Aid Arrives In Myanmar As Death Toll Rises

22,000 Dead And 40,000 Missing; Bush Offers Navy Ships To Military-Ruled Country

(CBS/AP)  Aid began to trickle into cyclone-ravaged Myanmar late Tuesday but the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta, where nearly 22,000 people perished, was largely cut off from the rest of the world four days after winds, floods and high tidal waves tore through the densely populated region.

With more than 40,000 still missing and as many as 1 million possibly left homeless, the international community was struggling to deliver aid in the military-ruled country, which normally seeks to shut out foreign officials and restricts their access inside the country.

Concerns mounted over the lack of food, water and shelter in the delta as well as diseases spawned by Cyclone Nargis in a country with one of the world's poorest health systems.

"Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself," said Caryl Stern, who heads the U.N. Children's Fund in the United States.

The U.N.'s World Food Program said late Tuesday it has begun distributing aid in damaged areas of Yangon, the largest city, where 800 tons of food had arrived, although the coastal regions were mostly out of reach due to flooding and road damage.

Even in Yangon, electricity remained cut for almost all 6.5 million residents, while water supply was restored in only a few areas. Some residents had to wait for nine hours to fill up their gas tanks.

Buddhist monks and Catholic nuns wielding knives and axes joined residents in clearing roads of ancient, fallen trees that were once the city's pride. And soldiers were out on the streets in large numbers for the first time since the cyclone hit, helping to clear trees as massive as 15-feet in diameter.

U.S. President George W. Bush called on the country's junta to allow the United States to provide disaster assistance, saying Washington was prepared to move naval assets to help search for the dead and missing.

The U.S. Navy has three ships as well as troops in the Gulf of Thailand, within an easy sail of Myanmar, as part of joint military exercises code-named Cobra Gold scheduled for May 8-21. Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore will also take part in the annual war games.

The Myanmar military, which regularly accuses the United States of trying to subvert the regime, is unlikely to allow U.S. military presence in its territory.

But reflecting the seriousness of the crisis, the government has appealed for foreign aid and also announced Tuesday that it is delaying Saturday's crucial constitutional referendum in the hardest hit areas.

The generals who run Myanmar also run state TV, which is showing them out helping ordinary people - visiting local hospitals and handing out aid, reports CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen. These are the same generals who ordered the killing of pro-democracy monks during protests last September.

From the moment the storm hit, some saw it as divine intervention against the generals - Buddhists here believe natural disasters are punishment for bad leaders, Petersen reports.

State radio said Saturday's vote on the military-backed draft constitution would be delayed until May 24 in 40 of 45 townships in the Yangon area and seven in the delta. It indicated that the balloting would proceed in other areas as scheduled.

Pro-democracy advocates, including the political party of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, have denounced the constitution as a tool to perpetuate the grip on power of a military that has become increasingly unpopular.

[Po Win]

Both of my parents have relatives in Rangoon as they are Burmese, and were born in Burma. My father fled Burma just before 1962 when the military seized this country, and he has not returned since.

They raised three children born in Allentown, PA; Waltham, MA and myself in Grand Junction, CO. My sisters and I have been trying to reach any relative to no avail.

It would be a boon if the Bush Administration provided aid directly to the United Nations. People could rest easy knowing that our nation''s money is going to a reputable agency and not to the Burmese military.

In short, I can''t understand why India''s meteorological team''s warning wasn''t heeded by the government.

The Burmese would have had two days to head to higher land and would not be without food and water.

NASA, NOAA and the National Reconnaissance Organization could also have easily given adequate warning and provided the Burmese with information regarding response to the cyclone.

In all, this is very sad. In time, this will pass, but I pause to ponder why, why, why?

[pfd572]

I guess none of you can have a reasonable debate. So much for caring about others and their suffering. At this point, what does it matter who and what is responsible? Innocent men, women and CHILDREN are going to die from disease, starvation or thirst without help. Let''s try not thinking about ourselves for a day and so something just because its the right thing to do.

[pfd572]

Let''s just stop pointing, blaming and denouncing, and instead do what we can to help people who are suffering and need so much help.

[pfd572]

demslie: you just keep getting shriller and crazier. If liberal Democrats speak and ask for help in countries in distress, for whatever reason, we are all bleeding hearts, supporters of terrorism and anti-American. Then when disaster strikes in a country we have been speaking against, you make a 180 with no sense of reality and accuse us of not caring. I am a proud liberal, who supports the troops a lot more than you do, I want them to come home and stop dying for a failed administration''s personal agenda. I love the Constitution and fight like heck to keep bush and people like you from shredding or misinterpreting it, that makes me a true Patriot. I believe we need to have troops here to defend against attacks, not on the other side of the world were its been proven bush lied about WMD and has used HIS war to raise the level of terrorism, not lowered it. You are the real anti-American, demanding allegiance to a administration that has broken laws and harmed all citizens, willing to sacrifice young lives and selectively support the Bill of Rights. You make me sick to my stomach with your fascist, anti-American values rhetoric.

[fibonacci_]

Your bigotry and Marxism is exposed in the movie/documentary:

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

www.expelledthemovie.com

Posted by libagenda

Marxism! I love it. Boy you really, really have the tiniest of tiny brains. What is it like to have an IQ in the 80s or 90s...I really wonder. I am being completely honest, I just think you are really, really stupid. You should have gotten a better education, it would have changed your life but now it is too late.

[nothappyatall]

Times of tragedy bring people to the lard more than any other.

If you dont believe me, look at what this country did for the first few months after 9-11-01.

Posted by libagenda" (Rick , singinrick, truthword08, providence_D and 1,000 other alias)

Yeah, we attacked Iraq thats what we did! I dont see THAT bringing people to your lard unless you count "god talks to me"-BUSH


" Nothing like a few natural disasters or terrorist attacks to get people to think with their FEAR instead of their heads.

FEAR is not how one should make choices in life. You learn from fear, you respect it, but you should never be controlled by it.

Fear is the primal driving force behind all religion and the main reason it exists - fear of death, fear of the unknown.

Slowly... very slowly, were growing out of that fear. These are indeed the "end times" - the time when people realize that they no longer need to be ruled by their fears.

Posted by IRLiberal"

Yeah, WORSHIP under threats and fear, "FEAR the lord" is the term- sure makes good soldiers but lousy loyalty when ruled by FEAR!
Thankfully we ARE slowly getting away from all that garbage, churches are closing their doors all over the country as congregations shrink and costs increase for building repairs, heat etc. The oldfarts who supported this pedo protecting system are slowing dying off and being replaced with people who DONT believe in goblins, spooks or a Santa Claus in the sky.

[nothappyatall]

I never said god had anything to do with any natural disaster. Im just amazed at people when they mention god from their mouths they are blaming him for everything wrong in the world.

Posted by genesis15

He takes the blame 100%, because according to your right wingers, there was NOTHING before he/she/it created the universe, since there was NOTHING before this then everything was created- INCLUDING "accidents" disease, disasters and all the rest.
The earth moved a couple of years ago and 100,000 die from a tsumani- your god was the one who allegedly MADE the earth AND the ground that is unstable and moves. Your god allegedly made the OCEAN which drowned the 100,000

Guilty, culpable, hypocrit that''s him/her/it


"Just gods way of telling the People in Myanmar that Allah is a false GOD...
Posted by cornbiker"

Oh? so then what about 9/11, the 35,000 people killed on highways a year here, the victims of the smallpox epidemic in years past- guess that was all telling us WE are worshipping the wrong god!

[nothappyatall]

had a post on here earlier stating that I wish there was a way I could go help these people in this tragedy they are going through, and that we should reach out to them with the love of...., and the post was deleted.
CBS: Anti-Christian agenda Supreme!
Posted by libagenda (Rick, singinrick)

AWWWWW!!! everybody now repeat after me: "AWWWWWW"


"Yeah ever notice how they remove his posts but allow any type of posts that disagree with christianity?"
Posted by libagenda (Rick, singinrick)

Well Ricky, MAYBE you made such an annoying PEST of yourself you should take all that as a HINT, you were after all the one who got so paranoid a month ago you claimed not only that an "atheist" HACKED into your CBS account, changed things, posted as you but curiously didnt change your PASSWORD.
You were ALSO the one around then who was so paranoid about being "impersonated" by someone using your account, that you stated you reported the posts FOURTY TIMES. Seems to me you annoy the staff with your petty garbage they are sending you a message.
SHIP OUT OR SHUT UP!

[haoli25]

Thank goodness the ''Giraffe Women'' of Myanmar were able to keep their heads above water. Sadly, their neck rings are a little tarnished now.

[fabrat1]

squidly8....WOW thanks I guess I did a really bad job looking that up, that''s just what I was looking for.

[irliberal]

Oh boo hooo American Christians are repressed right? It''s on our coins/bills, our Pledge of Allegiance, and a tax free political machine (church) on nearly every street corner.

Oh yea, you''re SO oppressed.

Looks like Christians have a stranglehold to me. But that too, will change in time.

[edward1975-2009]

There is no need to send aid as the ruling militia has already said that they will dispense all aid coming in, which means it will never reach those who need it. As sad as this is, we may not be able to help.

[carjenbe]

Replace Myanmar with Columbia, Venezuela, Cuba, China, Argentina and you would have the same bunch of paranoid, gun totting, thugs trying to control everything for some reason which has always escaped me. I don''t know if it genital size or lack there of, but these goons must grow in the slim of mudholes and reproduce asexually as they are not human beings.

[edward1975-2009]

Myanmar, Myanmar, you''ll always be Burma to me.

[displeased]

No matter what the subject, Democrats will find a way to show support for terrorist nations and their hate and anger for America.
Posted by demslie

No matter what the subject, you blame democrats and accuse them of hate and terror. It''s like you''re living some fantasy of irresponsibility and fabricated blame.

[williamfold]

if myanmar had oil, we''d be there lickety split. since myanmar doeesn''t have any other exploitable natural resources, all we can give is a couple million and advice.

doin'' a heck uva job, bushie.

[fibonacci_]

gwno1, the only sense I think he is dangerous is in his (and his cults) blind approval of anything Israel or the USA do because of the Bible. And his unbelievable ignorance concerning science which could contribute to the already serious problem of American ignorance.

[fibonacci_]

He he, gwno1. I can in some sense understand your feelings, but I think he has a right to post here. He is not the most intelligent guy but he is generally respectful.

[fibonacci_]

Survival of the fattest? I have never heard of that.

[fibonacci_]

Hey what happened to Ricks post? Who did that offend?! I am an atheist and I say the guy has the right to speak his mind.