The natural disasters may be the lesser malady of what they are facing. The inapt rulership of their country will definately be far the biggest impact of cyclone Nargis. The moral bankrupcy, the lack of compassion they show towards their own people is not only inhumane. It is cruel and nefarious, guided by a backwardness deep seated in superstition and greed, all enforced by the constant paranoia they must be living under. It is a national disaster that is beyond politics, but from their point of view the efforts goes on damage control, not damage of the cyclone, but on what the eyes of the world shall see. If they are allowed to look. To just try to get a glimpse, is connected with severe danger for the media workers trying.
The military is ceaselessly carrying out raids at hotels to check for foreigners, that and setting up roadblocks are more important to them than helping their people. Here's the personal experience of a BBC reporter being chased.
The world community must intervene, which they could on grounds of a UN acknowledgement from 2005 stating collective "responsibility to protect" people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Not allowing expertice and only hopeless inadequate supplies to reach the victims, they sure are guilty of crimes against humanity. That would be a job for the powerful war machine of USA, and for a change to them it would be a 'cake-walk' to topple the true evil regime and take controll of the country. Not even China would object as long they kept their status and investments in the country, and the naval forces are already there.
A British Royal Navy frigate has been ordered to stand by off Burma with emergency aid for the survivors of cyclone Nargis. The 4,900-ton HMS Westminster will join US and French warships waiting in international waters off the Burmese coast, ready to rush relief supplies to the Irrawaddy delta if instructed by the UN or invited by the Burmese regime.
Wish they would use them as intended, for war for once in awhile against truely evil. There's no doubt with the junta, hardly going public on the disaster, not showing any will to promote relief, that this will turn out to became hundredfold worse in suffering and final deathtoll than it needed be. Not even Ban Ki-moon, or anyother from the world community, have been able to get to talk to Than Shwe. The only one from the leadership who have been in public view has been Prime Minister Thein Sein, and it is said the interest he shows for the worst struck areas of the Irrawaddy Delta is due to his two sons who runs an rice export business there.
As the facts are now, more than 10 days after the Cyclone Nargis struck, only a handfull of international aid workers have been granted permission to the hardest hit region. The Burmese military should be the first to bring help, and they are there, but are busy sertting up their roadblocks rather than to bring relief. They confiscate any private aid and make sure that no media comes in. Cameras and mobile phones are not allowed, because that's what the junta really fears, the eyes of the world to see the apocalypse.
I'm at loss of words to express my feelings but I'm afraid apocalypse are no overstatement. Diseases are already flourishing, and the hardest hit areas hasn't even been attended yet. Epidemics will invitable rage, and if full forced efforts are not implemented within the next few days a humanitarian catastrophy with possible millions to perish will be a reallity.
That the rain keeps pounding down and that a new cyclone is building doesn't make it better. It makes it mercyless.
Not forgetting the other obstinacles mother earth lately have forced upon us, Burma is just breaking my heart because 90% of the suffering could have been avoided by obligingness, simple human decency and cooperation. Unfortunately not qualities the hoodlums of the junta posses.
May they be reborn a million times under conditions worse than those that their victim have endured.
A few more articles.
World fears for plight of Myanmar cyclone victims
Burma Exports Rice as Cyclone Victims Starve
More Words, or Positive Action?
[edit on 14/5/2008 by khunmoon]
