Burma referendum to go ahead

From correspondents in Rangoon

MILITARY-ruled Burma will press ahead with a referendum on a new constitution on May 10 despite a devastating cyclone that slammed into the country at the weekend.

"The referendum is only a few days away and the people are eagerly looking forward to voting," the Government said in a statement carried in the state media.

Authorities and foreign aid workers are struggling to assess the damage from Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 350 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

The charter is part of a "roadmap to democracy" meant to culminate in multi-party elections in 2010 and end nearly five decades of military rule. The opposition and Western governments say it allows the army to retain too much control.

State media said 20,000 homes were destroyed on one island alone after Cyclone Nargis, a Category 3 storm packing winds of 190km/h ripped through Butrma's Irrawaddy delta on Saturday.

The death toll is likely to climb as the authorities slowly make contact with islands and low-lying villages in the delta, the rice bowl of former Burma.

Teams of foreign aid workers were trying to assess the damage and aid needs, but their access and movements are restricted by the military, which has ruled Burma for 46 years.

UN disaster experts are due to meet in Bangkok in neighbouring Thailand today to assess Burma's needs and how best to respond.

Bunkered down in Naypyidaw, 240 miles to the north of Burma, the junta's top brass has not formally responded to an offer of international assistance.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said there had been no reports of Australian casualties.

And he reiterated that the referendum was nothing more "than a fraud designed to perpetuate the military regime in Burma".

- with AAP