=====
Zomi says:
The SPDC is a roadblock to the much-needed help for the cyclone victims.
If
the SPDC is incapable of helping the victims, they should allow those who
can.
It is very sad to read the following highlights:
==
Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and without clean drinking
water, a UN official has said and aid agencies have called on Myanmar's
military government to allow free movement so help can be given to victims
of the deadly storm.
The UN says the government has not responded to its offer to help after
the
storm destroyed communities and left thousands of people homeless.
UN disaster experts said it could be days before the extent of the damage
is
known because of the government's tight control of communications.
Teams of foreign aid workers were trying to assess the damage and aid
needs,
but their access and movements are restricted by the military.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, have also urged the military government
to
allow aid groups unfettered access to the country.
Residents of a slum of about 20,000 people said they were unlikely to
receive help because the military government is not allowing NGOs to
assist.
The owner of a house which lost its roof in the cyclone said he was not
expecting assistance from local authorities as he struggles to feed a
family
of six after recently losing his factory job.
"No one has come to help us. Tomorrow I will have to look for another job
because I need money to repair my house," he said.
==
=====
UPDATED ON:
MONDAY, MAY 05, 2008
14:42 MECCA TIME,
11:42 GMT
Myanmar cyclone toll soars to 4,000
=====
Photo:
1_247308_1_5.jpg
The government says 4,000 have been killed and aid groups say the toll is
likely to climb [AFP]
=====
At least 4,000 people are now believed to have been killed and about 3,000
more are missing after cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, the country's state
media has reported.
The death toll from the cyclone that hit over the weekend has officially
reached 3,969 but with so many people missing is expected to rise, state
television said on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and without clean drinking
water, a UN official has said and aid agencies have called on Myanmar's
military government to allow free movement so help can be given to victims
of the deadly storm.
The reports came after the government earlier put the death toll at around
350.
The UN says the government has not responded to its offer to help after
the
storm destroyed communities and left thousands of people homeless.
UN disaster experts said it could be days before the extent of the damage
is
known because of the government's tight control of communications.
Call for access
The UN office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said
that the government - which has indicated it will press ahead with a
referendum on a new constitution on Saturday - was "having as much trouble
as anyone else in getting a full overview" of the destruction.
"Roads are not accessible and many small villages were hit and will take
time to reach," Terje Skavdal, the regional head of UNOCHA, said.
Teams of foreign aid workers were trying to assess the damage and aid
needs,
but their access and movements are restricted by the military.
=====
IN VIDEO
1_247289_1_9.jpg
Cyclone Nargis wreaks havoc in Myanmar
=====
"That is the existing situation for international staff. The way most
agencies work is they use national staff who have more freedom to move,"
Skavdal said.
"We will have a dialogue with the government to try to get access to the
people affected," he added.
Aid groups' plea
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, have also urged the military government
to
allow aid groups unfettered access to the country.
"International expertise in dealing with natural disasters is urgently
required," said Naing Aung, secretary-general of the Thailand-based group.
"The military regime is ill-prepared to deal with the aftermath of the
cyclone."
=====
Photo:
1_247214_1_3.jpg
The government has declared the former
capital of Yangon a disaster area
=====
The government has declared the former capital of Yangon a disaster area
after the storm's 190kph winds blew roofs off hospitals and cut off
electricity supply.
Yangon, the Irrawaddy Delta, Bago as well as the Karen and Mon states were
heavily damaged and have been declared disaster areas.
State-controlled television reported that 20,000 homes had been destroyed
on
Haingyi, an island in the Andaman sea.
A further 90,000 people on the island, the first part of the country to be
hit by the cyclone, were left homeless, the government said.
'Flattened'
Chris Kaye, the UN's acting humanitarian co-ordinator in Yangon, confirmed
that "the Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the
wind and rain but because of the storm surge".
"The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened.''
=====
Photo:
1_247224_1_3.jpg
The storm blew roofs off hospitals and cut off
electricity supply [AFP]
=====
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Myanmar said residents living in slums on
the
outskirts of Yangon have been among the hardest hit as many struggle to
repair their homes before the next rainy season downpour.
Residents of a slum of about 20,000 people said they were unlikely to
receive help because the military government is not allowing NGOs to
assist.
The owner of a house which lost its roof in the cyclone said he was not
expecting assistance from local authorities as he struggles to feed a
family
of six after recently losing his factory job.
"No one has come to help us. Tomorrow I will have to look for another job
because I need money to repair my house," he said.
It is unknown to what extent the destruction caused by the cyclone will
affect the holding of a referendum on May 10, on a new charter backed by
the
ruling generals.
But the government indicated that it would proceed as planned.
"It's only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are
eager
to cast their vote," the state-owned newspaper Myanma Ahlin said on
Monday.
The military says the vote is the first stage in a seven-step "road map to
democracy", intended to culminate in multi-party elections in 2010.
The process has been criticised by opposition groups who say the process
is
intended only to tighten the military's grip on power.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CB93F1C3-AF02-46E7-AA15-EC11DB8835F2.htm
=====
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