Cyclone in Burma / Myanmar

Parent Cafe
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<p>I’m not sure how informed everyone is about this situation, but I’m a frequent lurker of the parent boards, and I’m also the founder / co-chair of Oberlin Students for Peace in Burma, and there are often threads in the Parent Cafe about recent happenings, so I hope this thread is okay. </p>

<p>This is from a info sheet I made for use around Oberlin - I’m trying to rally as much support as I can! </p>

<p>“Anything less than 60 per cent destroyed is not being counted as a priority at this stage” - Save the Children, Rangoon</p>

<p>100,000 dead or presumed dead, one million people homeless.

  • No electricity or water supply, estimated restoration time: “several weeks.”
  • Estimated damage on par with South Asian tsunami in 2004.</p>

<p>Entire world knew the storm was coming, except the Burmese people.

  • Indian Meteorological Department had given Burma two days’ warning.
  • No warnings given, no evacuation, no action at all.</p>

<p>Regime is not allowing aid in.

  • 35 disaster teams from 18 countries have applied to help and are waiting to deploy but most are not being let in. Even the United Nations assessment team has not been given visas, 5 days after the cyclone struck.
  • Burma has only accepted aid from China, India and Indonesia, its “old friends.”
  • New visas are not being issued to relief workers, despite U.N. frustration.</p>

<p>** Multiple operational difficulties**

  • NGOs, while setting up in Burma (before the cyclone), had to inform the regime where they would be working, and what they were working on, and must stick to it. They cannot do additional relief work even now.
  • For example, an NGO, authorized to work in Pegu (Bago) Division for health care, is now allowed to work in health care in Pegu (Bago, not in other areas, not other kind of work.
  • The delta was the hardest hit. Three million people live there, but with few roads and much water, transport has always been slow, relying on boats to travel the rivers and canals.
  • Almost no NGOs signed up to work in the delta region for the above reasons.</p>

<p>Action

  • France has proposed that the U.N. pass a resolution that forces the military regime to accept aid. We’re hoping this passes.</p>

<p>I have several links to things that can be done, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post links to external sites on here, so I’ll play it safe. I just wanted to let everyone know about the gravity of the situation. I also have some personal links to Burma, so this really affects me.</p>

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<p>Thank you for this, TheOneCurlyFry. I was watching a lot of news today and heard their government’s figure of 14,000 dead, followed by an American diplomat’s estimate of l00,000. What a difference the source makes.</p>

<p>Then, CNN interviewed a Carleton professor, native of Burma with family (4 brothers) living there. Fortunately, he’d already spoken by phone with 3 of them. The professor described that the Myanmar (Burmese) government would rather say they’re doing everything correctly for “their public relations” (his terms), rather than honestly evaluate the situation to help their people.</p>

<p>I’ve heard the scale of disaster compares to Bangladesh flooding (l960’s) which some Parents here are old enough to remember.</p>

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<p>Here’s an interesting short news article from the Associated Press, which quotes experts from several other universities and colleges that parents know. </p>

<p>One of them is Oberlin’s Ben Wisner… and others speaking from Georgetown and Rutgers. </p>

<p>The article has links to more articles regarding assistance. </p>

<p>[Deadly</a> Cyclone Poses Political Threat to Ruling Generals](<a href=“http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=11810]Deadly”>http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=11810)</p>

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<p>Interesting links, thanks. I traveled in Burma years ago-yes, I still call it Burma. Beautiful country, and I feel for the long standing suffering of the Burmese people, now made much worse by this disaster. I can only hope this disaster will draw attention to the insane govt of this country, and the sad response to attempts at international assistance.</p>

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<p>I’m glad to see the UN standing firm with the demand for visas for their experienced aid workers. Any aid delivered without supervision is just providing assistance to the government, which is insane. One article I read said that many streets had been cleared and some power restored in the capital - wonder whose streets??? The government has absolutely no interest in feeding or rescuing those people, just fewer “troublemakers” to worry about, and heaven forbid the junta appears inept under international scrutiny - who are they fooling. Go France!</p>