UN says Myanmar's refusal to grant visas is unprecedented in modern relief history

The Associated Press ,  Yangon   |  Fri, 05/09/2008 4:54 PM  |  World

The UN blasted Myanmar's military government Friday, saying its refusal to let in foreign aid workers to help victims of a devastating cyclone was "unprecedented" in the history of humanitarian work.

While the junta dithered and appeared overwhelmed by last Saturday's disaster -- the worst in the country's records -- more than 1 million homeless people waited for food, shelter and medicine, many crammed in Buddhist monasteries or just camped in the open.

Entire villages have been submerged in the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta with bodies floating in salty water and children ripped from their parents arms. At least 62,000 people are dead or missing. Aid groups have warned that thousands of children may have been orphaned and a medical disaster is waiting to happen.

The UN estimates 1.5 million people have been "severely affected" and voiced "significant concern" about the disposal of dead bodies.

While accepting international aid, the isolationist regime of this Southeast Asian nation has refused to grant visas to foreign aid workers who could assess the extent of the disaster and manage the logistics.

"The frustration caused by what appears to be a paperwork delay is unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts," said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the UN World Food Program in Bangkok. "It's astonishing."

He said the WFP submitted 10 visa applications around the world, including six in Bangkok, Thailand, but that none has been approved.

"We strongly urge the government of Myanmar to process these visa applications as quickly as possible, including work over the weekend," he said.

A Norway-based opposition news network, the Democratic Voice of Burma, provided graphic details of misery in the Irrawaddy delta, which few foreign reporters have been able to reach because roads have been flooded and bridges washed away.

Myanmar has refused to allow foreign journalists to come in.

In the village of Kongyangon, someone had written in Burmese, "We are all in trouble. Please come help us" on the black asphalt, a DVB video showed. A few meters away was another plea: "We're hungry," the words too small to be seen by air rescuers.

Grim assessments about the immediate future continued.

"The delta region is known as the country's granary and the cyclone has hit before the harvest. If the harvest has been destroyed this will have a devastating impact on food security in Myanmar," said the aid group Action Against Hunger.

Anders Ladegaard, the secretary-general of the Danish Red Cross, called the relief operation "a nightmare."

"There are problems to the aid inside (Myanmar) and there are problems to get the aid out to the delta area. There are almost no boats and no helicopters," Ladegaard said by satellite telephone to Danish broadcaster DR.

In Yangon itself, the price of increasingly scarce water shot up by more than 500 percent while rice and oil jumped by 60 percent over the last three days, Action Against Hunger said in a statement.

Hardships in the country's largest city have prompted some embassies, including the U.S., to send diplomats' families out of the country.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, Shari Villarosa, the top U.S. diplomat in Yangon, said the embassy is letting family members depart the country until the situation stabilizes.

The junta said Friday it was grateful to the international community for its assistance, which has included 11 chartered planes loaded with aid supplies. But it said in a statement that the best way to help was to just send in material rather than personnel.

It said one relief flight was sent back after landing in Yangon on Thursday because it carried a search and rescue team and media who had not received permission to enter the country.

It did not give details, but said the plane had flown in from Qatar, which apparently referred to one of the four UN flights that was allowed in with high-energy biscuits.

On Friday, Japan said it will give aid worth US$10 million through the U.N. to Myanmar, adding to the massive amounts of aid that has been pledged by foreign governments. (****)

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