On May 10th, 10 protesters dressed in black in mourning formed a mobile protest around various London landmarks. They were protesting against the Burma junta's refusal to allow aid experts into Burma for Cyclone relief and also at the junta's disgraceful preoccupation with continuing the rigged referendum [1] on the military biased constitution on May 10th, rather than cyclone relief. See below for Global Day of Action for Cyclone Nargis victims.
Starting at Parliament Square
Opposite Downing Street
Outside Downing Street
Horse Guards
Trafalgar Square
Outside Burma Embassy
In the park by the US Embassy
Millennium Wheel
HMS Belfast
Tower Bridge on More London private property
The protest had not sought permission, so kept to a maximum of 10 members in a mobile protest. It assembled at Parliament Square. Many thanks to one of the permanent tent residents for temporarily storing stuff for us to help lighten our load. He now has an "Aung San Suu Kyi" badge !
We spent nearly 30 minutes opposite 10 Downing Street. The police kindly allowed us to take a very quick photograph outside the gates to 10 Downing Street. Then we posed for a photo besides the Horse Guards. At Trafalgar Square there were Morris Dancers and we encountered our first opposition from the security staff at the base of the column, who did not want us to hand out any leaflets or protest there as we had no council permission and moved us up onto the steps.
We briefly assembled outside the Burma Embassy, a policeman said they'd been expecting us after our the passionate May 9th protest there, but we explained today's protest was mobile and he did not take up our offer to join us on our march but wished us well. Despite the desperate appeals of first aid experts to get visas for Cyclone relief, the Burma Embassy was closed for a 3 day holiday anyway. The Embassy was a bit worse for wear following the May 9th protest see
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/398599.html
At the US Embassy, we joined some Burmese already on a 3 day vigil there, appealing for US and UK help in the cyclone disaster and not to be allow the junta to frustrate international efforts to aid the cyclone victims.
Then we took a bus back to Westminster Bridge and walked from the Millennium Wheel to Tower Bridge. With the good weather there were a lot of people and we managed to give out all our leaflets before we arrived at the Lord Mayor's offices on property owned by More London. More London gave us our 2nd opposition of the day, explaining that the gray bricked area was private property and we were not allowed to leaflet or protest there without permission - we'd run out of leaflets anyway. Apparently photographers with tripods will also be classed as "professional photographers" and won't be allowed to take photos with a tripod there. We were still able to walk through the area and even rest on the grassed area wearing our sign-boards.
The Burmese were giving out an article explaining Burma's plight and the referendum. We also gave out a leaflet directing people to http://burmacampaign.org.uk/cyclonenargis.php where Burma Campaign lists links to major charities helping with Burma cyclone relief.
Avaaz.org have a donation page for the Cyclone here. Avaaz is raising funds for the International Burmese Monks Organization and related groups, which will transmit funds directly to monasteries in affected areas.
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/
Notes:
[1] Quote from May 6th 2008 The Times Editorial Comment Page 16:
'It was bad enough that the military intended to ensure a "yes" vote through a combination of bribery, intimidation and straightforward rigging that makes Robert Mugabe appear an amateur. The notion that it is still seriously considering continuing with its scheme despite the manifest impracticality of doing so in these circumstances is utterly obscene. The world must do its best to help the Burmese people through this immediate natural disaster. It can only be hoped that in time they will be liberated from the man-made disaster that is their military Government as well'
Protest in London Next Week
===========================
NOTE: Burma Campaign's May 16th European Day of Action to get French Total Oil Out of Burma has been cancelled in favour of the May 17th Global Day of Action for Cyclone Nargis victims.
Friday 16th May - Demonstration outside the Burmese Embassy calling for Aid to be allowed in.
Time: 1-2
Address: 19A, Charles Street, London, W1J 5DX
Nearest tube: Green Park
Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vnnbh
Saturday 17th May
Global Day of Action for Cyclone Nargis victims.
Two weeks after Cyclone Nargis struck Burma, on Saturday 17th May, protestors across the world will hold rallies and candle lit vigils to urge France, Britain and the United States to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis.
The survivors of the Cyclone Nargis are living in terrible conditions; without clean water, food or healthcare, they are living surrounded by flood waters contaminated by rotting corpses, animals and raw sewage. Over 1.5 million people are now at risk. We know that diseases, such as cholera, dysentery and malaria, are spreading. If the world does not intervene soon, the death toll could rise by thousands every day.
Find out details of the protests below:
London
Protests will be held outside the French Embassy, the American Embassy and the Foreign office. Details are below and on this map. http://preview.tinyurl.com/4kfpw8
French Embassy: Time: 12:30 - 13:00, Address: 58 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7JT
American Embassy: Time: 13:30 - 14:00 Address: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 2LQ
Foreign Office: 14:40 - 1510 Address: King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH
Transport: You can walk between the French and American Embassy. From the American Embassy to the Foreign office it is a short walk to Bond Street Underground Station, where you can get the Jubilee line to Westminster. From Westminster it is a 3 minute walk to the Foreign Office.
Map: http://preview.tinyurl.com/4kfpw8
Other Countries
Protests are being planned from Australia to Chile! For details of protests in other countries click here.
http://www.burma-network.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=105
Recent News from Burma Campaign UK
==================================
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/china_cycloneaction.html
The death toll from Cyclone Nargis continues to rise and over 1.5 million
people are now at risk. We know that diseases, such as cholera, dysentery
and malaria, are spreading. If the world does not intervene soon, the death
toll could rise by thousands every day.
No country could cope with a disaster of this scale alone, yet Burma¹s
Generals are shunning the world¹s offers of help; they¹d rather see their
citizens die than accept help from overseas.
If any country can make the generals change their mind, it is China. We have
witnessed the recent terrible loss of life in China following the
devastating earthquake. However, the response to the two natural disasters
could not be more different. While the Chinese government responded quickly,
dispatching 50,000 troops, and Premier Wen Jiabao immediately flying to the
disaster area, the Burmese regime continues to block aid efforts.
China has a very close relationship with Burma¹s generals, supplying them
with weapons, economic assistance and protecting them at the UN Security
Council. This weekend China blocked moves at the UN for a Security Council
resolution telling the generals to let aid in. Every hour China protects
Burma, more people will die.
Please help us break the deadlock. Please email China and demand that they
stop blocking UN action. Your email will be sent to the Chinese
representatives at the UN and in the UK.
Please send an email now here:
[The email includes condolences for the recent terrible loss of life in China following the devastating earthquake]
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P352
Burma Campaign UK Welcomes Royal Navy Aid Ship For Cyclone Victims
12 May 2008
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown that HMS Westminster is on its way to Burma with humanitarian supplies. It is more than a week since the cyclone struck and the regime ruling Burma is still blocking aid to the country.
“Everyone we speak to in Burma is desperate for help,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “We have been calling for the Royal Navy to be sent to help. People in Burma will be very pleased that HMS Westminster is on the way.”
Oxfam has warned that 1.5 million people are at risk unless aid reaches them soon. Burma’s rainy season starts within two weeks, which will make overland access to many of the worst affected parts almost impossible. Boats and helicopters will be the only way to get aid in.
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P351
Public Must Not Be Put Off Donating For Cyclone Victims
11 May 2008
Failure to donate would be a triple-whammy for innocent victims
The Burma Campaign UK today called on the British public not to be put off donating for Burma’s cyclone victims by stories of Burma’s generals seizing UN aid.
“If you give to British charities or the DEC appeal your money is safe and will reach people in need,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “Don’t punish ordinary people for what the generals are doing. If you don’t donate it will be a triple-whammy for cyclone victims. First they suffer from the dictatorship, second the cyclone, and then no aid.”
The aid that has been seen with generals’ names on the side, and is being used as propaganda by the generals, is aid that has been given to the government by Asian countries. British aid agencies do not give money or equipment to the government, instead they deliver aid directly to the people.
People wishing to give money can also donate to a network of grassroots Burmese organisations via the Mae Tao clinic in Thailand. Donations can be made online at: http://www.maetaoclinic.org/cyclone.html
“When you think about donating don’t think of the generals, think of the children,” said Mark Farmaner. “The generals don’t care if they live or die, but if you care, please donate.”
Recent Burma News (see full news stories and recent news on "Burma News" http://myamarnews.blogspot.com/ )
=================
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7398623.stm
UN calls for Burma aid corridor - 13th May 2008
The United Nations has called for an air or sea corridor to be opened to channel large amounts of aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma.
The UN's humanitarian agency said there was a risk of a "second catastrophe" unless a massive operation began.
The UN said it had only been able to reach 270,000 of the 1.5m survivors.
... Earlier, the military government in Burma said it remained opposed to granting visas to foreign aid workers to help co-ordinate the relief operation.
Vice-Admiral Soe Thein said it was grateful for the aid shipment from the United States that arrived on Monday but insisted that "skilful humanitarian workers are not necessary".
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1272
Bogalay healthcare provision in crisis
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–A human rights activist in Bogalay said disease and poor sanitation in the township in the aftermath of the recent cyclone have placed a heavy burden on healthcare provision.
The Bogalay activist said NGOs were helping refugees in the township, but they remained in difficulty.
“Children are starting to have dysentery in the monasteries due to the lack of toilets,” she said.
“Some people have been sent to other places and new people have been taken in. They took pictures and videotaped the tents with the refugees and took them away.”
The activist said aid supplies, including food, drinks and medicines, were being held in storage in mother and child care offices, mosques, primary schools and Hindu and Chinese temples.
She said the government has given no effective help and so support groups have had to rely on help from NGOs and other donors who do not want to channel aid through the government to provide pure water and medicines.
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1276
Government officials appropriate international aid
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–Government officials and supporters have been taking relief supplies from international donors and selling them on for personal gain, according to sources in Rangoon.
A Rangoon resident said military trucks had come to Nyaungpinlay market in the city to sell instant noodle packets, but no one had bought them.
“In Bogalay, you can buy raincoats donated by the UN, as many as you like for 8000 [kyat]. Rolls of tarpaulin can be bought in Bogalay’s Chinatown for 100,000 a roll. Merchants bought all 100 rolls straight away,” he said.
“A shopkeeper who sold food to refugees in Bogalay on 4 May asked soldiers from Battalion 66 to help her keep order, but the soldiers took away all her merchandise and did not return it,” he went on.
“Soldiers also took away all the goods from a boat that docked in Bogalay harbour after the storm and then sold them in the market four or five days later.”
Members of the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Association reportedly confiscated bottles of purified water donated by companies in Ma-Upin.
All the high-energy biscuits donated by the international community were taken by Rangoon Military Command and replaced with poor quality Industry Ministry-1 biscuits with labels that said “donated by the international community” and given to refugees, according to an official of the ministry.
The same official said that good-quality blankets and mosquito nets had been given to civil servants.
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1270
Relief supplies appropriated by officials in Bogalay
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–Cyclone victims in Bogalay have been unable to access aid supplies sent in to the area as they have been taken by government supporters and are being sold to those in need.
A resident of Bogalay said the areas below the town had been hit particularly badly.
“Although there was not a high death toll in Bogalay, some villages in the areas below Bogalay were wiped out and we saw none of the people again,” he said.
“Out of 30 relatives, only one or two survived. They are in refugee camps.”
The resident said that no support had come from the government, and locals were forced to rely on charity from small NGOs and local donors, including rice donated to monasteries.
Government officials have provided some materials, but only exchange for payment to be collected at a later date, the resident said.
“Senior officials are in town now and they are selling tin sheets on the streets,” he said.
“They are selling them by means of a debt system. They don’t have to pay yet. They are also collecting 360 [kyat per household] in labour costs,” he said.
“The sheets are not reaching the refugees. They are dropping tin sheets outside houses that have no roofs, and the money will be collected later.”
The resident said foreign aid supplies had been appropriated by government supporters who were selling them in Bogalay.
“I want to state clearly that the aid given by foreign countries has not reached the public and refugees,” the resident said.
“Plastic sheets and medicines have not reached the victims either, they are being sold outside,” he said.
“The sheets are being sold by soldiers and members of Swann Arr Shin and the Union Solidarity and Development Association.”
Diseases are prevalent among the survivors, and are being exacerbated by the unsanitary living conditions, the resident said.
“Cholera and dysentery are occurring; 14 people have died, 7 instantly,” he said.
“There are about 800-1000 people taking refuge in each monastery. There is one doctor for them from the Health Department but some monasteries have none, and there are no other health measures,” he went on.
“There is no toilet. And as there is no roof in monasteries, they are living under the rain now.”
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1271
Labutta survivors still neglected by authorities
May 13, 2008 (DVB)—The situation in Labutta remains desperate, with relief efforts proceeding slowly and confined to the major waterways and local officials more focused on personal gain than on helping victims, locals said.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=11999
Junta Leader Won’t Answer My Calls: Ban Ki-moon Tuesday, May 13, 2008
UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon said on Monday all his efforts to speak to Burma’s junta leader, Sen-Gen Than Shwe, on the telephone have failed.
http://www.mizzima.com/nargis-impact/18-nargis-impact/516-survivors-moving-north-as-humanitarian-crisis-looms-children-at-risk
Survivors moving north as humanitarian crisis looms; children at risk
Tens of thousands of cyclone survivors are on the move in the Irrawaddy Delta, posing a challenge for international relief workers trying to reach them with aid.
Meanwhile, children are at risk of being kidnapping and trafficked in the aftermath of the cyclone, which the UN has warned is on the verge of a major humanitarian crisis.
Eye-witnesses said villagers from the lower Irrawaddy Delta area are moving north to safety, and many are even trekking towards the former capital Rangoon.
"They are understandably trying to escape the devastation," Richard Horsey, a spokesperson for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Mizzima. "This is of course makes assessing the needs of the displaced people more difficult and targeting relief even harder."
Richard Bridal, regional Unicef head, warned that children were especially vulnerable.
"Of course many of the survivors are children and they are in danger of being kidnapped and trafficked," Bridal said. "These children are also in danger of suffering from acute malnutrition; they need to be identified and treated – if they are not, they will certainly die."
Burma Campaign UK on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5506647705
PETITIONS
Make sure you've signed:
- Email China to ask them to stop blocking UN action on Burma Cyclone Action (Email campaign launched 13th May 2008).
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/china_cycloneaction.html
- Urge immediate medical care for Min Ko Naing (Email campaign launched 29th April 2008)
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/mkn_action.html
- "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!" petition (global campaign launched 13 March 2008)
http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=5
- The Burma Campaign UK e-action to TOTAL:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html
- The Avaaz.org global pledge: http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate
- Don't Forget Burma - send a photo message to the regime:
http://www.dontforgetburma.org
BURMA VIDEO
Burma Campaign UK's video channel on YouTube:
- New to Burma? Watch these videos for a brief introduction
- This is Burma Music - U2, REM, Damien Rice, KT Tunstall...
- This is Burma: News and Documentaries - including Burma's Secret War
and Inside The Crackdown
http://www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk
30 Days (in May 2008) for a million voices: Burma Can't Wait
Millions Rallied to Free Nelson Mandela and South Africa. Now it's Burma's Turn
Hollywood Stars Team up with the Human Rights Action Center to Launch Campaign on Behalf of the People of Burma
Will Ferrell, Anjelica Huston, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Page, Judd Apatow, Mana, Sylvester Stallone, Eric Szmanda, Sarah Silverman Part of 30-Day Call-to-Action to Free Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.
http://www.burmaitcantwait.org/burmaitcantwait/
We spent nearly 30 minutes opposite 10 Downing Street. The police kindly allowed us to take a very quick photograph outside the gates to 10 Downing Street. Then we posed for a photo besides the Horse Guards. At Trafalgar Square there were Morris Dancers and we encountered our first opposition from the security staff at the base of the column, who did not want us to hand out any leaflets or protest there as we had no council permission and moved us up onto the steps.
We briefly assembled outside the Burma Embassy, a policeman said they'd been expecting us after our the passionate May 9th protest there, but we explained today's protest was mobile and he did not take up our offer to join us on our march but wished us well. Despite the desperate appeals of first aid experts to get visas for Cyclone relief, the Burma Embassy was closed for a 3 day holiday anyway. The Embassy was a bit worse for wear following the May 9th protest see
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/398599.html At the US Embassy, we joined some Burmese already on a 3 day vigil there, appealing for US and UK help in the cyclone disaster and not to be allow the junta to frustrate international efforts to aid the cyclone victims.
Then we took a bus back to Westminster Bridge and walked from the Millennium Wheel to Tower Bridge. With the good weather there were a lot of people and we managed to give out all our leaflets before we arrived at the Lord Mayor's offices on property owned by More London. More London gave us our 2nd opposition of the day, explaining that the gray bricked area was private property and we were not allowed to leaflet or protest there without permission - we'd run out of leaflets anyway. Apparently photographers with tripods will also be classed as "professional photographers" and won't be allowed to take photos with a tripod there. We were still able to walk through the area and even rest on the grassed area wearing our sign-boards.
The Burmese were giving out an article explaining Burma's plight and the referendum. We also gave out a leaflet directing people to
http://burmacampaign.org.uk/cyclonenargis.php where Burma Campaign lists links to major charities helping with Burma cyclone relief. Avaaz.org have a donation page for the Cyclone here. Avaaz is raising funds for the International Burmese Monks Organization and related groups, which will transmit funds directly to monasteries in affected areas.
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/burma_cyclone/ Notes:
[1] Quote from May 6th 2008 The Times Editorial Comment Page 16:
'It was bad enough that the military intended to ensure a "yes" vote through a combination of bribery, intimidation and straightforward rigging that makes Robert Mugabe appear an amateur. The notion that it is still seriously considering continuing with its scheme despite the manifest impracticality of doing so in these circumstances is utterly obscene. The world must do its best to help the Burmese people through this immediate natural disaster. It can only be hoped that in time they will be liberated from the man-made disaster that is their military Government as well'
Protest in London Next Week
===========================
NOTE: Burma Campaign's May 16th European Day of Action to get French Total Oil Out of Burma has been cancelled in favour of the May 17th Global Day of Action for Cyclone Nargis victims.
Friday 16th May - Demonstration outside the Burmese Embassy calling for Aid to be allowed in.
Time: 1-2
Address: 19A, Charles Street, London, W1J 5DX
Nearest tube: Green Park
Map:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vnnbh Saturday 17th May
Global Day of Action for Cyclone Nargis victims.
Two weeks after Cyclone Nargis struck Burma, on Saturday 17th May, protestors across the world will hold rallies and candle lit vigils to urge France, Britain and the United States to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis.
The survivors of the Cyclone Nargis are living in terrible conditions; without clean water, food or healthcare, they are living surrounded by flood waters contaminated by rotting corpses, animals and raw sewage. Over 1.5 million people are now at risk. We know that diseases, such as cholera, dysentery and malaria, are spreading. If the world does not intervene soon, the death toll could rise by thousands every day.
Find out details of the protests below:
London
Protests will be held outside the French Embassy, the American Embassy and the Foreign office. Details are below and on this map.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4kfpw8 French Embassy: Time: 12:30 - 13:00, Address: 58 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7JT
American Embassy: Time: 13:30 - 14:00 Address: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 2LQ
Foreign Office: 14:40 - 1510 Address: King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH
Transport: You can walk between the French and American Embassy. From the American Embassy to the Foreign office it is a short walk to Bond Street Underground Station, where you can get the Jubilee line to Westminster. From Westminster it is a 3 minute walk to the Foreign Office.
Map:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/4kfpw8 Other Countries
Protests are being planned from Australia to Chile! For details of protests in other countries click here.
http://www.burma-network.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=105 Recent News from Burma Campaign UK
==================================
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/china_cycloneaction.html The death toll from Cyclone Nargis continues to rise and over 1.5 million
people are now at risk. We know that diseases, such as cholera, dysentery
and malaria, are spreading. If the world does not intervene soon, the death
toll could rise by thousands every day.
No country could cope with a disaster of this scale alone, yet Burma¹s
Generals are shunning the world¹s offers of help; they¹d rather see their
citizens die than accept help from overseas.
If any country can make the generals change their mind, it is China. We have
witnessed the recent terrible loss of life in China following the
devastating earthquake. However, the response to the two natural disasters
could not be more different. While the Chinese government responded quickly,
dispatching 50,000 troops, and Premier Wen Jiabao immediately flying to the
disaster area, the Burmese regime continues to block aid efforts.
China has a very close relationship with Burma¹s generals, supplying them
with weapons, economic assistance and protecting them at the UN Security
Council. This weekend China blocked moves at the UN for a Security Council
resolution telling the generals to let aid in. Every hour China protects
Burma, more people will die.
Please help us break the deadlock. Please email China and demand that they
stop blocking UN action. Your email will be sent to the Chinese
representatives at the UN and in the UK.
Please send an email now here:
[The email includes condolences for the recent terrible loss of life in China following the devastating earthquake]
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P352 Burma Campaign UK Welcomes Royal Navy Aid Ship For Cyclone Victims
12 May 2008
The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by Prime Minister Gordon Brown that HMS Westminster is on its way to Burma with humanitarian supplies. It is more than a week since the cyclone struck and the regime ruling Burma is still blocking aid to the country.
“Everyone we speak to in Burma is desperate for help,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “We have been calling for the Royal Navy to be sent to help. People in Burma will be very pleased that HMS Westminster is on the way.”
Oxfam has warned that 1.5 million people are at risk unless aid reaches them soon. Burma’s rainy season starts within two weeks, which will make overland access to many of the worst affected parts almost impossible. Boats and helicopters will be the only way to get aid in.
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/pm/weblog.php?id=P351 Public Must Not Be Put Off Donating For Cyclone Victims
11 May 2008
Failure to donate would be a triple-whammy for innocent victims
The Burma Campaign UK today called on the British public not to be put off donating for Burma’s cyclone victims by stories of Burma’s generals seizing UN aid.
“If you give to British charities or the DEC appeal your money is safe and will reach people in need,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of the Burma Campaign UK. “Don’t punish ordinary people for what the generals are doing. If you don’t donate it will be a triple-whammy for cyclone victims. First they suffer from the dictatorship, second the cyclone, and then no aid.”
The aid that has been seen with generals’ names on the side, and is being used as propaganda by the generals, is aid that has been given to the government by Asian countries. British aid agencies do not give money or equipment to the government, instead they deliver aid directly to the people.
People wishing to give money can also donate to a network of grassroots Burmese organisations via the Mae Tao clinic in Thailand. Donations can be made online at:
http://www.maetaoclinic.org/cyclone.html “When you think about donating don’t think of the generals, think of the children,” said Mark Farmaner. “The generals don’t care if they live or die, but if you care, please donate.”
Recent Burma News (see full news stories and recent news on "Burma News"
http://myamarnews.blogspot.com/ ) =================
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7398623.stm UN calls for Burma aid corridor - 13th May 2008
The United Nations has called for an air or sea corridor to be opened to channel large amounts of aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma.
The UN's humanitarian agency said there was a risk of a "second catastrophe" unless a massive operation began.
The UN said it had only been able to reach 270,000 of the 1.5m survivors.
... Earlier, the military government in Burma said it remained opposed to granting visas to foreign aid workers to help co-ordinate the relief operation.
Vice-Admiral Soe Thein said it was grateful for the aid shipment from the United States that arrived on Monday but insisted that "skilful humanitarian workers are not necessary".
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1272 Bogalay healthcare provision in crisis
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–A human rights activist in Bogalay said disease and poor sanitation in the township in the aftermath of the recent cyclone have placed a heavy burden on healthcare provision.
The Bogalay activist said NGOs were helping refugees in the township, but they remained in difficulty.
“Children are starting to have dysentery in the monasteries due to the lack of toilets,” she said.
“Some people have been sent to other places and new people have been taken in. They took pictures and videotaped the tents with the refugees and took them away.”
The activist said aid supplies, including food, drinks and medicines, were being held in storage in mother and child care offices, mosques, primary schools and Hindu and Chinese temples.
She said the government has given no effective help and so support groups have had to rely on help from NGOs and other donors who do not want to channel aid through the government to provide pure water and medicines.
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1276 Government officials appropriate international aid
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–Government officials and supporters have been taking relief supplies from international donors and selling them on for personal gain, according to sources in Rangoon.
A Rangoon resident said military trucks had come to Nyaungpinlay market in the city to sell instant noodle packets, but no one had bought them.
“In Bogalay, you can buy raincoats donated by the UN, as many as you like for 8000 [kyat]. Rolls of tarpaulin can be bought in Bogalay’s Chinatown for 100,000 a roll. Merchants bought all 100 rolls straight away,” he said.
“A shopkeeper who sold food to refugees in Bogalay on 4 May asked soldiers from Battalion 66 to help her keep order, but the soldiers took away all her merchandise and did not return it,” he went on.
“Soldiers also took away all the goods from a boat that docked in Bogalay harbour after the storm and then sold them in the market four or five days later.”
Members of the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Association reportedly confiscated bottles of purified water donated by companies in Ma-Upin.
All the high-energy biscuits donated by the international community were taken by Rangoon Military Command and replaced with poor quality Industry Ministry-1 biscuits with labels that said “donated by the international community” and given to refugees, according to an official of the ministry.
The same official said that good-quality blankets and mosquito nets had been given to civil servants.
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1270 Relief supplies appropriated by officials in Bogalay
May 13, 2008 (DVB)–Cyclone victims in Bogalay have been unable to access aid supplies sent in to the area as they have been taken by government supporters and are being sold to those in need.
A resident of Bogalay said the areas below the town had been hit particularly badly.
“Although there was not a high death toll in Bogalay, some villages in the areas below Bogalay were wiped out and we saw none of the people again,” he said.
“Out of 30 relatives, only one or two survived. They are in refugee camps.”
The resident said that no support had come from the government, and locals were forced to rely on charity from small NGOs and local donors, including rice donated to monasteries.
Government officials have provided some materials, but only exchange for payment to be collected at a later date, the resident said.
“Senior officials are in town now and they are selling tin sheets on the streets,” he said.
“They are selling them by means of a debt system. They don’t have to pay yet. They are also collecting 360 [kyat per household] in labour costs,” he said.
“The sheets are not reaching the refugees. They are dropping tin sheets outside houses that have no roofs, and the money will be collected later.”
The resident said foreign aid supplies had been appropriated by government supporters who were selling them in Bogalay.
“I want to state clearly that the aid given by foreign countries has not reached the public and refugees,” the resident said.
“Plastic sheets and medicines have not reached the victims either, they are being sold outside,” he said.
“The sheets are being sold by soldiers and members of Swann Arr Shin and the Union Solidarity and Development Association.”
Diseases are prevalent among the survivors, and are being exacerbated by the unsanitary living conditions, the resident said.
“Cholera and dysentery are occurring; 14 people have died, 7 instantly,” he said.
“There are about 800-1000 people taking refuge in each monastery. There is one doctor for them from the Health Department but some monasteries have none, and there are no other health measures,” he went on.
“There is no toilet. And as there is no roof in monasteries, they are living under the rain now.”
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1271 Labutta survivors still neglected by authorities
May 13, 2008 (DVB)—The situation in Labutta remains desperate, with relief efforts proceeding slowly and confined to the major waterways and local officials more focused on personal gain than on helping victims, locals said.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=11999 Junta Leader Won’t Answer My Calls: Ban Ki-moon Tuesday, May 13, 2008
UN Sec-Gen Ban Ki-moon said on Monday all his efforts to speak to Burma’s junta leader, Sen-Gen Than Shwe, on the telephone have failed.
http://www.mizzima.com/nargis-impact/18-nargis-impact/516-survivors-moving-north-as-humanitarian-crisis-looms-children-at-risk Survivors moving north as humanitarian crisis looms; children at risk
Tens of thousands of cyclone survivors are on the move in the Irrawaddy Delta, posing a challenge for international relief workers trying to reach them with aid.
Meanwhile, children are at risk of being kidnapping and trafficked in the aftermath of the cyclone, which the UN has warned is on the verge of a major humanitarian crisis.
Eye-witnesses said villagers from the lower Irrawaddy Delta area are moving north to safety, and many are even trekking towards the former capital Rangoon.
"They are understandably trying to escape the devastation," Richard Horsey, a spokesperson for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Mizzima. "This is of course makes assessing the needs of the displaced people more difficult and targeting relief even harder."
Richard Bridal, regional Unicef head, warned that children were especially vulnerable.
"Of course many of the survivors are children and they are in danger of being kidnapped and trafficked," Bridal said. "These children are also in danger of suffering from acute malnutrition; they need to be identified and treated – if they are not, they will certainly die."
Burma Campaign UK on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5506647705 PETITIONS
Make sure you've signed:
- Email China to ask them to stop blocking UN action on Burma Cyclone Action (Email campaign launched 13th May 2008).
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/china_cycloneaction.html - Urge immediate medical care for Min Ko Naing (Email campaign launched 29th April 2008)
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/mkn_action.html - "Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!" petition (global campaign launched 13 March 2008)
http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=5 - The Burma Campaign UK e-action to TOTAL:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/total.html - The Avaaz.org global pledge:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_corporate - Don't Forget Burma - send a photo message to the regime:
http://www.dontforgetburma.org BURMA VIDEO
Burma Campaign UK's video channel on YouTube:
- New to Burma? Watch these videos for a brief introduction
- This is Burma Music - U2, REM, Damien Rice, KT Tunstall...
- This is Burma: News and Documentaries - including Burma's Secret War
and Inside The Crackdown
http://www.youtube.com/burmacampaignuk 30 Days (in May 2008) for a million voices: Burma Can't Wait
Millions Rallied to Free Nelson Mandela and South Africa. Now it's Burma's Turn
Hollywood Stars Team up with the Human Rights Action Center to Launch Campaign on Behalf of the People of Burma
Will Ferrell, Anjelica Huston, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Page, Judd Apatow, Mana, Sylvester Stallone, Eric Szmanda, Sarah Silverman Part of 30-Day Call-to-Action to Free Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.
http://www.burmaitcantwait.org/burmaitcantwait/ 
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Hide the following 3 comments
How can totaloutofburma assure us that ....
14.05.2008 06:14
PS - While the 'aid experts' are waiting, why don't they go and save some lives in Gaza?
Question
all may not be
14.05.2008 10:37
PS - While the 'aid experts' are waiting, why don't they go and save some lives in Gaza?"
exactly!! just what i tried to say to my aged parents the other day.
as it is reported
Some replies to the above comments
16.05.2008 02:02
Surely now the contrast is with China's fast, open and massive response to the terrible earthquake.
Yes there is a lot of hot air from western world leaders about Burma. Simon Jenkins in the Guardian refers to it as "adjectival assault":
'Gordon Brown called the refusal "utterly unacceptable" (which means accepted). The aid minister, Douglas Alexander, professed himself "horrified". The foreign secretary, David Miliband, used the words "malign neglect ... a humanitarian catastrophe of genuinely epic proportions". The UN secretary-general registered "deep concern and immense frustration". In France, Nicolas Sarkozy found the inaction "utterly reprehensible", and in Germany Angela Merkel found it "inexplicable". George Bush declared the regime "either isolated or callous".'
Now we have yet another UN envoy going to Burma. This will be the 36th UN envoy going to Burma. UN-Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon can't even get Than Shwe to answer his phone calls. Forgive me for being cynical for what a 36th UN envoy will achieve considering the failure of the last 35.
The junta has 400,000 troops, they will confiscate "aid drops" that don't have permission, they will even confiscate those that do. It will be much easier to channel aid through Asian partners that have better connections. The West's sanctions so far are mostly targeted at the economic interests of the junta and especially focus on junta cronies (see
The junta may become more flexible after May 24th, this is when the Referendum will be held in the cyclone hit areas (it was held on May 10th elsewhere). It would save a lot of time if the junta just made up the result without the pantomime of holding ballots, as everyone knows it is completely rigged anyway. Poor refugees are already being moved out of shelters to make way for holding the ballot.
The above mentions French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Perhaps he has a guilty conscience over Burma ? When Burmese villagers took French Total Oil to court in France over being used as slave labour for the pipeline and its military camps, Bernard Kouchner who was not in government at the time was paid 30,000 Euros by the Total lawyers to do an investigation in Burma. He spent less than a week in Burma, talked to the Total lawyers but not the lawyers representing the Burmese villagers - so not surprisingly it was a whitewash. It is still being used by Total and was presented as evidence at the trial. In the end Total settled out of court for several million Euros. There was a lot of criticism in France over Bernard Kouchner being paid by Total to write the report, though he may have been exploited by Total and perhaps not aware it would be used in the trial. You can read more about this on these links:
The article mentions Chevron. They are the US partners of Total in the Yadana offshore gas platform. They took over the original US partner Unocal. The US Burma Campaign campaigns against them, whilst in Europe Burma Campaign UK (and many others) campaign against French Total. Neither Chevron or Total are supposed to be making new investments in Burma, but they both seem to have managed to get their Yadana investment protected from sanctions by grand-father clauses. In the US Senator McCain was trying to propose legislation to get Chevron's grand-father clause removed, though unfortunately we've not heard much more about this now that he is the Republican Presidential candidate. Recently one of his campaign supporters had to resign as it was revealed he had been in a firm lobbying on behalf of the Burmese junta.
> "How can totaloutofburma assure us that .... the 'aid experts' won't actually be CIA operatives? "
We can't. Try asking Oxfam, Save the Children etc that are trying to get their aid experts into Burma. Perhaps if you know people working in these charities you can ask them. We are asking the Burma government to let aid experts in, they don't have to be westerners, just experts the charities say they really need. At least today, some progress with the protest was made allowing 160 "experts" from Asian neighbours into Burma, but more are needed with 2.5 million people currently at risk. Getting more non-western aid experts in is probably the way to go.
> "PS - While the 'aid experts' are waiting, why don't they go and save some lives in Gaza?"
Surely there are aid experts in Gaza ? Isn't the problem in getting the aid allowed in with all the politics involved, particularly fuel. In Burma charities are racing against the clock to stop the disaster getting even worse, expertise is needed to speed efforts up, in logistics and technology.
We do have sympathy with the plight of people in Gaza. On our protests we often get passers-by saying "the trouble with you people is you are not helping protest 'against the closure of post offices', Iraq, Afghanistan ... . Our totaloutofburma.org group is quite small but we have a mix of activists that work hard with many other causes - many of the Indymedia causes. So just because we post about Burma, please appreciate members of our group are quite likely to also be supporting your pet cause with other groups. They never cease to amaze me with all they do and have done in the past.
Burma does have a greatly persecuted Muslim minority group calling Rohingya people, whose plight has parallels with the Palestinian issue, except that there is seldom much interest in their plight, even from fellow Muslims. The Rohingya are denied citizenship by the Burmese junta and get treated as "foreigners" even in their own land. Their land is confiscated and "model villages" are built on the confiscated lands with "settlers" being brought in that the junta encourages to persecute the neighbouring Rohingya - stealing their property, killing and raping them. It is the Rohingya that get persecuted by the junta for reporting any of these crimes, the settlers or the soldiers that attack the Rohingya always get away with it. The junta photographs the Rohingya families and fines them for any changes in their family numbers due to deaths/marriages - even down to changes in cattle they keep. Many Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh (about 200,000) and live in some of the worst refugee camps in the world eg. narrow strips 30m wide that get flooded at high tide. They still say that is better than their treatment in Burma.
Some references on the Rohingya:
Natala villagers turn gangsters in Northern Arakan (Natala are the settlers)
Security forces photograph Rohingya families
Burmese exiles in desperate conditions in Bangladesh
Forced labour example
Burma, Rape, Force labor and Religious Persecution in Northern Arakan
Amnesty International report on Rohingya
Awyame
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