YANGON, Myanmar - A powerful cyclone killed more than 350 people and destroyed thousands of homes, state-run media said yesterday. Some dissident groups worried that the military junta running Myanmar would be reluctant to ask for international help.
Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit at a delicate time for the junta, less than a week ahead of a crucial referendum on a new constitution. Should the junta be seen as failing disaster victims, voters who already blame the regime for ruining the economy and squashing democracy could take out their frustrations at the ballot box.
Some in Yangon complained the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday’s storm.
“Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?” said a trishaw driver who refused to be identified for fear of retribution. “They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity.”
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. Its government has been widely criticized for human rights abuses and suppression of pro-democracy parties such as the one led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for almost 12 of the past 18 years.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Myanmar urged the military junta yesterday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone - something it has been reluctant to do.
The U.N. planned to send teams today to assess the damage. Initial assessment efforts have been hampered by roads clogged with debris and downed phone lines, he said.
Boston Herald
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