Aid trickling to cyclone-ravaged Burma

The first shipments of relief aid began arriving Monday in southwestern Burma where at least 351 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless by a big tropical cyclone on the weekend.

Cyclone Narghis came ashore Saturday across a wide area of the coast of Burma, also known as Myanmar, and the capital Rangoon was among the places hit hardest. Tens of thousands of buildings are said to be damaged and emergency services are struggling to cope with the injured and homeless.

The military junta in Rangoon is not permitting international aid teams into many affected areas and international relief agencies are meeting in the Thai capital, Bangkok, to co-ordinate their response and discuss how to work with the restrictions imposed by the Burmese government.

Terje Skavdal, the United Nations humanitarian relief head for Southeast Asia, told Reuters that finding out the extent of the damage would take some time.

"The government is having as much trouble as anyone else in getting a full overview," he said.

Skavdal said roads were blocked or damaged from Rangoon to coastal areas and hundreds of villages were cut off.

Rangoon dark, streets blocked

In Rangoon, people huddled in darkened rooms and stood in line to buy candles and cooking gas as the city's already unreliable electricity supply remained severely disrupted.

Ambassadors of foreign countries met Monday with officials from the foreign ministry.

The Associated Press reported from the city that residents were angry that the military regime had so far extended a helping hand to wealthy neighbourhoods, leaving others to fend for themselves.

The agency says streets in the normally busy capital were impassable, blocked by downed trees and debris from wrecked houses.

People were staying away from work Monday to find food and shelter for their families, AP reports.

"Without my daily earning, just survival has become a big problem for us," said Tin Hia, who runs a roadside stand repairing umbrellas for passersby. His makeshift hut in one of the city's many slums had been completely destroyed, he said.

Government figures say at least 351 people were killed but officials expect the casualty toll to be much higher as information comes in from areas cut off by the storm.

"The Irrawaddy [River] delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but [also] because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the UN's acting humanitarian co-ordinator in Rangoon.

Referendum to go ahead despite storm

Despite the devastating storm, the Burmese junta said plans would go ahead for a referendum May 10 on a new constitution that would pave the way for multi-party elections in 2010.

Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more detained when the military regime cracked down brutally on peaceful pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks and students.

CBC News