Refugee camps guarded like 'prisons'

Mizzima's correspondent returned from Pathein, the capital of Irrawaddy Division, one week after Cyclone Nargis hit the Delta. As a foreigner, he was denied access to areas which were hit hardest by the cyclone. But he saw hundreds of cyclone victims, including many orphans, and listened to their stories.

The Burma Army and local authorities keep survivors in evacuation camps that are guarded and managed like prisons.

In Myaungmya, close to the totally destroyed township of Laputta, the government has converted the six government high schools into shelters, each housing about 600 survivors. No one is allowed to enter these schools and no survivor is allowed to leave, not even for the search of missing family members.

Only those who can prove a legitimate interest in seeing one of the "inmates" are allow to check the list of inhabitants. Then the survivor, who must wear a number at all times, will be allowed to speak to the visitor in a separate area.

The survivor is not allowed out. He or she has to return to the overcrowded quarters. Donations cannot be made directly to victims but must be handed to the camp authority.

Surrounding villages are forced to support the survivors through "voluntary" donations: water, rice, salt, clothing, blankets, etc.

On the way to Laputta, private donors and NGO are forced by soldiers to hand over half of the rice bags or other goods meant for survivors. No wonder the generals do not want foreigners in the disaster zone.

Christian churches and Buddhist monks are discouraged by the authorities to help survivors and provide shelter. Some Christian churches have privately organized boats to go to the destroyed and flooded villages in the remote south of the Delta.

The government tells the rescue teams that survivors "are violent and getting mad."

On the way from Rangoon to the Delta, covering 120 miles, only one Army "convoy" could be seen. It consisted of three half-loaded trucks and one tanker with gasoline. Some 10 private trucks with "forced" donations headed for Laputta.

In Rangoon, local authorities publish daily sheets with the names of the destroyed and flooded villages and the number of casualties and survivors. Everybody reading these lists is filled with horror. The authorities only list the villages with predominantly Burman population. The Catholic, Baptist, Muslim and Karen villages are not mentioned and therefore are not entitled to help and assistance from the State.