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Mid

U.S. hopes aid to Myanmar will build trust
updated 45 minutes ago

MYANMAR, Yangon (CNN) -- A U.S. military transport aircraft with relief supplies is expected to land in Myanmar on Monday on a mission that officials hope will forge a relationship to allow the United States to send in disaster experts.

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An American embassy official in Thailand said the aircraft carrier, USS Essex, was also en route to Myanmar with supplies.

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edition.cnn.com


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USS Essex




strategypage.com



080510-N-6936D-017 SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 10, 2008)



Lt. Cmdr. Kevi Christopher, assigned to Fleet Surgical Team 7, performs an out-patient surgical procedure on a Marine aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2).

Essex and the amphibious transport dock ship USS Juneau (LPD 10), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LPD 49) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) are moving to the Andaman Sea off the coast of Burma for potential humanitarian assistance operations in the wake of cyclone Nargis.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Didier (Released)

navy.mil


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__________________
"Keeping quiet while monks and other peaceful protesters are murdered and jailed is not evidence of constructive engagement." - Arvind Ganesan, Human Rights Watch.

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JoGeAr

Looks like dentistry to me.


This should be interesting. Are they going to have to force the junta to accept aid?

Mid

bit of a tangent but the French say they are going to deliver aid ...............directly to the needy

cite : U.S. hopes aid to Myanmar will build trust - CNN.com

Mid

France Backtracking on Intervention
By WAI MOE
Sunday, May 11, 2008

France appeared to be backing down Sunday on claims it would send a naval vessel carrying 1,500 tonnes of aid to Burma “without waiting any further” on permission from the Burmese authorities, after a French foreign ministry source said France would not send the ship into Burmese waters, according to a Reuters report on Sunday.

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irrawaddy.org

Mid

Butterfly

they just should invade the place, I bet their army wouldn't put a fight, it's now or never for regime change

Mid

US Navy Hospital Ship Leaves Pearl Harbor
POSTED: 1:43 am HST May 11, 2008
UPDATED: 1:53 am HST May 11, 2008

HONOLULU -- A massive U.S. Navy hospital ship left Pearl Harbor Saturday evening.

The ship is en route to the western Pacific on a humanitarian mission to about six countries.

The deployment will put it closer in Asia if the call comes to divert to Myanmar, officials said.

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kitv.com

panama hat

I simply can't believe the attitude of the rulers there. A complete disregard for the welfare of their citizens. How disgusting can people be.

Mid

U.S. helicopters cause stir in Thai town on Burma border
by NDD-DRD on Mon 12 May 2008

In Mae Sot, home to many Burmese exiles and refugees, two helicopters stopped unannounced during a survey of the area
By Christopher Johnson | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the May 12, 2008 edition

Mae Sot, Thailand -In this border town known as "Little Burma," thousands of Burmese exiles and refugees were excited when they saw a US helicopter flying above them on Saturday, within view of Burmese soldiers staging a referendum across the Moei River.

"All the Burmese looked up at the sky in hope," said Myo Khin, a Burmese trader who just found out from his sister that their relatives were lost in their hometown of Lapputa in the Irrawaddy delta. "Only America and the foreign countries can save Burma now."

Local excitement grew on Sunday as another US helicopter flew into Mae Sot's tiny airport, which stopped serving commercial flights last year. The airstrip is just 1.5 miles from the Friendship Bridge to the Burmese town of Myawaddy.

Their sighting jibes with reports that the US has moved ships and aircraft into position to support a humanitarian mission in the country.

A trip Sunday afternoon to the airport found eight US crewmen in uniforms pumping fuel from one US helicopter, inscribed with "24 Marines" on the body and "EP" on the tail, to another US helicopter, labeled "25 Marines."

"They were here on a survey of the area, and they ran out of gas," explained a Thai airport official in the lobby. "One crew had to wait here overnight for another helicopter to come today and bring them gas."

The official, and a uniformed Thai Air Force officer, said the choppers came unannounced from U-Tapao airbase in Chonburi Province on Thailand's east coast, on the other side of the country from Mae Sot. "They have been on joint military exercises called Cobra Gold with the Thai Air Force."

No security officers manned the airport gates Sunday. "We have never hosted American soldiers here before," said the official, as airport staff posed for photos with the airmen. "We didn't know what to do with them."

Local residents and foreign aid workers said they saw the clean-cut US soldiers out of uniform wandering downtown on Saturday night with a Thai Air Force guide. "They introduced themselves as members of the US Air Force," said a Western volunteer worker. "They said they were looking for a place to stay."

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dannai.civiblog.org

Texpat

Unusual.

Typically during joint-combined Thai-US exercises, like Cobra Gold, American aircraft are prohibited from flying within 10 miles of the borders (Lao, Cambo, Myanmar). Evidently, an exception was granted for this site survey.

Looks like two helos arrived, and neither had fuel to return, so they topped off one and the other remained overnight. If the servicemen were indeed Air Force, they were likely combat controllers -- there to do an airfield survey for landing C-130s in the event Myanmar gives the green light. Mae Sot seems a logical place to stage relief efforts.

And they were probably looking for more than a place to stay.

bkkandrew

Just been reported on News 24 that HMS Westmister is heading to Burba to be 'on standby'...

Norton

The USS Essex is an amphibious assault ship and the HMS Westminster is a frigate. The Westminster could play no role in delivery of supplies as they have no storage capacity. The Essex has helicopters and could be used to airlift supplies to remote areas but it is a ship designed and armed specifically for amphibious assault.

The deployment of these two ships is a warning to the junta to let in the aid or be faced with much more than they bargained for. We shouldn't find it surprising the junta has suddenly had a change of heart and is now letting aid workers in. Me thinks the US and the UK are essentially telling the Chinese and the Russians to take their veto a shove it where the sun don't shine.

__________________
There is such a thing as a nation being so right that it does not need to convince others by force that it is right.

Woodrow Wilson

chinthee

^Excellent analysis Norton. I agree. We're seeing some brinksmanship here.

astasinim

The HMS Westminster with its anti sub armament was probably the closest to respond with the USS Essex, as they`ve recently been docked in Dubai for maintenance. I think they`ve also been used for disaster relief before after the tsunami where they gave medical supplies and labour to Sri Lanka.

__________________
I aint superstitious, but I know when somethings wrong
I`ve been dragging my heels with a bitch called hope
Let the undercurrent drag me along.

chinthee

Reported on US TV tonight Thai time is that a large contingent of ships is mobilized and ready to sail from Los Angeles with all manner of relief, medicine and doctors and other relevant aid.

They are evidently awaiting sailing orders.

Thetyim

From the picture that Mid posted it looks like they have enough AV-8B to chase away the MAF
(or is it called Tarndaw Lay now)

Norton

Yes. Helo's were used to bring in tsunami relief supplies. Still the Essex is capable of far more than just delivering relief supplies. This will not go unnoticed by the junta.

Norton

Oh yes and a lot more than the MAF. Those AV-8's are primarily used as air to ground support for troops making beach landings. Also note the big garage door in the back where a bunch of amphibious assault craft are parked.

Mid

US pushes for helicopters to ferry Myanmar relief
May 15th, 2008
By ERIC TALMADGE
Associated Press Writer




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.

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620ktar.com

CSFFan

Norton...the USS Essex is designed for three things.

1. The safe delivery of Marines to the theater of conflict.
2. The rapid insertion of Marine forces via amphibious and airborne assault.
3. The coordinated resupply of the forces material requirements during the assault phase and the initial occupation phase.

The USS Essex could put a TONS of supplies down in a few hours with a little help from Thailand. Fly the AV-8's off to Thailand and use the deck space for more helos.

Use Thai helo to fly in the supplies to Essex, then use the heavy lift helos on the Essex to deliver the supplies where they are needed the most.

US Navy personel can look after the Thai helos as well as their own to maximize flight hours on the airframes.

Politically, for Myamar it will look like Thailand is using American resources to help their Asian brothers in this crisis. It makes Thailand look good and it puts the American help in the background while giving help to those in need.