By Mizzima News
Monday, 05 May 2008- Chiang Mai: An eyewitness that passed through Day Da Ye Township in Irrawaddy Division told Mizzima that deaths due to the cyclone in Day Da Ye Township may increase dramatically, reporting many corpses laying along the highway.
He saw firsthand the bodies of humans and animals along the road that passes through Day Da Ye while on his way to Rangoon.
Day Da Ye, about 40 miles southwest of Rangoon, is in Irrawaddy Division. Both Irrawaddy and Rangoon Divisions are among the declared disaster areas, along with Bago Division and Mon and Karen States.
"It could be up to a hundred bodies," reported the eyewitness, though he could not provide an exact figure.
Current government announced figures do not mention any deaths and damage in Day Da Ye Township.
Since there are no telephone lines working in the entire Irrawaddy Division, Mizzima has been forced to rely on the accounts of travelers passing through the region.
In Da La Township of Rangoon Division, almost all houses throughout the township suffered damage. Moreover, the residents are facing a severe shortage of drinking water.
About 90 percent of small boats, the only means of transport between Rangoon city and Da La have been destroyed by the cyclone.
At least 351 people were killed when Cyclone Nargis lashed Burma on Friday and Saturday, according to the latest government figures. On Hine Gyi Island alone, worst affected, 109 perished. Nargis has destroyed at least 20,000 homes and left more than 90,000 people homeless across Burma.
However, with the Burmese junta's tradition of secrecy and control over the media, observers said the death toll could be higher than the government admits.
A Mizzima correspondent in Rangoon said that top government leaders used helicopters to visit Maw La Myaing Kyun in Irrawaddy Division, showing that Maw La Myaing Kyun must be one of the worst affected areas.
Moreover, he added that one warship from Burma's navy that was docked in the entrance to the Rangoon Sea was sunk, along with one big fishing boat which sank near Kyi Myint Taing harbor in Rangoon.
Rangoon residents are trying to carry water with trucks and heavy vehicles from Inya and Kandawgyi Lakes due to the severe shortage of water publicly available.
In and around Anaw Ya Htar Road in downtown Rangoon, a long queue of people are lining up for drinking water distributed by the Municipal Department, according to a Mizzima correspondent in Rangoon.
The government has re-opened gas stations in Rangoon and the fuel shortage problem has lessened.
However, long queues of vehicles up to two miles long waiting for petrol can be seen in Rangoon. Gasoline and diesel prices on the black market have reached 12,000 kyat ($10.90) and 15,000 kyat ($13.60), respectively, from 7,000 kyat and 8,000 kyat yesterday morning.
The government has announced that petrol shops will be opened till 10 p.m. Some of the main roads in the city have reopened for traffic and the city is noisy from extensive generator use.
In New Dagon, a satellite township of Rangoon, tidewater is causing trees and houses to collapse.
Inya Road, near where Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi lives under house arrest, remains blocked with fallen trees.
However, Mizzima has not been able to confirm whether the house of Aung San Suu Kyi was damaged in the cyclone or not.
Residents in outlying regions of Rangoon are especially worried that the poor situation could lead to widespread looting.
Suffering from a water shortage, some people are trying to take water by blowing up the main water supply pipe, known as Gyo Pyu, in Yan Kin and South Okkalapa Townships. In Tharkayta Township, a suburb of Rangoon, residents are trying to obtain water from fire hoses, which is prohibited under Burmese law.
Rangoon General Hospital has refused admission to some patients due to an electricity shortage. The hospital is relying on generators.
Essential food prices are continuing to rise today, with an egg costing 400 kyat (0.36 cents), up from 300 kyat yesterday.
In the meantime, the price of zinc roofing has jumped 500 percent, with one foot of the material now costing 3,000 kyat, compared with a price of 600 kyat before the cyclone hit Rangoon.
Monday, 5 May 2008
Yangon fights primitive conditions after cyclone
YANGON, Burma (AP) — Residents of Burma's biggest city lit candles Monday, lined up to buy water and hacked their way through trees felled in a cyclone that killed more than 350 people, destroyed thousands of homes and caused widespread power cuts.
Older citizens said they had never seen Yangon, a city of some 6.5 million, so devastated in their lifetimes.
Despite the havoc wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis across wide swaths of the Southeast Asian country on Saturday, the government indicated that a referendum on the country's draft constitution would proceed as planned on May 10.
"It's only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are eager to cast their vote," the state-owned newspaper Myanma Ahlin said Monday.
Pro-democracy groups in the country and many international critics have branded the constitution as merely a tool for the military's continued grip on power.
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.
Neighboring Thailand announced it would fly in on Tuesday a first planeload of emergency assistance requested by the Burma government.
Thai government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat said the ruling junta had asked for food, medical supplies and construction equipment. He said a C-130 military transport would probably ferry in the supplies.
The Foreign Ministry in Yangon called resident ambassadors to a meeting Monday and some diplomats said they expected the government to request emergency assistance from other countries.
Some in Yangon complained that the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday's storm, only clearing streets where the ruling elite resided but leaving residents to cope on their own in most other areas.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" a trishaw driver, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution, said Sunday. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."
Residents, as well as Buddhist monks from the city's many monasteries, banded together Monday, wielding axes and knives to clear roads of tree trunks and branches torn off by the cyclones 120-mph winds.
With the city's already unstable electricity supply virtually non-functional, citizens lined up to buy candles, which doubled in price, as well as water since a lack of electricity-driven pumps left most households dry. Some walked to the city's lakes to wash.
Hotels and richer families were using private generators but only sparingly, given the soaring price of fuel.
Public transport was almost at a standstill and vehicles on the road had to cope with navigating without traffic lights. Many stayed away from their jobs, either because they could not find transportation or because they had to seek food and shelter for their families.
"Without my daily earning, just survival has become a big problem for us," said Tin Hla, who normally repairs umbrellas at a roadside stand. With his shanty town house destroyed by the storm, Tin Hla said he has had to place his family of five into one of the monasteries that have offered temporary shelter to the many homeless.
His entire morning was taken up with looking for water and some food to buy, ending up with three chicken eggs that cost double the normal price.
Airlines announced that Yangon's international airport had reopened for foreign and domestic flights Monday.
Most telephone landlines, mobile phones and Internet connections were down.
With the city plunged into almost total darkness overnight, security concerns mounted, and many shops sold their goods through partially opened doors or iron grills. Looting was reported at several fresh food markets, where thieves took vegetables and other items.
At least 351 people were killed, including 162 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country's southwest coast, military-run Myaddy television station reported. Many of the others died in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta.
"The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator in Yangon. "The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened."
State television reported that in the Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75% of the buildings had collapsed.
The U.N. planned to send teams Monday to assess the damage, Kaye said. Initial assessment efforts had been hampered by roads clogged with debris and downed phone lines, he said.
Burma, 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.
Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Burma urged the military junta Sunday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone — something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
USA Today
Older citizens said they had never seen Yangon, a city of some 6.5 million, so devastated in their lifetimes.
Despite the havoc wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis across wide swaths of the Southeast Asian country on Saturday, the government indicated that a referendum on the country's draft constitution would proceed as planned on May 10.
"It's only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are eager to cast their vote," the state-owned newspaper Myanma Ahlin said Monday.
Pro-democracy groups in the country and many international critics have branded the constitution as merely a tool for the military's continued grip on power.
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.
Neighboring Thailand announced it would fly in on Tuesday a first planeload of emergency assistance requested by the Burma government.
Thai government spokesman Wichianchote Sukchotrat said the ruling junta had asked for food, medical supplies and construction equipment. He said a C-130 military transport would probably ferry in the supplies.
The Foreign Ministry in Yangon called resident ambassadors to a meeting Monday and some diplomats said they expected the government to request emergency assistance from other countries.
Some in Yangon complained that the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday's storm, only clearing streets where the ruling elite resided but leaving residents to cope on their own in most other areas.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" a trishaw driver, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution, said Sunday. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."
Residents, as well as Buddhist monks from the city's many monasteries, banded together Monday, wielding axes and knives to clear roads of tree trunks and branches torn off by the cyclones 120-mph winds.
With the city's already unstable electricity supply virtually non-functional, citizens lined up to buy candles, which doubled in price, as well as water since a lack of electricity-driven pumps left most households dry. Some walked to the city's lakes to wash.
Hotels and richer families were using private generators but only sparingly, given the soaring price of fuel.
Public transport was almost at a standstill and vehicles on the road had to cope with navigating without traffic lights. Many stayed away from their jobs, either because they could not find transportation or because they had to seek food and shelter for their families.
"Without my daily earning, just survival has become a big problem for us," said Tin Hla, who normally repairs umbrellas at a roadside stand. With his shanty town house destroyed by the storm, Tin Hla said he has had to place his family of five into one of the monasteries that have offered temporary shelter to the many homeless.
His entire morning was taken up with looking for water and some food to buy, ending up with three chicken eggs that cost double the normal price.
Airlines announced that Yangon's international airport had reopened for foreign and domestic flights Monday.
Most telephone landlines, mobile phones and Internet connections were down.
With the city plunged into almost total darkness overnight, security concerns mounted, and many shops sold their goods through partially opened doors or iron grills. Looting was reported at several fresh food markets, where thieves took vegetables and other items.
At least 351 people were killed, including 162 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country's southwest coast, military-run Myaddy television station reported. Many of the others died in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta.
"The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator in Yangon. "The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened."
State television reported that in the Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75% of the buildings had collapsed.
The U.N. planned to send teams Monday to assess the damage, Kaye said. Initial assessment efforts had been hampered by roads clogged with debris and downed phone lines, he said.
Burma, 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.
Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Burma urged the military junta Sunday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone — something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
USA Today
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
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
Hundreds of thousands without shelter in Burma: UN
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without shelter and drinking water in military-ruled Burma after a devastating cyclone tore through the Irrawaddy delta, a United Nations official says.
Aid agencies scrambled to deliver plastic sheeting, water and cooking equipment from stockpiles in the country. The government says at least 351 died in the cyclone, which slammed into the delta region on Saturday before devastating Rangoon.
That death toll is likely to climb as the authorities make contact with hard-hit islands and villages in the delta, the rice bowl of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation of 53 million.
"It's clear that this is a major disaster," Richard Horsey, of the United Nations disaster response office in Bangkok, told Reuters after an emergency aid meeting.
"How many people are affected? We know that it's in the six figures. We know that it's several hundred thousand needing shelter and clean drinking water, but how many hundred thousand we just don't know."
The International Federation of the Red Cross said teams were trying to assess the damage and aid requirements in the five declared disaster zones where 24 million people live.
"We are issuing water purification tablets, clothing, plastic sheeting, cooking utensils and hygiene items. We're trying to mobilise portable water from local businesses," Michael Annear, head of Red Cross Southeast Asia disaster management unit.
"We're preparing to send more stuff into the country. We have not been restricted," he said.
A new policy imposed on foreign aid agencies in 2006 requires travel permits and official escorts for field trips. It also tightened rules on the transport of supplies and materials.
"That is the existing situation for international staff. The way most agencies work is they use national staff who have more freedom to move," Terje Skavdal, regional head of the UN office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), said.
"We will have a dialogue with the government to try to get access to the people affected."
It is not known whether Burma, also known as Myanmar, the world's largest rice exporter when it won independence from Britain in 1948, will need to import emergency rice supplies. If it does, it is likely to inflate yet further the already sky-high prices of the staple.
The World Food Program says it has stocks of around 500,000 tonnes inside the country, but not near Rangoon.
In the former capital, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings, suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on the outskirts of the city of five million people.
State television was still off the air in Rangoon, and clean water was becoming scarce. Most shops had sold out of candles and batteries and there was no word when power would be restored.
In one western suburb, a group of 100 monks led efforts to clear streets littered with fallen trees and debris from battered buildings, a witness said.
"The clean-up is beginning but this will take a long time. The damage around town is intense," one Western diplomat told Reuters from Rangoon, where the airport reopened today.
State media said 19 people had been killed in Rangoon and 222 in the delta, where weather forecasters had predicted a storm surge of as much as 3.5 metres.
Only one in four buildings were left standing in Laputta and Kyaik Lat, two towns deep in the rice-producing region.
Some 90,000 people were homeless on the island of Haingyi, about 200km southwest of Rangoon on the fringe of the delta.
However, the carnage left by cyclone Nargis has not derailed a May 10 referendum on a new army-drafted constitution.
"The referendum is only a few days away and the people are eagerly looking forward to voting," the junta said in a statement confirming the vote would go ahead as planned.
The charter is part of a "roadmap to democracy" meant to culminate in multiparty elections in 2010, but critics say it allows the army to retain an unacceptable degree of power.
Bunkered down in their new capital, Naypyidaw, north of Rangoon, the junta's top brass has not formerly responded to an offer of international assistance.
But Burma's Minister of Social Welfare told UN officials help may be welcomed, depending on the terms, Skavdal said.
"I think it's a positive sign. As long as we are in dialogue it is good," he said.
Shunned by the West for its detention of democracy icon AungSan
Suu Kyi and dismal human rights record, Burma has been the target of Western sanctions for years.
Source: Reuters-SBS
Aid agencies scrambled to deliver plastic sheeting, water and cooking equipment from stockpiles in the country. The government says at least 351 died in the cyclone, which slammed into the delta region on Saturday before devastating Rangoon.
That death toll is likely to climb as the authorities make contact with hard-hit islands and villages in the delta, the rice bowl of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation of 53 million.
"It's clear that this is a major disaster," Richard Horsey, of the United Nations disaster response office in Bangkok, told Reuters after an emergency aid meeting.
"How many people are affected? We know that it's in the six figures. We know that it's several hundred thousand needing shelter and clean drinking water, but how many hundred thousand we just don't know."
The International Federation of the Red Cross said teams were trying to assess the damage and aid requirements in the five declared disaster zones where 24 million people live.
"We are issuing water purification tablets, clothing, plastic sheeting, cooking utensils and hygiene items. We're trying to mobilise portable water from local businesses," Michael Annear, head of Red Cross Southeast Asia disaster management unit.
"We're preparing to send more stuff into the country. We have not been restricted," he said.
A new policy imposed on foreign aid agencies in 2006 requires travel permits and official escorts for field trips. It also tightened rules on the transport of supplies and materials.
"That is the existing situation for international staff. The way most agencies work is they use national staff who have more freedom to move," Terje Skavdal, regional head of the UN office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), said.
"We will have a dialogue with the government to try to get access to the people affected."
It is not known whether Burma, also known as Myanmar, the world's largest rice exporter when it won independence from Britain in 1948, will need to import emergency rice supplies. If it does, it is likely to inflate yet further the already sky-high prices of the staple.
The World Food Program says it has stocks of around 500,000 tonnes inside the country, but not near Rangoon.
In the former capital, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings, suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on the outskirts of the city of five million people.
State television was still off the air in Rangoon, and clean water was becoming scarce. Most shops had sold out of candles and batteries and there was no word when power would be restored.
In one western suburb, a group of 100 monks led efforts to clear streets littered with fallen trees and debris from battered buildings, a witness said.
"The clean-up is beginning but this will take a long time. The damage around town is intense," one Western diplomat told Reuters from Rangoon, where the airport reopened today.
State media said 19 people had been killed in Rangoon and 222 in the delta, where weather forecasters had predicted a storm surge of as much as 3.5 metres.
Only one in four buildings were left standing in Laputta and Kyaik Lat, two towns deep in the rice-producing region.
Some 90,000 people were homeless on the island of Haingyi, about 200km southwest of Rangoon on the fringe of the delta.
However, the carnage left by cyclone Nargis has not derailed a May 10 referendum on a new army-drafted constitution.
"The referendum is only a few days away and the people are eagerly looking forward to voting," the junta said in a statement confirming the vote would go ahead as planned.
The charter is part of a "roadmap to democracy" meant to culminate in multiparty elections in 2010, but critics say it allows the army to retain an unacceptable degree of power.
Bunkered down in their new capital, Naypyidaw, north of Rangoon, the junta's top brass has not formerly responded to an offer of international assistance.
But Burma's Minister of Social Welfare told UN officials help may be welcomed, depending on the terms, Skavdal said.
"I think it's a positive sign. As long as we are in dialogue it is good," he said.
Shunned by the West for its detention of democracy icon AungSan
Suu Kyi and dismal human rights record, Burma has been the target of Western sanctions for years.
Source: Reuters-SBS
Burma's farcical referendum highlights junta's absurdity
Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun
May 05, 2008 - It is frequently a trait of generals and other very senior military officers that they have absolutely no sense of the ridiculous.
They can get involved in the most farcical activities without any realization that they are making themselves laughing-stocks.
Mind you, given some of the thoroughly unpleasant decisions military officers sometimes have to make, having no sense of the surreal may be a necessary survival mechanism.
Even so, it is hard not to laugh out loud at the insistence by the military regime running Burma that next Saturday's referendum on a new constitution for the southeast Asian nation is a firm step toward multi-party democracy.
Without a whiff of a sense of irony, the junta, headed by Senior Gen. Than Shwe, is so insistent that the new constitution is a good and democratic thing they have made it punishable by up to 10 years in prison for anyone to urge people to vote "no."
So the opposition National League for Democracy led by detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has had a hard time conveying its strong reservations about this proposed constitution -- which seems to achieve little except to ensure the military will continue to be the ultimate power and authority in Burma.
While opponents of the constitutional model have been silenced, senior figures in the junta and their thoroughly unpleasant grassroots political operatives have been using all forms of coercion -- from physical violence to threats to withdraw government services such as the water supply -- to impress on people the necessity of voting "yes."
Burmese voters may, of course, relish this opportunity to vote. They haven't been asked to do that since 1990, when 85 per cent of them plumped for Suu Kyi and the NLD.
The generals were appalled, annulled the election, kept Suu Kyi and hundreds of NLD leaders locked up, and slowly discussed how to avoid such a nasty thing happening again.
So it has taken 14 years to get to this point -- step five in the junta's seven-step road map to its version of democracy. And only the junta's hand-picked delegates, not Suu Kyi or the NLD, have been involved in evolving the constitutional proposals, a process which has primarily involved the delegates listening to speeches by army officers.
It does not look, however, that very many Burmese will get a chance to vote, however keen they may be to do so.
The generals say there are just over four million eligible voters, which seems extraordinarily low in a country with a population of over 42 million. Several outside observer organizations reckon there should be about 23 million eligible voters.
But as the whole process is a farce, it probably doesn't really matter.
The constitutional proposals are an adaption of those used by former president Suharto of Indonesia to control a thinly disguised military dictatorship for 32 years.
The junta's model for Burma begins by saying that the country's president must hail from the military, which gives a good indication of where this document is heading.
Then, a quarter of the parliamentary seats will be allocated to people nominated by the military.
The military will also fully control and appoint the ministers to several key ministries, including Defence and the Interior -- which is the department managing internal security.
To cap it off, the military reserves the right to oust any civilian administration it feels is putting national security in jeopardy.
This bizarre construction is meant, according to the junta, to provide a fine framework for multi-party elections in 2010.
The chances of that happening do not appear to be good. It is far more likely that what will emerge is, again, the highly directed form of democracy that functioned in Indonesia until Suharto was ousted by a popular uprising in 1998. There were a variety of political parties, but even those with designated "opposition" roles functioned as pantomime puppets manipulated from above by the military.
And Suu Kyi, who frightens the generals the way mice terrify elephants, will be allowed no role under the new dispensation.
The junta has already proclaimed that no one who is or has been married to a foreigner is eligible for public office. Suu Kyi was married to the British scholar of Tibet and Buddhism, Michael Aris, who died of cancer in 1999.
Sun International Affairs Columnist
To reach Jonathan Manthorpe, go to his blog at: www.vancouversun.com/blogs
Canada Com
May 05, 2008 - It is frequently a trait of generals and other very senior military officers that they have absolutely no sense of the ridiculous.
They can get involved in the most farcical activities without any realization that they are making themselves laughing-stocks.
Mind you, given some of the thoroughly unpleasant decisions military officers sometimes have to make, having no sense of the surreal may be a necessary survival mechanism.
Even so, it is hard not to laugh out loud at the insistence by the military regime running Burma that next Saturday's referendum on a new constitution for the southeast Asian nation is a firm step toward multi-party democracy.
Without a whiff of a sense of irony, the junta, headed by Senior Gen. Than Shwe, is so insistent that the new constitution is a good and democratic thing they have made it punishable by up to 10 years in prison for anyone to urge people to vote "no."
So the opposition National League for Democracy led by detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has had a hard time conveying its strong reservations about this proposed constitution -- which seems to achieve little except to ensure the military will continue to be the ultimate power and authority in Burma.
While opponents of the constitutional model have been silenced, senior figures in the junta and their thoroughly unpleasant grassroots political operatives have been using all forms of coercion -- from physical violence to threats to withdraw government services such as the water supply -- to impress on people the necessity of voting "yes."
Burmese voters may, of course, relish this opportunity to vote. They haven't been asked to do that since 1990, when 85 per cent of them plumped for Suu Kyi and the NLD.
The generals were appalled, annulled the election, kept Suu Kyi and hundreds of NLD leaders locked up, and slowly discussed how to avoid such a nasty thing happening again.
So it has taken 14 years to get to this point -- step five in the junta's seven-step road map to its version of democracy. And only the junta's hand-picked delegates, not Suu Kyi or the NLD, have been involved in evolving the constitutional proposals, a process which has primarily involved the delegates listening to speeches by army officers.
It does not look, however, that very many Burmese will get a chance to vote, however keen they may be to do so.
The generals say there are just over four million eligible voters, which seems extraordinarily low in a country with a population of over 42 million. Several outside observer organizations reckon there should be about 23 million eligible voters.
But as the whole process is a farce, it probably doesn't really matter.
The constitutional proposals are an adaption of those used by former president Suharto of Indonesia to control a thinly disguised military dictatorship for 32 years.
The junta's model for Burma begins by saying that the country's president must hail from the military, which gives a good indication of where this document is heading.
Then, a quarter of the parliamentary seats will be allocated to people nominated by the military.
The military will also fully control and appoint the ministers to several key ministries, including Defence and the Interior -- which is the department managing internal security.
To cap it off, the military reserves the right to oust any civilian administration it feels is putting national security in jeopardy.
This bizarre construction is meant, according to the junta, to provide a fine framework for multi-party elections in 2010.
The chances of that happening do not appear to be good. It is far more likely that what will emerge is, again, the highly directed form of democracy that functioned in Indonesia until Suharto was ousted by a popular uprising in 1998. There were a variety of political parties, but even those with designated "opposition" roles functioned as pantomime puppets manipulated from above by the military.
And Suu Kyi, who frightens the generals the way mice terrify elephants, will be allowed no role under the new dispensation.
The junta has already proclaimed that no one who is or has been married to a foreigner is eligible for public office. Suu Kyi was married to the British scholar of Tibet and Buddhism, Michael Aris, who died of cancer in 1999.
Sun International Affairs Columnist
To reach Jonathan Manthorpe, go to his blog at: www.vancouversun.com/blogs
Canada Com
Cyclone plunges Myanmar into primitive existence
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Residents of Myanmar's largest city were plunged into a primitive existence Monday, using candles instead of electricity, lining up to buy shrinking supplies of water and hacking their way through streets blocked by trees felled in a cyclone that killed more than 350.
Older citizens said they had never seen Yangon, a city of some 6.5 million, so devastated in their lifetimes.
With the city's already unstable electricity supply virtually nonfunctional citizens lined up to buy candles, which doubled in price, as well as water since lack of electricity-driven pumps left most households dry. Some walked to the city's lakes to wash.
Hotels and richer families were using private generators but only sparingly, given the soaring price of fuel.
Despite the havoc wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis across wide swaths of the Southeast Asian country, the government indicated that a referendum on the country's draft constitution would proceed as planned on May 10.
"It's only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are eager to cast their vote," the state-owned newspaper Myanma Ahlin said Monday.
Pro-democracy groups in the country and many international critics have branded the constitution as merely a tool for the military's continued grip on power.
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.
The Foreign Ministry called resident ambassadors to a meeting Monday, and some diplomats said they expected the government to request foreign emergency assistance.
Some in Yangon complained the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday's storm, only clearing streets where the ruling elite resided but leaving residents to cope on their own in most other areas.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" a trishaw driver, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution, said Sunday. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."
Residents, as well as Buddhist monks from the city's many monasteries, banded together, wielding axes and knives to clear roads of tree trunks and branches torn off by the cyclones 120 mph winds.
Several residents said the streets were like forests, scattered as they were with trees and debris.
Airlines announced Yangon's international airport had reopened, but public transport was almost at a standstill. Vehicles on the road had to cope with navigating without traffic lights.
Many stayed away from their jobs, either because they could not find transport or because they had to seek food and shelter for their families.
"Without my daily earning, just survival has become a big problem for us," said Tin Hla, who normally repairs umbrellas at a roadside stand. With his shanty town house destroyed by the storm, Tin Hla said he has had to place his family of five into one of the monasteries which have offered temporary shelter to many homeless.
Most telephone landlines, mobile phones and Internet connections were down.
The city was plunged into almost total darkness overnight, security concerns mounted, with reports of robberies in some working class suburbs circulating. Many shops sold their goods through partially opened doors or iron grills. Looting was reported at several fresh food markets, where thieves took vegetables and other items.
At least 351 people were killed, including 162 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country's southwest coast, military-run Myawaddy television station reported. Many of the others died in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta.
"The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator in Yangon. "The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened."
State television reported that in the Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75 percent of the buildings had collapsed.
The U.N. planned to send teams Monday to assess the damage, Kaye said. Initial assessment efforts had been hampered by roads clogged with debris and downed phone lines, he said.
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.
Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Myanmar urged the military junta Sunday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone - something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
Older citizens said they had never seen Yangon, a city of some 6.5 million, so devastated in their lifetimes.
With the city's already unstable electricity supply virtually nonfunctional citizens lined up to buy candles, which doubled in price, as well as water since lack of electricity-driven pumps left most households dry. Some walked to the city's lakes to wash.
Hotels and richer families were using private generators but only sparingly, given the soaring price of fuel.
Despite the havoc wreaked by tropical cyclone Nargis across wide swaths of the Southeast Asian country, the government indicated that a referendum on the country's draft constitution would proceed as planned on May 10.
"It's only a few days left before the coming referendum and people are eager to cast their vote," the state-owned newspaper Myanma Ahlin said Monday.
Pro-democracy groups in the country and many international critics have branded the constitution as merely a tool for the military's continued grip on power.
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.
The Foreign Ministry called resident ambassadors to a meeting Monday, and some diplomats said they expected the government to request foreign emergency assistance.
Some in Yangon complained the 400,000-strong military was doing little to help victims after Saturday's storm, only clearing streets where the ruling elite resided but leaving residents to cope on their own in most other areas.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" a trishaw driver, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution, said Sunday. "They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."
Residents, as well as Buddhist monks from the city's many monasteries, banded together, wielding axes and knives to clear roads of tree trunks and branches torn off by the cyclones 120 mph winds.
Several residents said the streets were like forests, scattered as they were with trees and debris.
Airlines announced Yangon's international airport had reopened, but public transport was almost at a standstill. Vehicles on the road had to cope with navigating without traffic lights.
Many stayed away from their jobs, either because they could not find transport or because they had to seek food and shelter for their families.
"Without my daily earning, just survival has become a big problem for us," said Tin Hla, who normally repairs umbrellas at a roadside stand. With his shanty town house destroyed by the storm, Tin Hla said he has had to place his family of five into one of the monasteries which have offered temporary shelter to many homeless.
Most telephone landlines, mobile phones and Internet connections were down.
The city was plunged into almost total darkness overnight, security concerns mounted, with reports of robberies in some working class suburbs circulating. Many shops sold their goods through partially opened doors or iron grills. Looting was reported at several fresh food markets, where thieves took vegetables and other items.
At least 351 people were killed, including 162 who lived on Haing Gyi island off the country's southwest coast, military-run Myawaddy television station reported. Many of the others died in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta.
"The Irrawaddy delta was hit extremely hard not only because of the wind and rain but because of the storm surge," said Chris Kaye, the U.N.'s acting humanitarian coordinator in Yangon. "The villages there have reportedly been completely flattened."
State television reported that in the Irrawaddy's Labutta township, 75 percent of the buildings had collapsed.
The U.N. planned to send teams Monday to assess the damage, Kaye said. Initial assessment efforts had been hampered by roads clogged with debris and downed phone lines, he said.
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.
Last September, at least 31 people were killed and thousands more were detained when the military cracked down on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks and democracy advocates.
The Forum for Democracy in Burma and other dissident groups outside of Myanmar urged the military junta Sunday to allow aid groups to operate freely in the wake of the cyclone - something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
Military slow to help cleanup after deadly Myanmar cyclone
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
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
Red Cross rushes aid to Myanmar cyclone victims
BANGKOK: Aid agencies on Monday rushed emergency food and water supplies to victims of a massive storm in Myanmar which killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless, a Red Cross spokesman said.
Tropical cyclone Nargis left at least 351 dead after hitting southwest Myanmar at the weekend, packing winds of 190 kilometres (120 miles) per hour, razing thousands of buildings and knocking out power lines, state media reported.
Several coastal villages had been destroyed according to a preliminary assessment by the International Federation of the Red Cross, spokesman Michael Annear told AFP.
The villages in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) delta bore the brunt of the storm which came in from the Bay of Bengal and combined with a sea surge before hitting the main city Yangon. State media said nearly 98,000 were homeless on the delta's Haing Gyi island alone.
Annear said teams in Myanmar were distributing essential supplies and would be bringing in more from Malaysia as soon as possible.
"We're distributing supplies for those who need shelter, plastic sheeting to cover roofs, water purification tablets, we are currently procuring 5,000 litres of water, cooking items, bed-nets, blankets and clothes for those in most need," he said.
"We went out as soon as possible but there were problems with mobility due to a lot of debris and power lines down. Authorities and the local community have been clearing the road networks so mobility has increased today.
"Assessment teams have been a lot better getting through to affected areas but it's going to take a number of days to get an overall picture of the overall disaster," he said, adding that Yangon's airport was expected to reopen on Monday.
International Red Cross teams would be connecting with the local Myanmar Red Cross where more than 1,000 workers are trained in assessment and relief.
United Nations agencies and international charities were meeting later on Monday at the UN's Bangkok headquarters to coordinate their response to the disaster.
"We have called in the relief agencies and we will be discussing the overview of the situation, what we expect to happen over the course of the day and what activities are foreseen by the agencies," Terje Skavdal, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.
All the major UN agencies involved in the disaster response were attending, including the World Health Organisation, the UN Children's Fund and World Food Programme, alongside the International Federation of the Red Cross and major aid organisations Save the Children and Oxfam.
Myanmar's national Red Cross was the only agency able to begin assessment of the damage on Sunday, but a number of other agencies had now started their own assessments, Skavdal said.
"Collating the data will take some time," he said. "Because of communication problems with phone lines down people will have to come back to Yangon to share their findings."
The IFRC has sent assessment teams to Yangon, the Ayeyawaddy, Karen, Bago regions and may also deploy to Mon state.
- AFP/so
Tropical cyclone Nargis left at least 351 dead after hitting southwest Myanmar at the weekend, packing winds of 190 kilometres (120 miles) per hour, razing thousands of buildings and knocking out power lines, state media reported.
Several coastal villages had been destroyed according to a preliminary assessment by the International Federation of the Red Cross, spokesman Michael Annear told AFP.
The villages in the Ayeyawaddy (Irrawaddy) delta bore the brunt of the storm which came in from the Bay of Bengal and combined with a sea surge before hitting the main city Yangon. State media said nearly 98,000 were homeless on the delta's Haing Gyi island alone.
Annear said teams in Myanmar were distributing essential supplies and would be bringing in more from Malaysia as soon as possible.
"We're distributing supplies for those who need shelter, plastic sheeting to cover roofs, water purification tablets, we are currently procuring 5,000 litres of water, cooking items, bed-nets, blankets and clothes for those in most need," he said.
"We went out as soon as possible but there were problems with mobility due to a lot of debris and power lines down. Authorities and the local community have been clearing the road networks so mobility has increased today.
"Assessment teams have been a lot better getting through to affected areas but it's going to take a number of days to get an overall picture of the overall disaster," he said, adding that Yangon's airport was expected to reopen on Monday.
International Red Cross teams would be connecting with the local Myanmar Red Cross where more than 1,000 workers are trained in assessment and relief.
United Nations agencies and international charities were meeting later on Monday at the UN's Bangkok headquarters to coordinate their response to the disaster.
"We have called in the relief agencies and we will be discussing the overview of the situation, what we expect to happen over the course of the day and what activities are foreseen by the agencies," Terje Skavdal, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.
All the major UN agencies involved in the disaster response were attending, including the World Health Organisation, the UN Children's Fund and World Food Programme, alongside the International Federation of the Red Cross and major aid organisations Save the Children and Oxfam.
Myanmar's national Red Cross was the only agency able to begin assessment of the damage on Sunday, but a number of other agencies had now started their own assessments, Skavdal said.
"Collating the data will take some time," he said. "Because of communication problems with phone lines down people will have to come back to Yangon to share their findings."
The IFRC has sent assessment teams to Yangon, the Ayeyawaddy, Karen, Bago regions and may also deploy to Mon state.
- AFP/so
Burma's 'sham' referendum may be deferred
Voting in Burma's "meaningless" referendum may be delayed because of the destructive cyclone in the nation's former capital, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.
Reports of the death toll from the cyclone that hit Rangoon have been difficult to ascertain because of communication difficulties, but Mr Smith said there had been no reports of Australian casualties.
All Australian diplomats and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officers were safe and accounted for.
He has urged all Australians in Burma to contact the Australian mission in Burma or their friends or families in Australia.
"We've had no reports of any Australians in difficulties, the mission has contacted a number of Australians in Rangoon but we know that we haven't contacted all Australians who are living or temporarily living in Burma," Mr Smith said.
"So we urge those Australians in Burma to either make contact with our mission or Smart Traveller or their friends or family in Australia."
More than 350 people have been killed by the powerful cyclone Nargis that knocked out power in the impoverished country's commercial capital and destroyed thousands of homes, state-run media said.
Mr Smith said the significant cyclone damage could mean voting in the upcoming referendum could be deferred or delayed.
In February, Burma's military rulers announced a constitutional referendum would be held on May 10, which they said would set the stage for multi-party elections in 2010.
But the referendum was meaningless, Mr Smith told reporters at Perth airport.
"We've made it absolutely crystal clear that Burma should move to a democratic state where human rights are respected," he said.
"It's quite clear that the current referendum process that the Burmese have in train is nothing more, nothing less than a complete sham.
"It may well be as a result of the cyclone that voting in the referendum is deferred or delayed.
"To me that won't account for anything in the overall context because that referendum is nothing more, nothing less than a fraud designed to perpetuate the military regime in Burma."
Source: AAP -SBS Australia
Reports of the death toll from the cyclone that hit Rangoon have been difficult to ascertain because of communication difficulties, but Mr Smith said there had been no reports of Australian casualties.
All Australian diplomats and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officers were safe and accounted for.
He has urged all Australians in Burma to contact the Australian mission in Burma or their friends or families in Australia.
"We've had no reports of any Australians in difficulties, the mission has contacted a number of Australians in Rangoon but we know that we haven't contacted all Australians who are living or temporarily living in Burma," Mr Smith said.
"So we urge those Australians in Burma to either make contact with our mission or Smart Traveller or their friends or family in Australia."
More than 350 people have been killed by the powerful cyclone Nargis that knocked out power in the impoverished country's commercial capital and destroyed thousands of homes, state-run media said.
Mr Smith said the significant cyclone damage could mean voting in the upcoming referendum could be deferred or delayed.
In February, Burma's military rulers announced a constitutional referendum would be held on May 10, which they said would set the stage for multi-party elections in 2010.
But the referendum was meaningless, Mr Smith told reporters at Perth airport.
"We've made it absolutely crystal clear that Burma should move to a democratic state where human rights are respected," he said.
"It's quite clear that the current referendum process that the Burmese have in train is nothing more, nothing less than a complete sham.
"It may well be as a result of the cyclone that voting in the referendum is deferred or delayed.
"To me that won't account for anything in the overall context because that referendum is nothing more, nothing less than a fraud designed to perpetuate the military regime in Burma."
Source: AAP -SBS Australia
Burma aid delays worrying Aust NGOs
Australian non-government organisations (NGOs) are raising concerns about the delay aid agencies are facing in Burma to access those hardest hit by the weekend's cyclone.
More than 350 people have been killed and many towns and villages are yet to report on their damage.
United Nations aid workers in Burma say they are ready to send help to those hardest hit by the cyclone as soon as authorities there give the go-ahead.
A spokesman for Burma Campaign Australia, Winthura Wynn, says he is concerned Burmese authorities are yet to give permission to organisations such as the United Nations.
"Right now this is a critical life and death situation as the people in Burma face this cyclone," he said.
"I really wish this foreign relief agency to get through for their causes."
Catastrophe
The regional head of the UN office for co-ordinating humanitarian affairs, Terje Skavdal, has described the aftermath of the cyclone as a catastrophe.
"Practically all the roads are blocked more or less because of the trees that have blown down," he said.
"The city has great damage on telephone nets, on the electrical net, lots of damages to housing and to public buildings."
Aung Din, from the US Campaign for Burma, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that the cyclone has left Rangoon without transport, water or communications.
"The most part of the city of Rangoon are now damaged, and at least part of the houses are destroyed, and the rest are without roofs," he said.
"This is really a war zone and great devastation ... done by mother nature."
Australians safe
Meanwhile, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it has no reports of Australians being injured in the cyclone in Burma.
A Department spokeswoman says 132 Australians in Burma have registered with the embassy but the actual number in the country is probably higher.
She says all embassy staff and their families are safe and they have been able to confirm the safety of a number of Australians.
- ABC/BBC
More than 350 people have been killed and many towns and villages are yet to report on their damage.
United Nations aid workers in Burma say they are ready to send help to those hardest hit by the cyclone as soon as authorities there give the go-ahead.
A spokesman for Burma Campaign Australia, Winthura Wynn, says he is concerned Burmese authorities are yet to give permission to organisations such as the United Nations.
"Right now this is a critical life and death situation as the people in Burma face this cyclone," he said.
"I really wish this foreign relief agency to get through for their causes."
Catastrophe
The regional head of the UN office for co-ordinating humanitarian affairs, Terje Skavdal, has described the aftermath of the cyclone as a catastrophe.
"Practically all the roads are blocked more or less because of the trees that have blown down," he said.
"The city has great damage on telephone nets, on the electrical net, lots of damages to housing and to public buildings."
Aung Din, from the US Campaign for Burma, has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that the cyclone has left Rangoon without transport, water or communications.
"The most part of the city of Rangoon are now damaged, and at least part of the houses are destroyed, and the rest are without roofs," he said.
"This is really a war zone and great devastation ... done by mother nature."
Australians safe
Meanwhile, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it has no reports of Australians being injured in the cyclone in Burma.
A Department spokeswoman says 132 Australians in Burma have registered with the embassy but the actual number in the country is probably higher.
She says all embassy staff and their families are safe and they have been able to confirm the safety of a number of Australians.
- ABC/BBC
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
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
Aid agencies struggle to assess cyclone damage
Aung Hla Tun
YANGON, May 5 (Reuters) - Authorities and foreign aid workers in army-ruled Myanmar struggled on Monday to assess the damage from a severe cyclone that killed more than 350 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
State media said 20,000 homes were destroyed on one island alone after Cyclone Nargis, a Category 3 storm packing winds of 190 km (120 mile) per hour, ripped through Myanmar'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.
"The government is having as much trouble as anyone else in getting a full overview. Roads are not accessible and many small villages were hit and will take time to reach," Terje Skavdal, regional head of U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told Reuters in Bangkok.
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 the former Burma for 46 years.
"That is the existing situation for international staff. The way most agencies work is they use national staff who have more freedom to move," Skavdal said.
"We will have a dialogue with the government to try to get access to the people affected," he said.
In Yangon, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings, suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on its outskirts.
State television was still off air in the former capital more than 48 hours after Nagris slammed into the city of 5 million. Clean water was becoming scare and with the electricity down, nost shops had sold out of candles.
In western Yangon, a group of 100 monks led efforts to clear streets littered with fallen trees and debris from battered buildings, a witness said.
"The clean up is beginning but this will take a long time. The damage around town is intense," one Yangon-based Western diplomat told Reuters.
State media said 19 people had been killed in Yangon and 222 in the delta, where weather forecasters had predicted a storm surge of as much as 12 feet (3.5 metres)
Official newspapers said only one in four buildings were left standing in Laputta and Kyaik Lat, two towns deep in the rice-producing region.
Some 90,000 people were left homeless on the island of Haingyi, around 200 km southwest of Yangon on the western fringes of the Irrawaddy delta.
United Nations disaster experts were due to meet in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand, later on Monday to assess Myanmar's needs and how best to respond.
With many buildings damaged or destroyed, plastic sheeting was a high priority to provide shelter during the rainy season.
Water purification tablets, mosquito nets and cooking equipment would also be needed, Skavdal said.
Bunkered down in Naypyidaw, 240 miles to the north of Yangon, the junta's top brass has not formerly responded to an offer of international assistance.
But UN officials met with Myanmar's Minister of Social Welfare on Sunday "and the indication was assistance may be welcomed, but we need to understand the terms," Skavdal said.
"I think it's a positive sign. As long as we are in dialogue it is good," he said.
The regime declared a disaster in five states and government television carried footage of soldiers clearing trees from roads and Prime Minister Thein Sein, a lieutenant-general, meeting people sheltering in a Buddhist pagoda.
State media said on Monday that a referendum on a new army-drafted constitution would go ahead on May 10 despite the cyclone.
"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.
The charter is part of a "roadmap to democracy" meant to culminate in multiparty 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.
Some flights to Yangon resumed on Monday.
Nargis had weakened as it moved into western and northern Thailand on Monday, where there were no reports of damage or casualties.
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by David Fox)
YANGON, May 5 (Reuters) - Authorities and foreign aid workers in army-ruled Myanmar struggled on Monday to assess the damage from a severe cyclone that killed more than 350 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
State media said 20,000 homes were destroyed on one island alone after Cyclone Nargis, a Category 3 storm packing winds of 190 km (120 mile) per hour, ripped through Myanmar'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.
"The government is having as much trouble as anyone else in getting a full overview. Roads are not accessible and many small villages were hit and will take time to reach," Terje Skavdal, regional head of U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told Reuters in Bangkok.
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 the former Burma for 46 years.
"That is the existing situation for international staff. The way most agencies work is they use national staff who have more freedom to move," Skavdal said.
"We will have a dialogue with the government to try to get access to the people affected," he said.
In Yangon, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings, suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on its outskirts.
State television was still off air in the former capital more than 48 hours after Nagris slammed into the city of 5 million. Clean water was becoming scare and with the electricity down, nost shops had sold out of candles.
In western Yangon, a group of 100 monks led efforts to clear streets littered with fallen trees and debris from battered buildings, a witness said.
"The clean up is beginning but this will take a long time. The damage around town is intense," one Yangon-based Western diplomat told Reuters.
State media said 19 people had been killed in Yangon and 222 in the delta, where weather forecasters had predicted a storm surge of as much as 12 feet (3.5 metres)
Official newspapers said only one in four buildings were left standing in Laputta and Kyaik Lat, two towns deep in the rice-producing region.
Some 90,000 people were left homeless on the island of Haingyi, around 200 km southwest of Yangon on the western fringes of the Irrawaddy delta.
United Nations disaster experts were due to meet in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand, later on Monday to assess Myanmar's needs and how best to respond.
With many buildings damaged or destroyed, plastic sheeting was a high priority to provide shelter during the rainy season.
Water purification tablets, mosquito nets and cooking equipment would also be needed, Skavdal said.
Bunkered down in Naypyidaw, 240 miles to the north of Yangon, the junta's top brass has not formerly responded to an offer of international assistance.
But UN officials met with Myanmar's Minister of Social Welfare on Sunday "and the indication was assistance may be welcomed, but we need to understand the terms," Skavdal said.
"I think it's a positive sign. As long as we are in dialogue it is good," he said.
The regime declared a disaster in five states and government television carried footage of soldiers clearing trees from roads and Prime Minister Thein Sein, a lieutenant-general, meeting people sheltering in a Buddhist pagoda.
State media said on Monday that a referendum on a new army-drafted constitution would go ahead on May 10 despite the cyclone.
"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.
The charter is part of a "roadmap to democracy" meant to culminate in multiparty 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.
Some flights to Yangon resumed on Monday.
Nargis had weakened as it moved into western and northern Thailand on Monday, where there were no reports of damage or casualties.
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by David Fox)
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