Burma Cyclone

As news about the Myanmar cyclone and it’s aftermath recedes into the background (including in the media), an op-ed in the Burmese news magazine, The Irrawaddy, sheds light on why the junta refused assistance from the U.S. military. And I quote,

“What the generals truly fear is that if they allow US warships and foreign forces to come to the aid of cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta, people will soon rise up and the regime would be overthrown. That fear prevented the Than Shwe regime from allowing the US to come in and help.”

As the fate of more than 2 million remains unknown, local Burmese sources such as The Irrawaddy are good to remain tuned in to what’s happening on the ground.

Some of the it’s top stories include:

• Foreign doctors leave cyclone-hit Burma
• UN Official warns of ‘disastrous consequences’ for food without diesel
• Obstacles force donors to abandon the delta
  
• The troops have arrived at last, but where’s the aid?
• Nargi’s Number Game

  There’s tons more stories here.–Divya

The Los Angeles Times has published a first-person account by one its reporters who traveled secretly and extensively throughout the Delta region.

An excerpt:

<<Over the last 16 years, I have reported on famine, massive earthquakes and a tsunami. Cyclone Nargis is the first natural disaster that required working undercover to write about the hungry, sick and homeless.>>

Also check out the L.A. Times Cyclone Nargis news roundup, photos, and videos.

–Karen

The latest New York Times story says that a visit to some of the Irrawaddy Delta villages hardest hit by the cyclone suggests ”that the story of the death and destruction, compounded by the junta’s actions, has been neither fully told nor even fully seen.” Their reporter inside Myanmar is still anonymous.

–Karen

AFP reports that four U.S. Navy ships that were stationed off the coast of Burma are returning to resume normal duties, after being rejected by the Burmese junta to assist with relief.

Read full article here.

–Divya

A graphic description from the Los Angeles Times of villagers searching for rice among corpses: Myanmar Villagers Scavenge for Rotten Rice

Charges that the junta is threatening villagers before visits by aid groups, from Irrawaddy: Cyclone Survivors Don’t Want UN Chief to Visit Delta

–Karen

The Burmese news site Mizzima has posted new photos of from the Irrawaddy region.

Also, the latest from the NY Times: Weeks After Cyclone in Myanmar, Even Farmers Wait For Food.

–Karen

Great New York Times video that includes interviews with the anonymous Times reporter inside Myanmar and Seth Mydans, reporting from Bangkok. Watch the video here.

–Karen

I have so far refrained from posting graphic photography/imagery of the Burma cyclone victims on this blog…until I came across this.

In the Eye of the Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone: A Firsthand Account (May 2008 ) by James Whitlow Delano

In a hard-hitting piece that appeared in the latest edition of “The Digital Journalist,” Delano provides a written first-hand account of what he saw in Burma as cyclone Nargis unleashed its fury. Mid-way through the account there is a powerful description of the extent and force of the disaster when he writes:

“A street sign 6 feet wide (2 m) and 3 feet high (1 m) shuttered suddenly and then a gust sent it frantically flying into infinity, never to be seen again. It simply disappeared.”

Delano’s intrepid reporting may have cost him a future ticket to Burma, as he admits himself in the postscript.

[AUTHOR'S POSTSCRIPT: "I may not be able to return after this series is seen because it poses some tough questions about the true nature of a government that already had a reputation for brutality. Now, you see neglect. If that is the price for reporting this – so be it. I would wear the honor of being on their blacklist with honor (though I would be happy too if I could return again)."]

Below is an image from the feature gallery that accompanies Delano’s article.

(Note: Viewer discretion advised. Graphic images may be disturbing to some viewers).

–Divya

Here’s the link to ‘pictures of the day’ on the New York Times website. Among other events across the globe, the photographs capture the trail of destruction left behind by cyclone Nargis as UN Sect. General, Ban-Ki-Moon surveys the scene.

Pictures of the Day

– Divya

Here’s a comment from someone on one of my earlier posts about the International Organization for Migration seeking $ 8 million from international donors for cyclone relief.

********************

Hi Divya,

One of my clients, AmeriCares, delivered medical supplies and medicines to IOM, one of its partners in Burma, earlier this morning. You can find more about what IOM and AmeriCares is doing with the shipment of supplies on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/americares