Friday February 17, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Aid arrives in Myanmar as death toll passes 22,000, but worst-hit area still cut off

World May. 07, 2008 - 05:51AM JST ( 10 )

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Jyan_BonMay. 07, 2008 - 07:06AM JST

Myanmar junta MUST allow the International AID AGENCIES ,their experts and help get to the cyclone victims in remote delta villages NOW , without further delays. Millions of lives are at risk at this very second.......
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apecNetworksMay. 07, 2008 - 08:15AM JST

No, due to geopolitical concerns and the political/economic pressures already on Myanmar, it is best to let shipments of supplies to be (air)dropped to areas designated by the Myanmar Govt. The irony is that after the crisis has been addressed, the political/economic pressures will be continued, indirectly promoting poverty and disease. There has been comments by some who wish the country to be economically smashed to promote change of govt.

Air drops of needed supplies circumvent many problems in this politicized world.
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Nyein_ChanMay. 07, 2008 - 01:03PM JST

Here are some unorganized thoughts about what the INGOs can do to help alleviate the sufferings of the storm victims and how to make the relief materials to the storm-ravaged regions. Use the waterways (not land transport) to transport the relief materials to the Delta region. Why in this world did I hear repeatedly during the past few days that the relief materials cannot be delivered because of the road blocks caused by fallen trees and damaged infrastructure. Send two shiploads of clean water, food (mainly rice and salt), and temporary shelters to the most-severely-affected townships (especially Laputta and Bogalay). These two regions can be reached by ship if not by trucks. You will also need a lot of small/medium-size boats to transport the relief materials from ships to the villages. I heard that, in some townships, the population from the country side has been brought to the nearby towns. So, it is much easier to deliver the relief materials DIRECTLY to the storm victim FAMILES in those towns. Food supplies for a few days (rice and salt) should be IMMEDIATELY delivered to the outskirts of Yangon City. The urban poor do not store food. Even if they have some food, it will be gone either with the storm or after a few days of consumption. The people living in the villages on the other bank of rivers should be given the first priority. The second priority is the people living in the satellite towns such as the poor neighborhoods of Hlaing Thar Yar, Shwe Pyi Thar, Shwe Pauk Kan, Dagon Myo Thit, etc. These people live from hand to mouth and must work every day to earn their daily food. Since the storm interrupted much of the business and they cannot work for a few days, the vulnerable urban poor will run out of food in a few days. The third priority is to provide/sell the roofing materials to the other families.
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Nyein_ChanMay. 07, 2008 - 01:03PM JST

Don’t SPEND too much on the immediate relief assistance although it is the most visible needs which attract the international assistance most quickly. The rainy season will begin in less than one month. The population without the shelter should and must be moved out of their current temporary shelter and back into their homes WITHIN one month. I am not talking about the most-severely-hit regions. I am talking about the regions where the concerted recovery efforts can produce the most efficient outcome. They need the tin roof and some other building materials. China and/or Thailand (or other ASEAN countries) can donate the tin roof. Although I have no idea about the amount necessary, I certainly know that tin roof and building materials would be needed once we managed the immediate crisis. People will need to go back to their new normal so that they can recover from the tragedy more quickly. WE will also need the agricultural supplies and tools so that the farmers can jump start their farm work once the water subsides and the rainy season begins.
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Nyein_ChanMay. 07, 2008 - 01:04PM JST

If possible, a (small) plane load of the chain saws and other machineries to cut the trees would be helpful too. If the fallen trees blocking the roads are removed at the current rate manually with big blades, it will take MONTHS to remove the trees, to clean up the roads and to go back to the new normal. (Imagine how long it will take, after a snow storm, to remove the snow manually with shovels.) If we cannot remove the trees blocking the roads, the new normal life cannot be returned and it is going to hinder not only the relief efforts but also the trade. REMEMBER at the end, it is the trade that will feed the twelve-million people in Yangon and Irrawaddy provinces, NOT the international humanitarian assistance. If we cannot return to the new normal – i.e. if the trade and businesses do NOT resume their normal activities – it is the most vulnerable, the urban poor, that suffer.
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Jyan_BonMay. 07, 2008 - 11:33PM JST

If Myanmar junta has nothing to hide from the INTERNATIONAL VIEW, there is no reason to delay visas on internationa Aid Agencies. Already the scale of death toll is unnecessarily very high (and rising) because of the junta's incompetence in alerting the population on approaching cyclone. Indian officials said that they had warned the Myanmar officials several times, 48 hours before it hit the delta. As if the matter is not tragic enough for the country, the junta is going ahead with it's planned referendum on voting. How can people go to the poll stations and vote( business as usual),while tens of thousands of our fellow citizens have perish instantly and many thousands more dying of hunger, deseases and exposure. Five days after the disaster the UN and the international help are STILL AWAITING VISA at the neighbouring Thailand while thousands of Burmese are in dire. What is wrong with this junta? No matter which way you look at it the present self-appointed regime is, clearly, not fit to rule the country.
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Jyan_BonMay. 07, 2008 - 11:53PM JST

apecNetworks; You cannot air-drop food and medicines into areas 99% of which covered with water.

Nyein Chan: to use the water ways to transport the aid materials, THE NAVY in Burma must organize this. Isn't it that 90% of the country's fuel is reserved for the military use alone? Only military has the wealth of the country, so USE IT.
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Jyan_BonMay. 08, 2008 - 02:01AM JST

Cyclone Survivors getting desperate while the junta's foot-dragging attitude continues. The international NGOs made comments that the junta's cooperation with the Aid Agencies is "at best, very slow and at worse non-existance". Read: www.thestar.com/News/World/article/422518 "Cyclone Survivors storm shops" by The Associated Press.
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schnauzertdadMay. 08, 2008 - 04:20AM JST

On CNN a few minutes ago I read "The information we are receiving indicates over 100,000 deaths," the U.S. Charge D'Affaires in Yangon, Shari Villarosa, said on a conference call. Other countries and world bodies including Britain, Japan, the European Union, China, India, Thailand, Australia, Canada and Bangladesh have also pitched in.

Anybody notice the conspicuous absence of oil rich nations in the Middle East like Iran and Saudi Arabia, and others nations like Russia and Venezuela??? These nations are making an ABSOLUTE KILLING ON OIL AT OVER $120/BARREL. Wouldn't one think they might consider helping a nation that just got decimated? Na...they are to busy raping the world to donate say 3 minutes worth of oil proceeds to help anybody else.
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schnauzertdadMay. 08, 2008 - 04:27AM JST

I read that receiving foreign aid is in direct conflict with what the Junta is trying to achieve and therefore they are delaying receiving any of it. They do not want the general population to see that other nations will help them. They want them totally under control of the Junta, and ALL good things come from the Junta and nobody else! A massive brain washing scheme to retain control in the country. Sick, but reality. They would rather let their people die from starvation and disease then to let the people receive help from outsiders.