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  some14some at 07:45 PM JST - 30th May

  The billions will disappeared into their pockets as usual.

  Attacking Myanmar Generals for the greed and wealth is irrelevant, it is same with any leader in any country, or you think that the leaders of rest of the world are living in poverty? Infact, their wealth and assets far exceed than those in Myanmar. The point of discussion is aid.. humanitarian aid... not aid-workers. There are many places in the world like Iraq, Afghan, Pak where these aid-workers can serve better than in cyclone hit Myanmar.

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  Nessie at 08:16 PM JST - 30th May

  They pity the Ghanian children forced to labor for the cocoa. And they're envious of not having any chocoslaves of their own.

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  Jyan_Bon at 08:47 PM JST - 30th May

  I don't care what some14some "THINKS" and spining anti-western propaganda. I am writing what I "KNOW" about "MY COUNTRY and MY PEOPLE's SUFFERINGS". Greedy generals do not give a toss about the dying people, it never had. Who cares about those wealthy countries' leaders some14some is talking about? I am talking about OUR Burmese people, who are not only starving but flattened under the military boots . Who will donate generously without checking (where their money goes) under such circumstances?

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  ca1ic0cat at 08:58 PM JST - 30th May

  Attacking Myanmar Generals for the greed and wealth is irrelevant

  Oh, I don't know about that. As somebody else already pointed out, you might want to check the history of the French Revolution before you start saying that comparative wealth isn't an issue. Pretty soon the generals are going to understand that pitchforks have several uses.

  As far as ASEAN doing much positive work it doesn't seem to be happening. ASEAN should be ashamed for ever supporting such a corrupt bunch of thugs in the first place. They all have the blood of the Burmese people on their hands.

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  Jyan_Bon at 09:03 PM JST - 30th May

  ca1ic0cat; Thank U!

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  PaukPhawGyi at 09:31 PM JST - 30th May

  Infact, their wealth and assets far exceed than those in Myanmar.

  Is that so? These leaders you are quoting...Do they also shoot thousands of unarmed citizens/monks on the streets, for asking for food ? Do they burn 4000 villages, driving tens of thousands of women, children and elderly into the jungles? Do they send their elected MPs to 100 of years of prison (slow death) sentences? Do they also refused to recognize the national general election winners? How long have they ruled the country for ? Half a century (like Myanmar generals)?

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  PaukPhawGyi at 10:16 PM JST - 30th May

  There is only one thing left for the international community to do ; Take the Myanmar military junta to the International Court of Justice for "Crime Against Humanity". Other options will be too bloody and could result in too many lost of lives.

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  usaexpat at 11:51 PM JST - 30th May

  The best aid would be for someone to assasinate Than Shwe so the people of Burma could set about restoring their place in the world. As I had said I believe that the nations of the world should have by-passed the Junta and begun airdrops marked with nice UN stickers or maybe the donor nations stickers. As for the Junta's constitional referendum you can bet that it was a sham.

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  some14some at 12:03 AM JST - 31st May

  Interesting to note that some posters are focused on basic structural reforms of Myanmar Generals/Govt. and forgetting about the basic cause of helping people in need. Go ahead and let's see New Myanmar under new ideas presented in this dicussion.

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  Jyan_Bon at 12:52 AM JST - 31st May

  In order to help the people of Burma on their basic necessities , the greatest obsticle is the military (so-called) government itself. This has been proven time and time again. First,2 days before the cyclone, India and Thai officials warned Burma but the junta hushed up the weather warning on approaching cyclone, in fear of displacing people, as the junta is planning voting on the 10th . Second, the news blackout regarding the damage caused; no alert for help. Third, the soldiers were ordered to build voting booths and to provide security there instead of helping the victims. Gen Than Shwe came out to vote on the 10th.May (8 days after the cyclone) before he ackowledged the disaster on 12th May. Fourth, he had a tour of the delta by air two weeks after the cyclone, few days before the arrival of UNSGeneral. But still strongly blocking the international aid. No aid materials reached the delta. Fifth, after meeting the UNSG on 22nd, Than Shwe agreed to lift the blockage on 23.05.08(3 weeks after the cyclone). Sixth. It's media has written and spoken of free access by aid workers into the disaster area,but on the ground only 7 out of 45 UN workers who were allowed into the country on 28th got to travel to delta .

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  Jyan_Bon at 12:59 AM JST - 31st May

  A United Nation aid worker in Burma made remark on his experience in Burma as...... "NEVER ENDING SERIES OF CONSTRAINT"....... That's how helpful the junta is to it's dying millions.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 01:30 AM JST - 31st May

  Pretty soon the generals are going to understand that pitchforks have several uses ".

  ca1ic0cat; I like that alot ; The French revolution's "let them eat cakes" is another good example.

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  PaukPhawGyi at 02:40 AM JST - 31st May

  While 1.2 million are still out of reach in remote (destroyed) villages, drinking water is the big issue here. Water purification plants have to be operated by experience aid workers but cannot by the local people. The animals in the delta have been drinking salt water in the aftermath and have died of diarrohea dialy. Human and animal remains are still floating up and down the streams and more danger is lurking as decomposed bodies are attracking BLACK FLIES. For the survivors the next disaster awaits. BUT the military gov.,adamantly ,declared emergency relief work is over and reconstruction works ought to begin, hinting "Where is my Billions?"

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  presto345 at 06:25 PM JST - 31st May

  Actually what these generals are lashing out at is their own stupidity. Not allowing friendly countries to help the people, help the junta could not, will not provide. They want billions of dollars, in cash if you please. Guess in whose pockets that money would end up.

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  Nyein_Chan at 05:01 AM JST - 12th June

  If the Bush Administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina got a grade C minus (barely over 60 out of 100 in Burmese grading system), then the Nargis cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese military government got a grade C plus (nearly 70 out of 100). If the Nargis cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese military government got a grade C plus, its public relations efforts should get a D minus (around 50 out of 100). Here is why and what more needs to be done. The government-controlled media, particularly the multi-media like television, shows the government leaders visiting the camps, extraordinarily clean and tidy, with the victims standing stiff outside their tents, supposedly and sometimes the generals and the visiting dignitaries sitting in the polished furniture in teak in a tent near the temporary shelter camp in the middle of the paddy field. It might be the image that the Burmese government leaders want to project to the public, including the international community, or at least the journalists working in the government-controlled media assumed so, judging from the past experiences. But the problem is that these images are too pretentious and too good to be true, at least to the eyes of the beholders, if not so in reality. If the fault of their opponents and opposition-sympathetic media can be found in unrealistically painting and portraying the government’s cyclone relief efforts as null and none, the fault of the Burmese government and its media can be found in found in unrealistically painting and portraying the government’s cyclone relief efforts as in perfect setting, too perfect to be true, again at least to the eyes of the beholders, if not so in reality. Who would believe their eyes if what they are seeing in the television is the extraordinarily neat and tidy camps without any hardships. At best, the public would think that the camp has been airbrushed by the bureaucrats before their superiors come to inspect. At worst, the Burmese government leaders might even be accused of staging a media show and exaggerating their handling of the situation. I know for a fact that the regime opponents, their state/non-state supporters and their sympathetic media are misleading the public when they insinuate, if not outright report, that the Burmese government is doing nothing to help the cyclone victims. Nobody would believe what the opposition-sympathetic media report. However, it would be much better for the Burmese government if the state-controlled media realistically portray the situation on the ground rather than broadcasting the extraordinarily neat and tidy camps with the cyclone victim families standing in front of their tents to greet the visiting officials. As two wrongs do not make a right, countering the unrealistically negative portrayal of the opposition-sympathetic media with the unrealistically positive images in the government-controlled media will get the cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese government nowhere. Secondly, the public will be more hesitant to believe what they see if the state-controlled TV and the newspapers are showing the generals’ cyclone relief efforts and inspecting a variety of sites everyday. Growing up in a state-controlled media, the public tends to immediately reject what they see as a media show or as the airbrushed images of the bureaucrats before their superior officers come. The public would be more willing to believe what they see on TV if they saw the images of the mid-level officers and the soldiers in the cyclone relief efforts. Remember the images that represented the army’s cyclone relief efforts around the world are not the generals’ inspection of the camps or distribution of cyclone relief aid; it was the two privates or corporals lifting some relief materials from the aircrafts delivering the international aid in the early days of the relief operations. Of course, the traditional portraits, taken as a group in front of the camera mostly to equally share their contributions and efforts, and to avoid giving more credit to one over another, or taken with the cameraman’s wishes, would not work either. It is a staged show; we can see that from the images. It would be much better and more natural to take the photos and record the videos when the participants are unaware of the cameramen provided that they are informed in advance. Of course, to take those pictures, the video and photo journalists from the government-controlled media would have to go and see the ground activities on their own, in addition to, if not rather than, following the government leaders and ministers around. The remaining question if what if those video and photo journalists assigned to work on their own, found a good corner to take a nap in stead of doing what they are supposed and expected and paid to do? At that stage, many corrective actions can be taken; between now and then, just simply have faith and hope that the video and photo journalists assigned to work on their own would do what they are supposed and expected and paid to do. In addition, some quality media images that could potentially come out of the efforts of the video and photo journalists assigned to work with the mid-level officers and soldiers would worth much more than their current products which are most likely to be rejected out of hand by the Burmese public. The Burmese military government leaders still do NOT understand the human nature. The government, particularly the soldiers and the other public employees, will have to take care of the public property and clean the trees and debris, that only a very small portion of the local population would and could take care of. However, few would remember and be thankful for their work on public properties. Most will probably think that the government and soldiers are doing what they are supposed to be doing. On the other hand, almost everybody would remember and appreciate if the government and the soldiers lend a hand in reconstructing their homes. Human nature is such that few would remember the barrister for the entire Frappuccino, but most would certainly remember the barrister for the extra cream on top. [In Burmese context, few would remember a bowl full of fish soup at the shop but most would remember for the extra or for the extra pieces of egg on top.] I can simply hope that the Burmese government, particularly its photo and video journalists would depart from the historical approach of following the top leaders and ministers around so that the government and the military’s efforts could be recorded and presented more realistically and thus that they get the due credit they deserve for all their efforts and consequently that they can reestablish a good rapport with the Burmese public, a good rapport the Burmese military had enjoyed until the mid 1980s.

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