May 6, 2008 (AFP)
UN says several hundred thousand need water and shelter
May 6, 2008 (DVB)-The United Nations says several hundred thousand people in Burma are in need of emergency shelter and clean drinking water, and discussions with the authorities on providing assistance are underway.
Richard Horsey, spokesperson for the OCHA in Bangkok, said it remains difficult to get a clear picture of the effects of the cyclone that hit Burma over the weekend.
"The United Nations and the large NGOs have some assessment teams on the ground in the affected areas, so some information is starting to come back from Irrawaddy and Yangon divisions and we're starting to get a picture of the situation," he said.
"However, it will take a few days before a complete and accurate picture is available, because travelling around these areas is of course very difficult, and also communications are very difficult."
Horsey said the UN has been discussing with the Burmese authorities how best to deliver assistance to those affected.
"What is clear is that there are several hundred thousand people in need of emergency shelter and clean drinking water," he said.
"There are discussions underway between the UN and the Myanmar authorities on what assistance the UN can offer and how best this could be delivered to the people who need it."
Some assistance is being delivered from supplies put in place before the cyclone hit, but Horsey said more help was clearly needed.
"We're discussing both in the country and also at the international level with the authorities on what the UN can offer them in terms of assistance and how best to deliver that, and how practically to get the assistance to the people," he said.
The Burmese regime has said it would welcome international aid to support relief efforts, and a number of foreign governments have already pledged assistance.
The UN said in a statement yesterday that plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, emergency health kits and food were urgently needed.
Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw
Burma cyclone deaths leap to 15,000
May 6, 2008 (AFP)
Rangoon residents suffer in cyclone aftermath
May 5, 2008 (DVB)-Rangoon residents have been left without sufficient clean water, housing and transportation as they continue to suffer the after effects of Cyclone Nargis, according to a local resident.
A resident of Sanchaung township, Rangoon division, said the authorities have provided almost no help or support for rescue efforts and damage repairs.
"There is quite a lot of damage in Sanchaung township in Rangoon division; power lines have been uprooted, [falling trees and power lines] smashed onto the houses ," he said.
The resident said clean drinking water was in short supply and the authorities were not doing enough to address the problem.
"In order to get drinking and utility water, for example, you have to hire fire engines," he said.
"You have to pay 30,000 kyat to the fire brigade and 17,000 for the fuel. People from the ward jointly hire it and you pump water out of the drilled well using the motor, and then share it out."
"Everyone has to queue and get a bucket or two of water for each household. People are quite busy with the business of getting water."
The Sanchaung resident said locals were taking it upon themselves to repair their houses, despite their lack of expertise, and some had ended up in hospital after attempting roof repairs.
In Insein township, about one thousand houses near the embankment are reported to be submerged and people have taken shelter inside a Buddhist monastery.
Transport also remains a problem due to road blockages caused by fallen trees and the resident said little has been done by the government to clear the roads, forcing locals to tackle the problems themselves.
"The Union Solidarity and Development Association members are only there for show. They only chopped and cleared [the trees] where people could see them and just took photographs for records," he said.
"In fact, on roads where people are finding it hard to travel, more than 1000 monks from Sanchaung township and Kyitmyintaing township worked together to chop down the trees and clear the streets."
"As a result, the transportation system is becoming a little bit better."
Members of the public offered the monks clean drinking water and food while they worked.
The resident said that drinking and utility water could become scarce within the next two weeks and warned of severe consequences to public health without urgent assistance from international NGOs, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations.
Reporting by Moe Aye
US provides initial aid to cyclone-ravaged Burma
May 5, 2008 (AFP)
36 Insein inmates killed in prison crackdown
May 5, 2008 (DVB)-Thirty-six inmates of Insein prison were killed on Saturday when soldiers opened fire on prisoners congregating in a prison hall, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
Strong winds caused by tropical cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma on Friday, tore off many of the zinc roofs of the prison, forcing around 1000 prisoners into the main prison hall no. 1, AAPP said in a statement.
"No one was allowed to seek safety, and they were locked inside the hall," the statement said.
"The prisoners were wet and cold and some of them started a fire to try and keep warm. Unfortunately, the fire began to give off thick smoke, and prisoners panicked," it said.
"As they were locked inside the hall, they couldn't flee to safety. The situation escalated and chaos ensued."
Soldiers and riot police brought in to control the situation opened fire on the prisoners, killing 36 and injuring 70.
AAPP secretary Ko Tate Naing said they had learned of the incident from family members of Insein prison inmates who had visited them recently.
"Insein prison authorities have the responsibility to give humanitarian assistance to the prisoners who are being detained there," he said.
"But instead of doing that, they beat up and opened fire on the inmates who needed their help after the devastation caused by a natural disaster, and that is a serious violation of human rights."
The group said that no political prisoners were known to have been among those killed.
Reporting by Naw Say Phaw
