BI Weekly No. 343

15 May 2008

The BI Weekly archive is available on our website: www.burmaissues.org

Inside Burma

Rangoon remain as a disaster zone after cyclone
Military restrict foreign aid to help cyclone victim
Than Shwe is no respond to his country disaster
Ten times less to cyclone victims than daughter's weeding
Aung San Suu Kyi was not in care

Border

International

The Overseas Burmese Monks' Pledge assistance the victims of Cyclone Nargis
“Not a matter of politics, but a matter of humanity”
France and Britain encouraged Burmese's government to allow aid
Burmese government opened the door for U.S relief supplies
Bush urges Jintao to convince Burmese authorities to accept foreign assistance

Rangoon remain as a disaster zone after cyclone

Thousands of trees lie where they fell, jetties on the Rangoon River are collapsed into the water and only a few traffic lights are working across the city of 5 million people.

Most of Rangoon remains without electricity and even the local branch of the Ministry of Energy has no power.

Basic construction materials are unavailable and residents are struggling to keep up with soaring food cost. The drivers have to buy their fuel and the price is four time that.

The city's largest hospital, a majestic red-brick building built by the British, lost large portions of its roof during the storm.

“Myanmar's biggest city still paralyzed after 5 days”, New York Times, May 8 th , 2008

Military restrict foreign aid to help cyclone victim

The United Nations, the US , Australia and many other nations have made urgent requests for visas for their aid personnel. Only a few aid groups have successfully entered the country.

The military regime continued to place obstacles to international humanitarian aid distribution within the country by delaying visa approvals to UN and other international teams outside the country.

The UN estimates hundreds of thousands have been left homeless and millions are without food and water.

Australia 's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appealed, saying,” Forget politics, forget the military dictatorship, let's just get aid and assistance through to people who are suffering and dying as we speak."

“Forty percent of children in cyclone may be dead, missing”, The Irrawaddy , May 8 th , 2008

Than Shwe is no respond to his country disaster

Than Shwe and his close aides, generals Maung Aye and Thura Shwe Mann, have all but disappeared since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma .

There is no sign of Than Shwe and his top two generals have not even responded to world leaders who sent

messages of condolences to the people of Burma .

Than Shwe's the last appearance in the Burmese media was May 2 the day the cyclone struck. Instead of issuing a cyclone warning he personally picked up Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein from the airport in Naypyidaw.

“Thousands dead, Than Shwe in hiding”, The Irrawaddy , May 8 th , 2008

Ten times less to cyclone victims than daughter's weeding

Than Shwe spend just 2.5 million to help save his people from Cyclone hell after lavish ten times that on his daughter's wedding.

General Than Shwe laid on a sickening spread for dumpy bride Thandar while his nation starved.

Footage emerged as the country's military junta was accused of halting vital aid shipment heading for the region, while releasing only 2.5million aid.

“Thousands dead, Than Shwe in hiding” May 8, Irrawaddy

Aung San Suu Kyi was not in care

It was not clear if Suu Kyi was injured, and whether she has enough food and water due to the cyclone blown off the roof of her house over the weekend.

The neighbor said the electricity connection to Suu Kyi's dilapidated lakeside bungalow was snapped in Saturday's cyclone and a tree in the compound of her house was uprooted while part of the roof was ripped off.

Soldiers posted around the house have not yet cleared the trees that were toppled in the area.

“Suu Kyi's house roof blown off”, Associated Press, May 8 th , 2008

China urges Burma to cooperate with international community after cyclone Nargis

China urged Burma to cooperate with the international community as the isolated Southeast Asian country signalled reluctance to let in foreign aid after a devastating cyclone.

The ruling junta agreed to accept US emergency aid after the cyclone, allowing at least one military plane to deliver supplies to Rangoon .

However, the US ambassador in Burma said that a planned aid flight had not gone ahead, adding that it was not clear if it was because of a mix-up or because the junta had withdrawn permission.

Another expert said China 's appeal to Burma to cooperate with the international community in this time of crisis was not meant to change the ruling junta's general policy.

The China Red Cross has also decided to send 30,000 dollars, and CNOOC, the state-run oil company, is to donate 100,000 dollars.

The Chinese government decided to send another 30 million yuan (4.3 million dollars) in emergency aid to the disaster-hit country, on top of the one-million-dollar package that was already announced, said Qin.

“China urges Myanmar to work with global community after cyclone”, Agence Frane Presse, May 8 th , 2008

Burma refuses to give visas to International Aid Workers

A furious rescue worker accused Burma 's military junta of crimes against humanity for refusing to give visas to aid officials desperate to enter the country to help the 1.5 million survivors of

Cyclone Nargis.

"I've never seen delays like this, never," said Fouillant, a veteran of 10 humanitarian disasters. "It's a crime against humanity. It should be against the law. It's like they are taking a gun and shooting their own people."

Like dozens of others, Fouillant applied for a business visa, his only option since the military-ruled and isolated Southeast Asian nation has no such thing as an "emergency aid worker" visa.

Against this backdrop, small groups of rescue workers are having to wait outside the iron-spiked, grey walls of the embassy compound in Bangkok while their leaders and local visa agents try to see if their applications have got anywhere.

"It is very frustrating," said Australian firefighter Craig Allan, who dropped everything at home to get to Bangkok and apply for a visa on Thursday.

“Anger mounts in Bangkok at Myanmar aid visa delays”, Reuters, May 12 th , 2008

Thailand will act as a mediator to help Cyclone victims.

Thailand will act as a mediator to help with the movement of international relief supplies to the estimated 1.2 to 1.9 million victims of Burma's cyclone, which are being held up by the military junta and are stuck in Thailand, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said.

Mr Noppadon said he planned to leave for Burma tomorrow to push for additional assistance and ask the Burmese generals to provide wider access and to allow foreign assistance for the cyclone victims.

He said he will also ask that foreign experts be allowed to enter Burma to give humanitarian aid to the victims.

He said the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will meet in Singapore on May 19 to discuss ways to help the victims.

the cyclone, the number of deaths could range from 63,290 to 101,682, and 220,000 people are reported to be missing,'' said the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said yesterday he called off his plan to visit Burma to push for British and American rescuers to be allowed in.

Mr Samak also said he admired the Thai Army's Supreme Commander Boonsang Niampradit for arranging for swift assistance to Burma , as Thailand was the first nation to send help. But he said he fully supported Burma as Thailand was a neighbour and he would not mind if his stance causes the West to isolate Thailand .

Mae Sot district in Tak province is now the only land route for necessities to be transported into Burma .

According to local charity activist Panithi Tangphati, Win Myint, chief of the Myawaddy Border Trade Office, said donations can be delivered through government officials and at the Tamaya monastery. However, donors must pay a transport fee of 40,000 baht per truck.

“UN says 102,000 dead in Burma, Thailand offers to be a base for relief supplies”, Bnagkok Post, May 12 th , 2008

The Overseas Burmese Monks' Pledge assistance the victims of Cyclone Nargis

The London branch of the International Burmese Monks' Assocication, or Sasana Moli, promised to provide assistance to disaster victims in cyclone-ravaged regions of Burma .

A spokesperson for Sasana Moli in London said the group was working with other Burmese groups to coordinate their efforts. "Our group yesterday held a meeting with other Burmese associations here and discussed how we can help the disaster victims in regions hit by Cyclone Nargis," the monk said.

The group urged Burmese people overseas and other supporters to contribute to their assistance fund.

“Mostly we will be seeking donations online and from other Burmese communities,” the spokesperson said.

Burmese families in South Korea , Finland and Singapore have already offered assistance to Sasana Moli to help disaster victims inside the country.

“Sasana Moli promises assistance to disaster victims”, Democratic Voice of Burma, May 8 th , 2008

“Not a matter of politics, but a matter of humanity”

Condeliza Rice, the US Secretary of State, urged cyclone-hit Burma to admit international disaster relief, saying it was a humanitarian crisis rather than a political issue.

"It should be a simple matter. It's not a matter of politics. It's a matter of a humanitarian crisis," Rice said.

Her spokesman, Sean McCormack, said Washington is urging Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Japan , India , China and others to use "any leverage" they may have with Burma to allow relief teams into the cyclone-stricken nation.

US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said that Burma 's failure to issue visas to disaster assistance teams is "simply going to compound the humanitarian disaster."

"And the junta should please open its doors and let the international community provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Burma because they need it desperately," he said.

“Rice says Myanmar crisis 'not a matter of politics'”, Agence France Presse, May 8 th , 2008

France and Britain encouraged Burmese's government to allow aid

The foreign ministers of France and Britain urged Burma 's military leaders to let foreign aid into the country after its devastating cyclone.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband are asking Burma 's junta to "lift all restrictions on the distribution of aid."

International attempts to get relief supplies and aid workers into the isolationist country are apparently still encountering problems.

An estimated 1 million people have been left homeless. Kouchner and Miliband's appeal was printed Thursday in France 's Le Monde newspaper.

“France, Britain urge Myanmar to lift restrictions on cyclone aid”, Associated Press, May 8 th , 2008

Burmese government opened the door for U.S relief supplies

Authorities in Burma have given approval for a single US military aircraft carrying relief supplies to land in the country.

"An aircraft has been approved to land with relief supplies on Monday," the military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also announced that it is to resume aid flights to cyclone-hit Burma as further strong wind and rain is forecast for the region.

"The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the Government of Burma on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released to WFP," Nancy E. Roman, WFP's communications director, said in a statement.

“Burma authorities approve single US aid aircraft”, Reuters, May 9 th , 2008

Bush urges Jintao to convince Burmese authorities to accept foreign assistance

President Bush plans to call Chinese President Hu Jintao in coming days to seek his help pressing the Burmese government to accept more disaster assistance, U.S. officials said.

Diplomatic pressure has been kept below the presidential level. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and with Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, urging both governments to use their influence to persuade the Burmese leadership to open its country to relief specialists.

In Thailand , a neighbor with close ties to the Burmese government, the same message has been delivered by U.S. Ambassador Eric John.

The announcement helped take the steam out of a nascent U.S.-British-French effort to win passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution that asks nations to assist Burma and calls on Burma to accept humanitarian aid.

China frequently blocks resolutions on Burma , but there had been hope that a relatively mild resolution focused on the relief effort had a chance at passage, officials said.

“Bush plans call to Chinese leader over Burma's stance on aid”, Washington Post, May 10 th , 2008