Myanmar’s Victims Suffer As Government Refuses To Allow Aid Workers Into Country

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As the victims of Myanmar’s tragic cyclone wait for help, the U.N. has halted aid. Over 38 tons of biscuits that had been sent into the country were seized by Myanmar’s junta. Those biscuits could be providing relief to as many as 95,000 people.

“All of the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated,” U.N. World Food Program spokesman Paul Risley said. “For the time being, we have no choice but to end further efforts to bring critical needed food aid into Myanmar at this time.”

The government of Myanmar said that they indeed take over the shipment but that it plans to distribute the aid to the affected areas itself but says that U.N.’s comments on the action are baseless.

In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, government spokesman Ye Htut said the junta had clearly stated what it would do and denied the action amounted to a seizure.

“I would like to know which person or organization (made these) these baseless accusations,” he said.

With more than 60,000 people dead this is not the time for governments to play games. There are an estimated 1.5 million people in need of food, clean water and medicine. Many of the survivors are camped outdoors or crammed into Buddhist monasteries trying to make by.

The air is filled with the stench of rotting corpses that lie in the water. The Myanmar’s chapter of the Red Cross is sending in 20,000 body bags to begin the task of collecting bodies.

In the village of Kongyangon, someone had written in Burmese, “We are all in trouble. Please come help us” on black asphalt, a video from the Norway-based opposition news network, the Democratic Voice of Burma, showed. A few feet away was another plea: “We’re hungry.”

Water is scarce with the price increasing by more than 500 percent. Rice and oil prices have also skyrocketed.

The U.N. is getting more and more critical of the government within Myanmar refusing to allow foreign aid workers in to access the damage. The government wants the aid but not the personnel that generally comes with this type of natural disaster.

While the U.N. has had problems being allowed into the country the Red Cross has not. On Friday three planes lands loaded with shelter kits and emergency supplies to aid victims.

The victims themselves know that the government is unlikely to allow the aid to get to those most affected by the cyclone’s path.

“Believe me, the government will not allow outsiders to go into the devastated area,” said Yangon food shop owner Joseph Kyaw.

“The government only cares about its own stability. They don’t care about the plight of the people,” he said.

Media representatives and search and rescue teams have not been given permission to enter the country so they stand by and wait to help.

The state media claims that 23,335 people have died with an additional 37,019 people missing. The coming weeks may see many more pass away because of illnesses associated with this type of disaster. Other sources estimate that the death count is closer to 100,000.

More than 2,000 square miles of land is underwater.

Never before has a government refused aid in the face of a nature disaster that would help its own people. We can only expect more devastating news to come forth about those who are suffering.

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