Pressure mounts on Burma to ease aid restrictions

Asia

Saturday, May 10, 2008

The Burmese authorities faced mounting pressure tonight to allow supplies and volunteers into the country as aid agencies warned they were in a race against time to help prevent a humanitarian disaster.

Politicians, senior aid officials and members of the clergy joined together to condemn the military junta for dragging their feet while people across the country suffered in the aftermath of the cyclone, which has killed an estimated 100,000 people.

Aid has slowly started to trickle into the deluged country but humanitarian groups said it is not reaching the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the disaster quickly enough.

A United Nations road convoy crossed into Burma today and three Red Cross planes have arrived in the country with others due in the next few days.

But agencies said the aid is not being distributed quickly enough due to the "frustratingly long" clearance processes in the country.

Organisations also complained that visas were not being made available for some specialists trained to deal with humanitarian disasters.

The World Food Programme, (WFP) confirmed two planes containing humanitarian supplies had "not been released" by the Burmese authorities after arriving in the capital Rangoon earlier today.

An estimated 1.5 million people have been displaced or affected by Cyclone Nargis which struck last Saturday.

Despite the growing crisis, the military government today pushed ahead with a referendum, although balloting was postponed for two weeks in the areas hardest hit by the cyclone.

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, launched a stinging attack on the Burmese authorities.

He said it was "absolutely appalling that they are hindering people who are ready, waiting and keen, with expertise and resources, to come in and help while people are dying hour by hour."

The Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), is helping to co-ordinate the humanitarian response provided by numerous aid agencies dealing with the crisis.

Ray Hasan, from Christian Aid said, "Supplies will run out unless more aid is allowed into the country."

"Partners are telling us that there are outbreaks of disease already. There is no time to lose."

Senior officials have called for aid agencies to be given more help and assistance by the Burmese government.

Dr Julia Newton-Howes of Care International said, "It is essential that the UN and government authorities agree on an appropriate mechanism for the entry of staff and the receipt and distribution of goods."

Aid agencies are now focusing their attention on reaching the remote eastern section of the Irrawaddy Delta.

Large swathes of the vast region are believed to be still submerged under the stinking brown floodwater with fears that the death toll could rise again once aid workers assess the damage inflicted upon the area.

Another concern is that massive rain storms are predicted to strike the already prone region next week.

Aid agencies reported earlier today that Burmese officials have started to slowly allow more aid into the country.

UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan travelled with the first UN aid convoy to cross from Thailand into Burma this morning.

She said it was desperately important that more aid got into the crippled country as soon as possible.

Speaking from the Burmese border she said, "It's been a week since the disaster and very little aid is getting in. It's urgently needed and critically important that it reaches those who need it. The whole process should be moving a lot faster but this is a positive step."

But WFP spokesman Paul Risley said the decision not to release two planes loaded with "critical" humanitarian aid was "yet another example of the frustratingly long clearance process of receiving food aid, humanitarian supplies and visas for humanitarian workers."

A DEC appeal by British aid agencies and charities has raised almost €5 million, just three days after it was launched.