The New Nation - Internet Edition

As the death toll in last Saturday’s severe cyclone Nargis in Myanmar is feared to have reached 100,000 and thousands of survivors still awaited humanitarian assistance in the Irrawaddy delta disaster zone, the ruling junta yesterday seized UN aid shipments prompting the world body to suspend further help.

Aid groups have warned that the area is on the verge of a medical disaster and that thousands of children may have been orphaned. The UN estimates 1.5 million people have been severely affected and has voiced concern about the disposal of dead bodies.

"Many are not buried and lie in the water. They have started rotting and the stench is beyond words," Anders Ladekarl, head of the Danish Red Cross. About 20,000 body bags were being sent so volunteers from the Myanmar chapter of the Red Cross can start collecting bodies, he said, according to the AP news agency.

The junta reportedly said in a statement Friday it was grateful to the international community for its assistance - which included 11 chartered planes loaded with aid supplies - but the best way to help was just to send in material rather than personnel.

The UN has grown increasingly critical of Myanmar's refusal to let in foreign aid workers who could assess the extent of the disaster with the junta apparently overwhelmed. None of the 10 visa applications submitted by the WFP has been approved.

"The frustration caused by what appears to be a paperwork delay is unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts," Risley said. "It's astonishing."

It is distressing to observe the inability of the Myanmar junta to rise to the occasion and allow huge international assistance to enter the country. The junta has even refused to pay heed to the call coming from China, its key ally, to allow rescue relief and rehabilitation activities by international aid givers. Earlier, it had ignored US President George W. Bush’s offer of assistance for speedy rescue and relief operations.

It is not clear how much of the aid has been delivered to the victims in the Irrawaddy delta. "Believe me, the government will not allow outsiders to go into the devastated area," said Yangon food shop owner Joseph Kyaw.

"The government only cares about its own survival. They don't care about the plight of the people," he said, according to reports.

Meanwhile, one relief flight was sent back after landing in Yangon on Thursday because it carried a search-and-rescue team and media representatives who had not received permission to enter the country, the junta said. It did not give details, but said the plane had flown in from Qatar.

According to state media, 23,335 people died and 37,019 are missing from Cyclone Nargis. Shari Villarosa, who heads the United States Embassy in Yangon, said the number of dead could eventually exceed 100,000 because of illnesses.

Grim assessments were made about what lies ahead. The aid group Action Against Hunger noted that the delta region is known as the country's granary, and the cyclone hit before the harvest.

"If the harvest has been destroyed this will have a devastating impact on food security in Myanmar," the group said.

Unfortunately, as the Myanmar junta fails to come up with adequate and timely response as tens of thousands of cyclone affected people who survived the fury of the cyclone and its associated storm surge might now have started dying of hunger, dehydration and diseases. Probably they fail to understand the gravity of the situation and the noble intentions of humanitarian aid givers to save life. It would be a double tragedy if they also fail to realise that the junta’s grip of the country would be best served through proper post-disaster relief and rehabilitation. The junta will be inviting trouble by ignoring the much needed international assistance when people are hungry and angry. It is learnt that the humanitarian crisis of Myanmar will also be taken up by the Security Council.