12 Comments

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  Jyan_Bon at 06:18 PM JST - 25th May

  Hopefully, this can get them to understand that, yes, there is a mood of solidarity and support in the international community, but that money won't come, and the support won't come, unless they open the door a little bit," one U.N. official said.

  "The content of it is clearly much broader than a 'pledging conference' in the sense that the sole aim is not to raise money. The aim is to remove the various obstacles to getting assistance to the people," the official said.

  Much of the fund-raising is likely to centre on the U.N.'s $201 million emergency appeal, which has racked up $57 million.

  Three weeks after the disaster, junta supremo Than Shwe made what appeared to be a concession in telling visiting United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon that all foreign aid workers, regardless of nationality, would be allowed in.

  However, even if they are able to travel freely around the storm-ravaged Irrawaddy delta, their findings will be too late to bridge the huge discrepancies in thinking currently between aid agencies and the junta

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  Jyan_Bon at 06:34 PM JST - 25th May

  Since Myanmar junta enjoys willfull and stong protection from it's allies;- China, Russia ,Thailand , Singapore and India, these countries MUST SHARE the major burden of 10.7 billions. After all, these countries benefited enormously from our country's natural resourses, for the last decades (with the kind blessings from the generals ) at the cost of us, the poor people of Burma/Myanmar.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 09:45 PM JST - 25th May

  The generals are in extremely tight position, even though they are not in a hurry to save the lives of 1.5 million cyclone victims. They can not and do not know how to start handling this huge problem, so they delay/postpone the process in every possible way. The bottom line is these generals cannot afford to let any kind of change happen now. Politically, economically, diplomatically they are being cornered, and yet they managed to forcibily hammer out the 92% winning votes on sham referendum , a few weeks ago. In border areas, thousands of soldiers are deserting daily and lootings by these soldiers become common due to shortage of food. A private earns just $12 a month. On the other hand ,the international community at the summit said they will judge the situation (and decide their size of donations) by the junta's ACTION and not by it's WORDS. So the clock ticks on for the dying millions with very grim outcome in the future.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 11:44 PM JST - 25th May

  When Myanmar is in crisis under the international SPOTLIGHT, Than Shwe plays with words to ease the pressure. He is not saying 'No' but not saying 'Yes' either. But as soon as the international community goes back to their other businesses, Gen. THAN SHWE "the Liar" returns to his determined goal of "save my own skin" business.

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  Nyein_Chan at 05:34 AM JST - 26th May

  It appears that, using its own resources as usual, Burma will have to help the cyclone victims get back to their feet given the international community’s insistence on continuing with the relief efforts rather than helping out with the more expensive reconstruction efforts.

  It does NOT mean that all hope for more contribution for reconstruction is lost. It simply means that the international donors are going to drag their feet, insist on getting more and more aid workers in the country and onto the ground (for what, only they know) between now and the time where they can NO LONGER say that their assessment works have not been completed YET.

  If the international community is willing to and can be trusted to shoulder the continuing relief efforts, especially providing the sufficient quality of rice to the cyclone victim families, we can create a division of labor: the international community on the relief efforts and the Burmese government and people on the reconstruction efforts.

  According to the official accounts, Burmese public has donated 9.4458 billions (9.4458 millions U.S dollars), cash and materials, up to May 24, 2008. (The New Light of Myanmar, Burmese Edition, May 25, 2008) The Burmese government must have to figure out a way to efficiently allocate the budget for reconstruction of the public utilities such as hospitals, schools, government office buildings, etc. and for reconstruction of private homes.

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  Nyein_Chan at 05:34 AM JST - 26th May

  Given the arrival of monsoon (rainy season), it might not be feasible to reconstruct the public buildings until the end of the rainy season. This will give the construction companies to accumulate the construction materials and manpower to finish all the construction works within 6 months (October 15 to May 15). It will also give time for the international donor community to catch up with their assessments and to handle with their Burma lobbyists in their respective countries. At the same time, we must have hospitals and schools. One idea is to use the low-cost, prefabricated buildings, shown in the newspaper, as school and hospitals rather than family housing, simply by adapting the internal designs to become hospitals and schools.

  On the other hand, we must rebuild the family housing (usually huts in the delta) so that the cyclone victims can go back to their business fast. How the huts are built in the delta would also make the reconstruction feasible despite the rain. In stead of low-rise huts, it is also suggested to raise the bamboo houses so that they can endure the flood in the future. As for building the storm shelters, we will have to build them in such a way that they can withstand the wind and the storm water surges in the future. (That is why we need to do the reconstruction only after the end of the rainy season.) Those storm shelters can be used as schools, libraries, community centers, youth centers, sport centers, village/town (meeting) halls, etc.

  Given the hindrance of the rain for construction, the Burmese community might concentrate on rebuilding the family housing, mainly for those who cannot afford to rebuild on their own whereas the Burmese government on rebuilding the schools and hospitals for the short-term use. It would be the best if we can rebuild the public buildings ONLY once. But the immediate need for schools and hospitals plus the rain would oblige us to choose a less efficient and more costly way: build the schools and hospitals for short-term use and rebuild the more durable structures after the rain.

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  Jyan_Bon at 09:21 AM JST - 26th May

  It simply means that the international donors are going to drag their feet insist on getting more and more aid workers in the country (for what, only they know)"

  If there has been anyone dragging their feet, the world have witnessed who they are. After 3 weeks since the cyclone, the UN Secretary General himself told the world that "the emergency relief work will have to carry on for atleast another 6 to 7 months. Therefore we still need the relief material/food and the expertise of the international aid workers, immediately, to save millions, who's lives are at risk in the delta region. At least 40,000 children need immediate care ."
  But, as far as the junta is concerned ,the emergency relief work is wrapped up and over. They said reconstruction works ought to begin. Actually more than a million cyclone victims are still out there homeless, foodless and disease stricken.They need a million tents for shelter: a handful of blue tents for photo session is not enough. Myanmar junta doesn't have a clue how to save these people from sufferings and it is not interested. It does not have the skill nor resources to tackle such a huge rescue effort even if they wanted to. Writing-off these million is not the answer.....and THE WORLD WILL NOT PERMIT THIS SECOND WAVE OF MAN-MADE DISASTER.

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  dal64 at 09:33 AM JST - 26th May

  "Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power"

  call me pessimistic but any country that has leaders like this is a disaster in itself. after this crisis is hopefully solved theres another crisis just around the corner unless their mentally ill leader is brought down under massive revolution or better yet he finds himself in a pool of panties where not only his power is sapped but also his life.

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  Jyan_Bon at 07:18 PM JST - 26th May

  but any country that has leaders like this is a disaster in itself".

  dal64; I cannot agree with you MORE. Out of humanly duty, the U.N.General Secretary and the Officials from 57 countries (including ASEAN), have given their precious time, efforts and money to save lives and livelihoods of millions in Burma. I'm sure they have other committments as important as this one. The last thing they need right now is to "haggle" with this mentally unstable, 76 year old general, who has only one thing in mind, power .

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  PaukPhawGyi at 08:39 PM JST - 26th May

  Helping the victims is the last thing Than Shwe has in his mind. UN is being used (again) to ease the mounting international pressure. Than Shwe is playing games with people's lives.

  Yesterday at least 50 private vehicles were arrested in Rangoon as they returned from destroyed KunGyanGone township, after distributing foods to the victims there.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 12:16 AM JST - 27th May

  " We already have equipment in Burma whch could produce a million litres of drinking water a day. Water is critical. But our water and sanitation experts can't get into the delta- so we are having to train local engineers to use the equiptment. But it isn't ideal-they have never done this before." ....said John Sparrows , from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society on 23rd. May.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 05:49 AM JST - 27th May

  I fear that we are witnessing international paralysis similar to that which allowed genocide in Rwanda—we are letting diplomatic and legal concerns get in the way of saving lives.

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