My Longkang

I am totally stunned as the dimensions of the human suffering unfold in Burma as its military junta steadfastly refuses to accept or is unable to accept the scale of the tragedy within its own borders. Aid agencies say supplies are urgently needed in affected areas.

In response to appeals from the international community to be given a chance to help the victims in Burma, Burma’s military rulers have tightened access to areas hit by Cyclone Nargis. A UN official in Rangoon says the military has erected more checkpoints to make sure foreigners cannot get to the worst-affected areas.

Thai leader Samak Sundaravej held talks with the junta, but failed to broker a deal on access for foreigners. Meanwhile forecasters say another cyclone is forming off Burma’s coast. The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center said on its website that “a significant tropical cyclone” could develop in the next 24 hours.

Aid agencies are warning that the ruling generals’ refusal to sanction a major international relief effort will cause more deaths. The military say more than 34,000 people have perished - but international bodies estimate the toll to be closer to 100,000, with millions in need of help.

General Thein was adamant the military needed no outside help. “He insisted that his country with 60 million people has a government, its people and the private sector to tackle the problem by themselves,” Mr Samak told reporters in Bangkok after his day-trip to Burma.

Residents have told the BBC’s Burmese service how private citizens have been trying to distribute water and supplies from their own cars - but soldiers have been confiscating the goods. A BBC correspondent in Burma described aid delivery as “unco-ordinated and piecemeal”.

He said one devastated village - with one-quarter of its 400 houses left standing - had received just one bag of rice from the government.

Source The BBC