Myanmar / TC NARGIS (TC 01B) Update: 84,500 dead

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

As an aspiring Anthropologist, Political Scenist, and Historian; I have to rate Burma's/Myanmar's so called government worse than the cyclone. Matter of fact only a few countries, like Zimbabwe, and Sudan, spring immediately to mind as being possibly worse than Burma's over all.

[Category 5]

They might just go down as one of the worst governments humanity has ever seen, and I can't say what I really want to say on this board so I won't.

As if we didn't have enough bad news already, heres more.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_re_as/myanmar

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

North Korea I would put on that list to. Maybe even Syria and Iran.

[somethingfunny]

North Korea I would put on that list to. Maybe even Syria and Iran.

Syria and Iran don't starve their own people so they really have no place in the Legion of Evil inhabited by Myanmar, Sudan, North Korea or Zimbabwe...an enemy of the United States does not make an enemy of humanity necessarily. Comparing those clowns to the monsters running Burma right now doesn't do justice to the meaning of evil.

I've been hearing celebrity ads on TV and radio urging me to donate to UNICEF. Does anybody know if UNICEF actually has clearance from Burma to do anything they've denied the US military clearance to do? I really wasn't aware there was a backchannel to give aid through. Is this a for-real chance to help Myanmar's people before it's really too late, or just an appeal for general donations?

[P.K.]

Junta blacks out media
Mungpi
Monday, 09 June 2008 22:24

New Delhi – The Burmese military junta on Monday warned cyclone victims to remain vigilant against donors, who it said were seeking personal benefits. The donors were taking the credit for being generous and feeding false stories to foreign news agencies, the regime said.

The junta, in its official mouthpiece, New Light of Myanmar, on Monday said, "Internal and external anti-government elements, self-centered persons and unscrupulous elements are now seeking their self-interests by sending to foreign news agencies stories about relief and rehabilitation work they have made up and shot on video."

"Cyclone victims are hereby warned to remain vigilant with nationalistic spirit against the deceptions of self-centered persons and unscrupulous elements," the paper warned.

The warning comes days after the ruling junta raided the residence of a prominent Burmese comedian and relief worker Thura, also known as Zarganar, and arrested him on Wednesday night.

The police team, which arrested Zarganar, also confiscated two cash account books, about 1000 USD, which he had collected to help cyclone victims, and also several video CDs including those on the plight of Cyclone Nargis victims.


Continues here

[jinftl]

It won't be long before the 'official' report denies any storm took place...it was western media propaganda to have an excuse to 'invade'.

[Category 5]

"Cyclone victims are hereby warned to remain vigilant with nationalistic spirit against the deceptions of self-centered persons and unscrupulous elements," the paper warned.

Nationalistic spirit? They're joking right?

[HurricaneBill]

"Cyclone victims are hereby warned to remain vigilant with nationalistic spirit against the deceptions of self-centered persons and unscrupulous elements," the paper warned.

Nationalistic spirit? They're joking right?

Don't worry. The Burmese are not naive, although the junta wishes they were.

[Chacor]

UN fuel appeal for Burma farmers

Burma's cyclone-hit farmers urgently need a million gallons of diesel fuel to plant rice and ward off future food shortages, the UN has said.

The 2 May cyclone, which hit the country's Irrawaddy Delta, killed hundreds of thousands of livestock normally used for ploughing.

Donors have provided farmers with small power tillers to replace them.

But fuel to run them is expensive and always in short supply in the South Asian country.

During a visit to Burma, officially known as Myanmar, a senior United Nations official appealed to donors for fuel to ensure timely ploughing of rice fields in the Irrawaddy Delta, the rice-bowl of the country.

"The window of opportunity is very short and the need is of the utmost urgency," said Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap), a UN body.

"The planting season in the delta is June to July after which it will be too late, with disastrous consequences for food security in Myanmar and the region."

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says it is unclear where the fuel could come from.

Sourcing locally for all sorts of needs, from rice to vehicles, is often not an option, he says - either because supplies are limited, or because of obstacles thrown up by the Burmese government.

Aid agencies say they are still not getting the full access for their international staff which was promised three weeks ago.

They say they are now required to go through a cumbersome reporting process for every trip into the delta that could significantly slow down the relief effort.

According to official figures, 78,000 people were killed in the cyclone and another 56,000 are missing. More than two million people have been affected, aid agencies say.

[StormspinnerD2]

Still more problems for the survivors, it seems.

[HurricaneBill]

Myanmar: 84,500 died in cyclone

[Category 5]

There's certainly more

[Sanibel]

New York Times says "around 130,000 dead from cyclone Nargis".

UN asks for more aid to keep its 10 helicopters bringing supplies into the poorest areas going or they will have to stop.

[HurricaneRobert]

Why does the title say 84,500? That's not real at all.

[Chacor]

Because that's the official toll.

[HurricaneRobert]

The fake toll. Does storm2k.com have to take everything at their word? I think not.

[Chacor]

Who says it's fake? There's been no independent confirmation of the toll so we should go with the official numbers.

[HURAKAN]

The official toll has to be issued by the country affected. Myanmar's government is most likely doing a cover-up but that's just my opinion. Unofficial sources indicate that the death toll is over 130,000 persons.

[HurricaneRobert]

The official toll has to be issued by the country affected. Myanmar's government is most likely doing a cover-up but that's just my opinion. Unofficial sources indicate that the death toll is over 130,000 persons.

Then don't put them at all. It's misleading, and it supports the position of the Junta. They could say the 45000 are made of cake, and you would have to put that in the title?

Look. Now they are admitting to more than 138,000:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/featuredC ... 2620080624

The NGOs of course had the most accurate figures all along.

[RattleMan]

The official toll has to be issued by the country affected. Myanmar's government is most likely doing a cover-up but that's just my opinion. Unofficial sources indicate that the death toll is over 130,000 persons.

Look. Now they are admitting to more than 138,000:

"More than 138,000 are dead or missing from the devastating cyclone that struck Myanmar last month, the government said on Tuesday, according to an Asian diplomat."

I've seen that figure for a while now