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"I cannot recall a relief operation where, at least the international response, has been subjected to such delays. Where two weeks into it, we don't even have a decent assessment of the numbers affected," said Mark Malloch-Brown, a top Foreign Office official and a former UN deputy secretary general.
khaleejtimes.com
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Reporting by Aye Nai May 15, 2008 (DVB) – The police attacked and arrested a storm victim and a member of South Dagon Township National League for Democracy (NLD) member today for attempting to meet with UN officials in Rangoon. At 4’oclock this evening, Daw Khin Win Kyi was arrested for attempting to tell the sufferings of refugees to senior government officials, diplomats and UN officials who were inspecting the living condition of storm victims with 15 other women, a local resident told DVB.
“She wanted the senior officials to know the sufferings of the people and wanted to tell them face to face and went to wait at the route of the official entourage. She told officials at Ward – 17 to let her see the senior officials, and the police told her that they could not let her in, and a shouting match followed. Then, the police sergeant punched her, dragged her away and handcuffed her.”
snip
english.dvb.no
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There is nothing better that the Burmese military junta understands than raking in moolah, even if it means deforestation and massive damage to the ecology and environment. To the generals of the junta money is sweeter than honey.
snip
kachinnews.com
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New Delhi – Burma's draft constitution was overwhelmingly approved by voters, state radio announced Thursday.
The announcement read out by Chief Justice Aung Toe, head of the Referendum Holding Committee, said 92.4 percent, or 20,786,596 voters out of the more than 22 million voters, cast ballots in favor of the draft constitution in a referendum held on May 10.
Aung Toe said 1.3 million votes were cast against the draft constitution, while 334,584 ballots were canceled. He put the voter turnout at 99.07 percent.
mizzima.com
mid : 92.4 percent of people will vote yes when confronted with a gun to the head ..............
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Wa told to give back their temporary cards
Junta authorities in Mongton township, opposite Chiangmai, have demanded that Wa residents along the Thai-Burma border return their newly issued White cards, according to a yet to be confirmed report.
The order was issued on 13 May, 3 days after the nationwide referendum followed by numerous reports about official irregularities, according to the source.
A Wa officer contacted by the Shan Herald was unable to substantiate the report but confirmed that most of the Wa eligible voters had cast No votes to the junta-drawn draft charter. “That must have really needled them,” he remarked.
snip Authorities force people to work till death
By Lieng Lern
3 villagers were drowned after local authorities forced them to make a raft and many other people were forced to clear the bushes beside the Nammao River, also known as Shweli in Namkham Township, according to reliable sources.
On 30 April 2008, local authorities forced 4 men to make a raft for them [authorities] to cross the river.
"While we were making the raft, some bamboo poles drifted away. Authorities then ordered us to swim after and take them back. But, the water was so strong and deep. 3 of my friends were drowned. I was the only survivor," a villager was quoted as saying.
snip
shanland.org
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Cyclone Survivors Told to Return to Shattered Homes
By WAI MOE
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Nearly 2,000 cyclone survivors still sheltering in monasteries, religious buildings and schools in one Rangoon township have been told by the authorities to return to what is left of their homes by May 20.
The order was confirmed by one resident of the affected township, South Dagon Myothit, who asked: “Where will the survivors live?” Angered by the official order, Ko Pauk said: “Their homes were destroyed by the cyclone. The authorities are really stupid.”
Children reach their hands out to receive a free banana from a local donor on the outskirts of Rangoon on Wednesday. (Photo: AP) snip
irrawaddy.org
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Sex trade traffickers get busy among cyclone orphans
Sex trade traffickers are preying on child survivors of Burma's devastating Cyclone Nargis,
writes Edward Loxton for The First Post. At least two suspected traffickers have been arrested in Rangoon since the cyclone hit, according to UNICEF's child protection officer in Burma,
Anne-Claire Dufay.
"A broker came to a shelter and tried to recruit children," she told the French news agency AFP. "The police intervened and made arrests."
snip
thefirstpost.co.uk
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Burma Seeks Help from Neighbors
2008-05-14
May 14, 2008: (Irrawaddy) Burma's junta has approved aid personnel from Bangladesh, China, India and Thailand to help its relief efforts for victims of Cyclone Nargis, while still delaying granting visas to many non-Asian experts, a United Nations official said on Wednesday.
snip
indoburmanews.net
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Warnings of a second cyclone heading for Myanmar, which is reeling from the impact of Cyclone Nargis, have been cancelled, meteorologists said Thursday.
'The potential for the development of a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours is downgraded to poor,' the US Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said in a forecast issued late Wednesday, saying the centre of the storm had weakened.
snip
irishsun.com
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from the blog world ............. 
Global Day of Action for Burma's Cyclone Victims
On Saturday May 17th 2008 people across the world will join a Global Day of Action calling for an urgent response to the humanitarian disaster in Burma.
We urge you to join this day of action and ask world governments to take action now and save thousands of lives.
We are calling on the US, UK, France and other key nations to use whatever assets and means they have to deliver aid to those suffering in Burma, even without the approval of the military regime.
Many European leaders have already stood up and called for action to force aid in if necessary. This effort is being pushed by a coalition of organizations around the world, and supported by many groups inside Burma.
We cannot stand by as millions more are on the brink of death from starvation and disease. The UN has warned of a "second catastrophe unless the junta immediately allows massive air and land aid deliveries”. Our sources inside Burma tell us that the survivors in the Irrawaddy delta are now having to cope with a “tsunami of disease”.
We will hold 3 protests in London on Saturday 17 May, details are below:
French Embassy: Time: 12:30 - 13:00
Address: 58 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7JT
American Embassy: Time: 13:30 - 14:00
Address: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 2LQ
Foreign Office: 14:40 – 15:10
Address: King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH
ko-htike.blogspot.com
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PM says Myanmar can rely on itself
15 May 2008
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej announces that Myanmar can rely on itself in assisting people affected by cyclone Nargis and Thailand will dispatch 40 medical teams to the country soon.
The premier says he has met with his Myanmar counterpart Gen.Thein Sein to discuss assistance for the affected people during his visit to the country. He has also traveled to observe residences damaged by the cyclone.
Mr Samak says the affected people already had access to water and electricity but trees and roads have yet been restored. Although Myanmar does not have much experience on this kind of situation, it can revive the cyclone-hit cities by itself, the premier says.
The prime minister also says the Myanmar government is willing to accept assistance from Thailand. 20 from 40 medical teams from Thailand will be dispatched to treat the injured and the rest 20 to prevent epidemics.
thainews.prd.go.th
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Estimated 3.2 Million Burmese Potentially Affected By Cyclone
ScienceDaily (May 14, 2008) — As many as 3.2 million Burmese are estimated to be affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, according to geographic risk models developed by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Lehman College, CUNY.
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the researchers calculated the likely distribution of the population of Burma (also known as Myanmar) and developed maps of the regions at greatest risk from the storm’s effects.
snip
sciencedaily.com
See Also :
http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...tml#post625667 (Burma : Estimated 3.2 Million Burmese Potentially Affected By Cyclone)
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Myanmar issues warning; cyclone death toll soars
May 15, 2008
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Myanmar's military regime is warning of legal action against people who trade or hoard international aid.
It's the first acknowledgment by the government of problems with relief efforts following a devastating cyclone earlier this month.
The warning comes amid reports that foreign aid is being sold openly in markets. And there's word that the military is seizing and diverting aid for its own use.
The government denies the accusations. An announcement on state-run radio claims the government has "distributed the relief goods immediately and directly to the victims."
Myanmar says more than 43,000 people have been killed by the storm. The Red Cross puts the figure at more than 68,000.
snip
kristv.com
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UN: 2.5m in need of aid in Burma
15 May 2008
The United Nations has increased its estimate of the number of people in urgent need of aid in Burma to 2.5 million.
It also said over half a million people may now be sheltering in temporary settlements after being left destitute by Cyclone Nargis nearly two weeks ago.
The UN has called for a high-level donors conference to deal with the crisis.
snip
channel4.com
Mid : what has China and Russia got to say now ??
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Junta: Referendum clears Burma statute
Rangoon, May 15
"People are dying and they are talking about the referendum?" said Kyaw Muang, a small food store owner in Rangoon. "They (the generals) don’t even care about dying people, you think they care about democracy for living people? I don’t care about the referendum. It doesn’t mean anything."
asianage.com
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US pushes for helicopters to ferry Myanmar relief
May 15th, 2008
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The door is open. But just a crack.
Myanmar's isolationist ruling junta is now allowing U.S. military cargo planes to regularly fly relief supplies into their largest city to provide aid to cyclone survivors.
But if the aid is to get out to the estimated 2 million people who need it most, Myanmar is going to have to make another big concession: letting the U.S. start flying helicopters directly into the hardest-hit areas and allowing boots on the ground.
So far, that is where the junta draws the line.
snip
620ktar.com
See Also :
http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asi...tml#post625815 (USS Essex : Bound for Burma)
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