N. spokeswoman in Bangkok, Thailand.
With pressure mounting, the military regime has invited foreign diplomats to tour the hard-hit Irrawaddy delta on Saturday, providing their first opportunity to personally view the devastation.
U.S. Embassy charge d'affaires Shari Villarosa told The Associated Press Friday that the Foreign Ministry was arranging the trip, but no further details were available and it was unclear how much access the diplomats will have outside the controlled tour.
The handful of foreign experts who have been allowed into the country have been restricted to Yangon, the former capital. The government has set up police and military checkpoints on roads leading out of Yangon to Irrawaddy, where foreigners are being turned back.
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Posted By: nyeinc @ 05/10/2008 9:59:13 PM
Comment: Part II: Terrain is Quite Clear but One More Thing to Do
Now that the referendum is over, would the Burmese military government accept the international relief workers? More likely than before, but one more thing to go.
What do the regime opponents plan to do with the presence of international aid workers (and possibly media) in Burma? The regime opponents know that the draft constitution will be ratified because it is the only way out of the ongoing political gridlock and the public is going to vote for it so that they can move forward. If the regime opponents plan to take advantage of the presence of international aid workers, thinking that the Burmese military government would NOT dare to disperse the protestors as it did last year and in 1988, or that if it did, it is going to face the enormous global outrage and UN Security Council???s punitive resolution and pressure, then what would the Burmese military leaders do?
Of course, in the name of reason of the state and Hobbesian dilemma, they are going to order the army and police to disperse the protestors and to shoot if judged necessary. Legally, they can do so because the emergency law is imposed for a natural disaster and legitimately because the U.S National Guards and Police did shoot some people dead in New Orleans after Katrina. The Burmese military leaders are going to and have to take a decisive action, whatever it means, even if the international aid workers are there and if they have to face later the global condemnation and UN Security Council???s punitive resolution, falling into the trap of their opponents??? infamous but unpragmatic strategy of regime change by UN Security Council???s resolutions.
Posted By: nyeinc @ 05/10/2008 9:58:13 PM
Comment: Some might want to point out that the Burmese military government should accept the international aid workers even if it does NOT accept the U.S warships and military aircrafts. Since the referendum is over on Saturday, it is more likely to invite the international aid workers now than before. But we need to know the background a little bit and reason to see if we can find a workable solution.
The constitutional referendum was scheduled yesterday on May 10. The Burmese military government wants the draft constitution ratified. Its opponents want the draft rejected (if possible, the referendum disrupted). U.S, France and Western countries support the regime opponents. U.S House of Representatives went so far as taking jurisdiction over the draft constitution of another country and passing a concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 317), calling the Bush Administration and UN to reject the referendum (process) and draft constitution (outcome).
The regime???s possible concern was that the opponents of Burmese military regime covertly might plan to start the protests on the day of referendum and disrupt it (Saturday May 10), capitalizing and politicizing the sufferings of the cyclone victims. In fact, the regime opponents took their first step by spreading the news that the public is angry at the military government and maligning the military government by accusing it of slow response even last Saturday morning before anybody including the government found out the extent of the cyclone impact. (You will need to know the Burmese language to verify this. I am referring to the criticism of a leading, regime-opposition, lobbyist from Washington D.C in a radio program in Burmese language last Saturday). The presence of U. S and France military in the Burmese territory if possible and (already) in the neighboring countries would encourage the regime opponents and discourage the regime.
Posted By: nyeinc @ 05/10/2008 9:43:03 PM
Comment: Part I: Terrain is Quite Clear but One More Thing to Do
Some might want to point out that the Burmese military government should accept the international aid workers even if it does NOT accept the U.S warships and military aircrafts. Since the referendum is over on Saturday, it is more likely to invite the international aid workers now than before. But we need to know the background a little bit and reason to see if we can find a workable solution.
The constitutional referendum was scheduled yesterday on May 10. The Burmese military government wants the draft constitution ratified. Its opponents want the draft rejected (if possible, the referendum disrupted). U.S, France and Western countries support the regime opponents. U.S House of Representatives went so far as taking jurisdiction over the draft constitution of another country and passing a concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 317), calling the Bush Administration and UN to reject the referendum (process) and draft constitution (outcome).
The regime???s possible concern was that the opponents of Burmese military regime covertly might plan to start the protests on the day of referendum and disrupt it (Saturday May 10), capitalizing and politicizing the sufferings of the cyclone victims. In fact, the regime opponents took their first step by spreading the news that the public is angry at the military government and maligning the military government by accusing it of slow response even last Saturday morning before anybody including the government found out the extent of the cyclone impact. (You will need to know the Burmese language to verify this. I am referring to the criticism of a leading, regime-opposition, lobbyist from Washington D.C in a radio program in Burmese language last Saturday). The presence of U. S and France military in the Burmese territory if possible and (already) in the neighboring countries would encourage the regime opponents and discourage the regime.
Now that the referendum is over, would the Burmese military government accept the international relief workers? More likely than before, but one more thing to go.
What do the regime opponents plan to do with the presence of international aid workers (and possibly media) in Burma? The regime opponents know that the draft constitution will be ratified because it is the only way out of the ongoing political gridlock and the public is going to vote for it so that they can move forward. If the regime opponents plan to take advantage of the presence of international aid workers, thinking that the Burmese military government would NOT dare to disperse the protestors as it did last year and in 1988, or that if it did, it is going to face the enormous global outrage and UN Security Council???s punitive resolution and pressure, then what would the Burmese military leaders do?