"
The first phase of bringing relief to the victims of the cyclone completed"
In all its absurdity providing a climpse into a surreal world
the Burmese PM said
that.
Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein said on Thursday that the first phase of bringing relief to the victims of the cyclone had been completed
and the second phase, reconstruction, was now beginning.
The junta have awarded lucrative contracts to its croonies to reconstruct areas flattened by cyclone Nargis.
One of the 43 construction firms alloted is this.
Asia World is the country’s biggest construction enterprise, run by Tun Myint Naing, also known as Steven Law, one of the Burmese businessmen on
a US sanctions list because of his suspected links with drugs trafficking.
Another is Htoo Trading, owned by tycoon
Tay Za, the son-in-law of
Than Shwe, dictator par excellence. Tay Za is the richist man in
Burma and tops the list of several of the alphabet agencies.
With disasters like wars, it's an excellent oportunity for making profits. Especially when the conditions are like in Burma.
Aid workers from Laputta Township allege that the Ayear Shwe Wah company is pressing cyclone survivors to work on reconstruction projects for 800
kyat (70 US Cents) a day.
A bag of rice is now up at 10,000 to 15,000 kyat.
Meanwhile the
international pressure mounts and the retorics harden
France's ambassador to the UN has accused Burma's government of being on the verge of committing a crime against humanity by not accepting
foreign aid.
Jean-Maurice Ripert made the comment during a General Assembly session, after Burma's UN ambassador accused France of sending a warship to region.
France says the ship is carrying 1,500 tonnes of food and medicine for survivors of Cyclone Nargis.
State TV has put the official death toll of the 2 May storm at 78,000.
Another 56,000 people are thought to be missing according to the latest official estimates, which nearly double the figures released on Thursday,
raising fears the final human toll may be enormous.
...and the former capital Rangoon is left to fend for itself.
An Abandoned Capital and an Abandoned People
Rangoon ceased to be Burma’s capital in November 2005, when the country’s ruling junta suddenly and inexplicably abandoned the city for its
jungle redoubt of Naypyidaw. It has proved to be a prescient move. Now, nearly two and a half years later, the generals are comfortably ensconced in
their new capital, while Burma’s largest city is left largely to its own devices as it struggles to recover from the aftermath of Cyclone
Nargis.
While we are waiting for the world community to take action Gordon Brown has chimed in with the critics of the regime and their handling of the
disaster.
Burma 'guilty of inhuman action'
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned Burma's military government for not allowing international aid to reach the victims of Cyclone
Nargis.
Mr Brown told the BBC that a natural disaster had been turned into a "man-made catastrophe" because of the negligence of the ruling generals.
Get on with it Mr Brown, as former colonial master you are closest to take action against this "man-made catastrophe."
[edit on 17/5/2008 by khunmoon]
