May

12

U.S. to begin aid airlift to Myanmar

Filed Under World News | Posted By Jennifer Sullivan |

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ac51686cdf6ea3f02d68.jpegA U.S. military airplane with aid supplies was scheduled to land in Myanmar Monday on a mission that American officials told say they hope will “build trust.”

The United States stated it received permission to land the Lockheed C-130 Hercules at 2 p.m. local time (0730 GMT), and wishes to send in two additional planes on Tuesday.

The supplies that the C-130 is carrying — wood, buckets, nails, blankets and plastic tarps, among items to help with shelter requirements — will be hand over to the military junta that rules Myanmar.

But commanding officers hope the mission will help falsify a relationship that will allow the United States to send in disaster experts.

The United Nations estimates the death toll from last weekend’s Cyclone Nargis ranges from 63,000 to 100,000, well above the Myanmar government’s estimate of about 22,000. Tens of thousands of inhabitants are missing.

The military junta has stated it will acknowledge global aid but insisted it would distribute the supplies itself.

“There’s people who are very worried at present, that the reason the aid workers are being blocked is so that the military can deliver aid selectively and so that they can appropriate the aid and make believe it was from them in the first place.”

“We’re getting, starting to get reports of aid being distributed with the names of military leaders and VIPs plastered all over the aid packages,” stated Debbie Stothard, head of the Southeast Asian human rights group ALTSEAN-Burma.

The country’s name was changed from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, though many who do not recognize the present government still use its previous name.

An American embassy official in Thailand told the aircraft carrier, USS Essex, was as well en route to Myanmar with supplies.

A French naval ship is also on its way to Myanmar, transporting 1,500 tons of medical equipment, food and water.

Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, stated French aid will go straight to the victims.

“We won’t give aid to Burma’s junta, even if they would accept it. We will use our own channels in the country.”

Also Sunday, Australia pledged $25 million in aid to Myanmar.

Half the money will go to international relief agencies and non-governmental organizations. The other half will go to the United Nations, a spokesman with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated.

Three planes carrying 14 tons of shelter from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies landed at the Yangon International Airport on Saturday. Two more arrived from the U.N. World Food Program, which for the time being halted flights Friday after the government declined to let their workers pass out the supplies.

Additional flights by the WFP and other U.N. agencies in various countries were expected, stated WFP’s chief spokeswoman in North America, Bettina Luescher.

In the meantime, a Red Cross boat delivering relief supplies to the hard-hit Irrawady Delta region sank Sunday when it hit rubbish in the river, a spokesman reported.

The four relief workers on the double-decker boat were not injured, informed Eric Porterfield with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The boat was carrying rice, water, clothing and other household stuffs.

“It’s at all times dangerous when you’re trying to deliver aid in areas that have debris,” he explained.

As aid groups struggled to overcome obstacles slowing their distribution of supplies to cyclone victims, Myanmar TV was broadcasting messages advising citizens to vote “yes” in a referendum that critics say would strengthen the military rule.

The marketing campaign showed pictures of people voting as a song played with the lines, “Let’s go to cast vote with honest thoughts for happy days.” Similar notes were posted on ballot boxes.

“The state on the ground remains fundamentally the same and the so-called referendum, in which voting took place yesterday, on the reports we’ve had, efficiently took place with no incident,” stated Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

“But I once more make the point as I’ve made again and again: Australia considers the referendum procedure as nothing more, nothing less than a fraud. And our view would be the referendum process is delayed totally, before just being deferred until the 24 May in the most badly affected areas.”



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