Re: Asean-led mechanism a waste of time - Solomon

On May 30, 6:36 am, "labor" <la...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
May 28, Mizzima News
Asean-led mechanism a waste of time - Solomon

ASEAN who allowed thuggish regime to be a member will only be as
competent as this: they have blood on their hand.


The lives of many survivors are at stake and many are dying because of the
slow pace at which Burma's military rulers are allowing relief supplies
and aid workers to reach cyclone-hit regions, campaigners and local aid
workers said.

"The situation demands a large number of international aid workers or
experts," said a local aid worker, who has been supplying relief material
to victims in Irrawaddy region.

Saving lives is now akin to 'a race against time' and more aid workers as
well as an abundant supply of relief materials are needed as the majority
of cyclone survivors still have not received aid, she added.

"They (expert aid workers) are needed to monitor aid supply and to make
sure that it reaches the right people at the right time," the aid worker,
who declined to be named, said.

She said despite several aid agencies already working to help the cyclone
victims, the extent of devastation and the people affected by the cyclone
does not match the amount of aid that has so far reached the area.

Despite Than Shwe's promise to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that
international aid workers will be allowed to enter the cyclone affected
areas 'regardless of nationality', aid groups said only a few of their
expatriate aid workers have so far received permission to go into the
Irrawaddy delta, the region most affected by the cyclone.

Paul Risley the spokesperson of World Food Programme in Bangkok said, "Our
country director travelled yesterday and spent last night in Laputta and
came back today. That was the first overnight stay by international staff
from WFP in the delta."

He said the WFP, with a few international aid workers who arrived
recently, has 26 international staff members in Rangoon now.

"We got visas for seven of our staff here in Bangkok on Monday. Several
staff members are travelling today and tomorrow," Risley said.

He also said they are hoping to send in several international staff
members from Rangoon to cyclone-hit Irrawaddy delta's Laputta, Pyapon,
Bogale and other towns for a long term or over several weeks.

"We have received permission for them to travel there [Irrawaddy delta],"
Paul Risley said.

However, the progress in the UN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and the Burmese government's agreement is too little, an advocacy
group Alternative Asean Network on Burma (Altsean Burma) said.

"The progress is tardy and it is just not enough," Debbie Stothard,
Coordinator of the Altsean Burma said. "They (UN) are allowing Than Shwe
to keep holding the people as hostages."

"The problem now is not the suffering because of the cyclone but the
problem is because of the junta, they are a bigger disaster than Cyclone
Nargis," said Debbie Stothard.

Amanda Pitt, spokesperson of the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (UNOCHA) in Bangkok, however, said there has been some progress
made on the promise made by Burma's military rulers.

"The process is progressing but it is too early to say," Pitt told
Mizzima, declining further comment on what the progress was.

But not withstanding the UN's acknowledgement that there are signs of
progress in terms of getting aid to the most affected people, Mark
Farmaner Director of Burma Campaign UK said, Burma's rulers have lied on
their agreement with the UN chief.

"We have information that there is no proper access to the delta. In
London aid workers have had their visas turned down," Farmaner, the London
based campaigner said.

"Ban Ki-moon's efforts have failed to secure a breakthrough which was
needed," he added.

Meanwhile, in a ridiculous development, the Burmese Embassy in India's
capital city of New Delhi has told a few Indian social workers, who have
volunteered to go into Burma to help cyclone victims, that their visa
process would take at least two months.

In Rangoon, international aid workers, who have been given visas for
entry, are reportedly sitting in their office, as the government has not
yet cleared their documents to let them into the delta region, Mizzima's
correspondent said.

But the correspondent said in a significant move six UNICEF workers have
been let into delta on Tuesday.

But the correspondent, who went visiting offices of international aid
agencies, described the scene at the office saying, "International staff
members are still sitting in the offices sipping coffee and tea in
Rangoon."

But in the Delta, where the cyclone hit the hardest, people are seen
lining up on the roadside waiting for vehicles that may carry relief
supplies, local aid workers said.

The local aid worker, who talked to Mizzima over telephone said, "There is
not enough food and relief supplies for the people and many more are
without any aid as we cannot afford to go everywhere."

Debbie Stothard from Altsean said, this is the time for the international
community to act but they are playing games with the rules set by the
military government.

"It is no time for diplomacy, it is time to be realistic, it is time to
tell the truth about what is going on," she added.

(Editing by Mungpi)

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