A military transport plane flew from Bangkok to Yangon yesterday with emergency aid from Thailand while a number of other countries and organizations said they were prepared to follow.
The US said it stood ready, but that a US disaster team must be invited into the country.
First lady Laura Bush, who has been the Bush administration’s chief voice on human rights and political conditions in Myanmar, faulted the junta for proceeding with the constitutional referendum and criticized government leaders for not sufficiently warning citizens about the storm.
“We know already that they are very inept,” she said.
“Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself,” said Caryl Stern, who heads the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the US.
Other countries, from Canada to the Czech Republic and Singapore, reacted quickly with pledges of aid. The European Commission was providing US$3.1 million in humanitarian aid.
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