Burma death toll jumps to 78,000

he official death toll for Burma's cyclone disaster has jumped to almost 78,000 people, with nearly 56,000 missing, according to state TV.

Previously, Burma was giving a toll of 43,000 dead and 28,000 missing while the Red Cross and United Nations had estimated a death toll above 100,000.

Aid agencies are frustrated at the slow progress of aid to areas worst hit.

Cyclone Nargis battered southern regions of Burma, including the Irrawaddy Delta, on 2-3 May.

A BBC reporter in the delta this week saw little sign of official help and foreign aid workers have been barred from the area.

Heavy rain has been lashing the region, compounding the misery of survivors.

The UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator, John Holmes, is due to visit Rangoon, Burma's main city, on Sunday in a bid to persuade the military government to grant more access to UN relief workers and expand its aid effort.

Earlier, the EU's top aid official, Louis Michel, was denied permission to visit the delta region. He said he was given no explanation why disaster emergency experts were being refused visas.

However, Burma - also known as Myanmar - has promised to take foreign diplomats on a tour of the region this weekend.

Burma debate in British Parliament

Cyclone Survivors Face Another Disaster
Updated:21:12, Sunday May 11, 2008

Humanitarian agencies are warning up to 1.5 million people could die if aid does not get through soon and disease takes hold in cyclone-ravaged Burma.

Cyclone survivors arrive at relief centreOxfam has warned of the real risk of a catastrophe, calling it "a perfect storm".

"It's really crucial that people get access to clean water sources and sanitation to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering," said Oxfam regional chief Sarah Ireland in Bangkok, in neighbouring Thailand.

"There are all the factors for a public health catastrophe which could multiply that death toll by up to 15 times," she said.

Thailand's foreign minister Noppadon Pattama has told Sky News he is to meet his Burmese counterpart in Rangoon on Tuesday to discuss ways of getting aid into the country.

Speaking to Sky's Stuart Ramsay he said he believed that critical comments about the Burmese military regime from President Bush and other western leaders in the aftermath of the cyclone has held up the international rescue effort.

Mr Pattama said: "We have to talk to (the Burmese authorities) and see if they can change their position.

Customs delays hold up aid distribution
Aid agencies have been able to deliver assistance to 276,000 people so far, but are facing difficulties getting customs clearance for supplies, according to a United Nations official.


Richard Horsey, spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said today that much more needed to be done to help those affected by Cyclone Nargis.

“The United Nations and its partners, the international NGOs, have delivered assistance to 276,000 people,” Horsey said.

“But there are 1.5 million affected. So we did reach a lot of people, but not quickly enough; we need to increase the scale of the operation.”

The aid operation has faced logistical problems, due to a lack of boats and helicopters and the destruction of transport and communications infrastructure in the cyclone.

But these problems have been exacerbated by the Burmese military regime’s unwillingness to waive visa and customs restrictions for relief workers.

“Some United Nations aid officials are getting into the country, but many are still waiting for visa clearances,” Horsey said.

At least 40 visa applications are waiting to be processed in and around Bangkok, the UN has said.

The World Food Programme has also had difficulties distributing supplies that have already been flown into the country.

“My understanding is that they are having problems getting the aid cleared through customs,” Horsey said.

“It’s not the planes that are the problem, it’s the aid that is on the planes, and they’re having difficulties getting the customs clearance.”

Horsey stressed the importance of allowing essential staff, relief supplies and logistical equipment in to the country to avoid a “second disaster”.

In a press conference yesterday, John Holmes, the UN’s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and UN emergency relief coordinator, said the humanitarian response was being hampered by lack of access and urged the junta to redress the situation.

“We are simply trying to help the Government of Myanmar to carry out their responsibilities to aid these people in increasingly desperate need,” Holmes said.

“There are no other political motives in this and, therefore, I appeal very strongly indeed to the Government of Myanmar both to step up their own relief efforts to help people on the ground, and to change their attitude completely to the efforts that we are making to get these relief supplies in.”

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon was also hoping to speak to junta leader senior general Than Shwe to press him to facilitate access.

Holmes said that some progress had been made, and that the Burmese authorities had agreed that customs charges and clearances should be waived for relief supplies, but this did not so far seem to have been applied on the ground.

Polling station guard shot dead in Mon State
A Burmese police officer guarding a polling station in Taguntaing village in Mudon township, Mon State, was shot dead by an unknown gunman today at around 10am local time.


“The person who died is called Aung Soe,” a local resident told DVB. “He was a sergeant in charge of the polling station’s security. It happened while people were voting - the gunman entered the polling station and carried out the shooting.”

The victim was in charge of security in the nearby Three Pagodas Pass five months ago.

UN Aid Flights Touch Down In Burma

United Nations emergency flights carrying relief supplies to survivors of Cyclone Nargis have been allowed to touch down in Burma.The ruling junta had been refusing to allow aid from the West into the country in the wake of the devastating storm, which is feared to have killed 100,000 people and left a million more homeless.
The cyclone slammed into coastal towns and villages in the rice-growing Irrawaddy Delta six days ago, bringing winds up to 120mph and a giant tidal wave.
UN officials said two of four aeroplanes had arrived in Rangoon while two others would follow, loaded with high-energy biscuits, medicine, and other supplies.
The biscuits are vital because many survivors lost their homes and possessions and have no way of cooking anything.
The planes had waited for two days while the world body negotiated with the military regime to allow the material in.
Eric John, the US ambassador to Thailand, said earlier that Burma's rulers had granted permission to land C-130 transport planes.
But Burmese officials later made it clear this was not the case.
Mr John said it was not clear if they had reversed an earlier decision or if there was a misunderstanding.
Alex Crawford, Sky News Asia correspondent, said that international pressure was growing for more aid to be allowed in.
She said countries around the world were waiting to be granted access to help bring in vital supplies and manpower.


All around the world they're lining up to help, but at the moment only the friendly nations surrounding Burma have been allowed in and that's only a tiny fraction of what's needed in the country," she said.
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the UK had made an immediate donation of £5m in relief aid.
"This is a very grave crisis on a scale not seen since the tsunami of 2004," he said.
The UN has also donated £5m.
A local military official has told reporters around 80,000 people have died in the remote district of Labutta alone.
State media have reported almost 23,000 have been killed across the country as a whole by the fierce winds, with a further 42,119 missing.
Seventeen Britons in Burma have failed to make contact since the cyclone, the British Foreign Office said.

BURMESE CYCLONE APPEAL

Assalamualaikum,
Dear Brothers and sisters,
As you know thousands of people killed and many more missing which caused by cyclone. This is the time to ask for your help to assist our brothers and sisters in the country who lost their properties.
Now we are receiving donation for cyclone victims.
If you want to donate you can transfer money to account of Burmese Muslim Association detail is as below.
Account Name ......Burmese Muslim Association
Account Number....92090422
sort code...............40-06-30
HSBC Bank.

You can also send your cheque to

Burmese Muslim Association
15 Orange Grove
London, E11 4LL

You can also contact Hamzah Bhai (Ko Kyaw Zwa) 07828890224, 02085562340,07956365426.

If you know anyone who needs urgent assist please let us know.

Thank you for your support.
Hamzah Kyaw Zwa

Myanmar deaths may top 100,000

The death toll from the cyclone that ravaged the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar may exceed 100,000, the senior U.S. diplomat in the military-ruled country said Wednesday.


Workers pour rice into bags to be loaded on to a truck for distribution in Yangon on May 7.
3 of 3more photos » "The information we are receiving indicates over 100,000 deaths," said the U.S. charge d'affaires in Yangon, Shari Villarosa.

The U.S. figure is almost five times the 22,000 the Myanmar government has estimated.

The U.S. estimate is based on data from an international non-governmental organization, Villarosa said without naming the group. She called the situation in Myanmar "more and more horrendous."

"I think most of the damage was caused by these 12-foot storm surges," she said.

Villarosa also said that about 95 percent of the buildings in the delta region were destroyed when Cyclone Nargis battered the area late Friday into Saturday.

Based on the same data, 70,000 people are missing in the Irrawaddy Delta, which has a population of nearly 6 million people, Villarosa said. The official Myanmar government figure for the missing is 41,000.

Villarosa said, "I can only assume that the longer the delay, the more victims that are created."

Little aid has reached the area since Nargis hit, and on Wednesday, crowds of hungry survivors stormed reopened shops in the devastated Irrawaddy delta.

The United Nations urged the military junta to grant visas to international relief workers amid estimates of 1 million homeless.

cyclone in myanmar photos

36 Insein inmates killed in prison crackdown

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.

UNICEF in Myanmar: Rapid response critical to saving lives

Myanmar: Death toll more than 10,000

The death toll from the Myanmar cyclone is more than 10,000 people, Myanmar's Foreign Ministry said Monday. People in Yangon queue for drinking water. 1 of 3more photos » Survivors were facing their third night without electricity in the aftermath of the historic cyclone that also clogged roads with thousands of downed trees. Diplomats were summoned to a government briefing Monday as the reclusive southeast Asian country's ruling military junta issued a rare appeal for international assistance in the face of an escalating humanitarian crisis. A state of emergency was declared across much of the country following the 10-hour storm that left swathes of destruction in its wake. The staggering death toll would make the cyclone the deadliest natural disaster to hit Myanmar in recent history, according to figures compiled by a United Nations-funded disaster database. The government of neighboring Thailand said Myanmar's leaders had already requested food, medical supplies and construction equipment, AP reported. The first plane-load of supplies was due to arrive Tuesday, a Thai spokesman said. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and the destruction suffered by the people of Myanmar" and pledged to mobilize international aid and assistance as needed. A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team is on stand-by to assist the government in responding to humanitarian needs if required, the statement said. Scenes of the destruction showed extensive flooding, boats on their sides in Yangon harbor, roofs ripped off buildings, uprooted trees and downed power lines after cyclone Nargis battered the Irrawaddy delta with 150 mile (241 km) an hour winds throughout Friday night and Saturday morning, dumping 20 inches of rain. Watch how the cyclone crippled Yangon » Residents of Yangon trudged through knee-deep swirling brown waters Monday as the delta city remained mostly without electricity and phone connections. The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar has issued a "disaster declaration" in the country and authorized the release of $250,000 for cyclone relief efforts, Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Monday. A disaster relief team is standing by, Casey said, but the Myanmar government had not given permission for the team to enter the country. U.S. first lady Laura Bush blasted the military government, saying the lack of warning before the deadly cyclone hit was the latest example of "the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs." Hakan Tongkul, with the United Nation's World Food Programme, said residents in Yangon needed urgent assistance. "This has pushed people to the edge. All that they have has been blown away." Watch the cyclone hammer Yangon » Michael Annear, regional disaster manger for the Red Cross, said the group was helping provide safe drinking water. Relief agencies met at the United Nations' Bangkok headquarters Monday to coordinate their response to the disaster. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had released 200,000 Swiss Francs (about $190,000) to help with the aftermath. A state of emergency was declared Sunday across five regions: the city of Yangon, Irrawaddy, Pegu and the states of Karen and Mon. All flights to Yangon, the former capital, were canceled. "Most Burmese with whom we've been in touch report they lost their roofs, although so far everyone we have been able to contact reports that they and their families are safe," said a Yangon-based diplomat who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. See photos of the destruction » Most telephone and cell phone service was down in Yangon, a city of about 6.5 million people, according to Dan Rivers, a CNN correspondent in the country. In some places, the price of fuel had quadrupled to $10 a gallon. Even with that price lines for gas stretched around the block and some sought to buy gas on the black market. The main water supply has been cut in many areas and power lines are down, Rivers reported. Earlier Monday, an editor for an independent Myanmar newspaper based in Thailand told CNN that people in the Southeast Asian nation were angry over the response to the disaster by the ruling military junta. "People are very angry with the slow response coming from the military government," said Aung Zaw of Irrawaddy news magazine. Listen to Irrawaddy journalist discuss the situation in Myanmar » Khin Maung Win, a spokesman for the Democratic Voice of Burma -- a broadcast media group run by opposition expatriates -- said the whole of the delta region had been affected and entire villages had disappeared. Pictures from inside the country showed a cyclone-ravaged region with tin huts crushed under trees. Bicyclists navigated around large branches that littered the deserted roads. A man with his pant legs rolled up waded through knee-deep water and strained to clear massive limbs that were blocking the entrance to a house.