| Cyclone Survivors Forced from Camps |
| Saturday, 31 May 2008 | |
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In an effort to make the people believe the government propaganda that all is well, the junta is now forcing refugees back into uninhabitable areas. From MSNBC: 'Myanmar’s military government is forcing cyclone victims out of shelters and refugee camps and sending some back to their devastated villages with virtually no aid supplies, United Nations and church officials said Friday.
Eight camps set up by the government for homeless victims in the Irrawaddy delta town of Bogalay are “totally empty,” UNICEF official Teh Tai Ring told a meeting of aid groups. Singapore’s prime minister said Friday Myanmar’s military rulers are afraid to let in international aid workers to help cyclone victims because it might expose their own powerlessness. “The military leaders surely know that foreign aid will save lives and help to rebuild the devastated areas,” Lee said in a speech opening a three-day Asia-Pacific security conference. “But they also fear the political consequences of opening up the disaster zone to international aid teams. This might show up their own incapability, and undermine their credibility and legitimacy. An estimated 2.4 million people remain homeless and hungry after the May 2-3 cyclone hit Myanmar, also known as Burma. Myanmar’s government says the cyclone killed 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.' |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 31 May 2008 ) |