International aid agencies are negotiating the details of a relief package with the Burmese government as the country comes to terms with the aftermath of a tropical cyclone.
The official state media reported yesterday, as Emerging Markets went to press, that nearly 4,000 people were dead and nearly 3,000 missing.
Burma’s military regime led by senior general Than Shwe had asked for help in dealing with the disaster, Richard Halsey, a spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told Emerging Markets.
“They are receptive to international assistance,” said Halsey, speaking from neighbouring Thailand. “What is being discussed now is the detail of what is required, and how it can be delivered.”
The UN, the International Federation of Red Cross and other aid agencies have begun distributing essential supplies in the country, handing out water purifying tablets and temporary shelters to those left homeless by the cyclone.
The Red Cross has released Sfr200,000 of emergency funds to help with the relief effort, and is also in discussions about the provision of further aid.
But Burma has been sharply criticized by aid organisations and non-governmental organisations for its response to the disaster. Some campaigners have accused the government of hampering the relief effort.
“The government has done virtually nothing,” said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK. “They are actually stopping international aid from getting through.” Onerous travel restrictions on foreign aid workers and shipments remain in place, Farmaner said.
Farmaner believes that the death toll will rise as the the full extent of the damage becomes clear and the effects of malnutrition and lack of shelter set in.
“We are not getting any detailed information from the areas outside of Rangoon. These are low-lying areas where people live in small villages and bamboo homes that wouldn’t have been able to withstand this,” he warned. “Thousands will die without access to food, water or shelter.”
Tropical cyclone Nargis hit Burma’s southwestern delta on Saturday before passing directly through the capital, Rangoon, where winds of 190km per hour were recorded. Five states – Irrawaddy, Bago, Karen, Mon and Yangon – have been designated as disaster areas, according to the state-run media.
Burma’s communication system has been wiped out, and its main airport remains closed, complicating any assessment of the damage.
“We don’t know the extent of the damage or the number of dead,” Michael Annear, a spokesperson for the Red Cross in Thailand, said. “Some more information has been coming out but we are unlikely to get the overall picture for a few days.”
Halsey at the UN said the cyclone had left “hundreds of thousands” of people homeless. “It’s clear this is a major event,” he said.