The leader of Myanmar’s increasingly isolated ruling junta made his first public visit to a relief camp on Sunday as state media lashed out at swelling international criticism that it was closing the door on aid to millions in desperate need following Cyclone Nargis.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, rebuffed in attempts to discuss the situation over the telephone with Myanmar’s military leaders, announced he would go to the disaster zone this week to try to ramp up aid efforts.
The government has announced a three-day mourning period for victims that is to start today.
State television announced that the national flag will be flown at half-mast during the mourning period.
A senior British official hinted a major breakthrough may also be in the works to allow foreign military ships to join the relief effort, but warnings grew of a potential second wave of death among children hard-hit by the lack of fresh water and proper shelter.
State television reported that junta leader Senior General Than Shwe came down from the capital, Naypyitaw, in the northern jungles to visit relief camps in the Hlaing Thar Yar and Dagon suburbs of Yangon. Reports showed him inspecting supplies and comforting victims in relatively clean and neat rows of blue tents.
Some survivors clasped their hands and bowed in gratitude as he and a column of military leaders walked past. Than Shwe was shown patting babies on their heads.
The trip was the first by Than Shwe since the May 2 to May 3 storm killed at least 78,000 and left another 56,000 missing.
In the devastated Irrawaddy Delta, farther south, the situation remained grim.
In the city of Laputta, hundreds of children covered their heads from the rain with empty aluminum plates as they lined the street in front of a private donation center. They were given rice, a spoonful of curry and a potato.
“Children only. Please. Children only,” shouted a man who stood in the middle of the line, trying to push back the crowd of adults.
He explained they were trying to feed children and the elderly first because food supplies were limited and adults could still fend for themselves.
In one of the few positive notes of the day, British Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown told the BBC that he believes the Myanmar rulers may soon relent on allowing foreign military ships to join in the relief effort, especially if Asian go-betweens are involved.
“I think you’re going to see quite dramatic steps by the Burmese to open up,” he said.
One breakthrough appeared to be on the horizon in the junta’s dealings with the UN.
Ban was to arrive in Myanmar tomorrow, his spokeswoman Michele Montas said.
The announcement came as UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs John Holmes arrived in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, late on Sunday to meet with junta leaders.
Than Shwe had refused to take telephone calls from Ban and had not responded to two letters from him, Montas said in New York.
Holmes was to deliver a third letter.
Myanmar’s leaders have reacted with defensive anger at criticism of their handling of the crisis and stepped up their rhetoric on Sunday.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar said in an editorial on Sunday that the government, “mobilizing the cooperation of the people, social organizations and departments,” has rushed to carry out relief and rehabilitation tasks.
“Rescue and relief works can be expedited effectively thanks to the measures the government has taken to materialize the relief undertakings as scheduled,” it said. “Necessary measures are being taken constantly to attend to the basic needs of the people in the relief camps, while specialists are making field trips to the storm-struck areas to provide health care.”
It accused foreign news agencies of broadcasting false information that has led international organizations to assume that the government is rejecting aid for storm victims.
“Those who have been to Myanmar understand the actual fact,” it said.
Also See: Myanmar proposes meet to pledge aid
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
A bipartisan group of US representatives have introduced a draft US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership bill, aimed at accelerating defense technology collaboration between Taiwan and the US in response to ongoing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was introduced by US representatives Zach Nunn and Jill Tokuda, with US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar and US Representative Ashley Hinson joining as original cosponsors, a news release issued by Tokuda’s office on Thursday said. The draft bill “directs the US Department of Defense to work directly with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense through their respective
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA
RSS