Myanmar Allows U.N. Aid But Snubs U.S.

U.S. Weighs Air-Dropping Food To Cyclone Victims But Gates Says Not Without Myanmar's OK

(CBS/AP)  Relief supplies from the United Nations began arriving in Myanmar on Thursday, but U.S. military planes loaded with aid were still denied access by the country's isolationist regime five days after a devastating cyclone.

The military junta also continued to stall on visas for U.N. teams seeking entry to ensure the aid is delivered to the victims.

The greatest fear is that people who barely survived the cyclone might not be able to hang on much longer for aid to arrive as they battle the possibility of disease and dehydration, reports CBS News reporter Celia Hatton.

The problem for the Burmese generals may well be that accepting outside aid means bringing in outsiders. The Myanmar regime has kept power for decades in part by keeping the country isolated, Hatton reports.

Four airplanes carrying high-energy biscuits, medicine and other supplies arrived in Yangon Thursday, U.N. officials said. Two of four U.N. experts who had flown to Myanmar to assess the damage were turned back at the Yangon airport for unknown reasons, said John Holmes, the U.N. relief coordinator. But the other two were allowed to enter.

By rejecting the U.S. offer of help, the junta is refusing to take advantage of Washington's enormous ability to deliver aid quickly, which was evident during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen nations.

"We have demonstrated in crises around the world ... our logistical capability to get humanitarian assistance quickly in to the people who need it," said Shari Villarosa, the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar.

President George W. Bush's national security spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said Washington was still working to gain permission to enter Myanmar.

Ky Luu, the director of the U.S. office of foreign disaster assistance, said one option would be to airdrop relief aid. But U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he could not imagine doing so without the military junta's permission.

France has argued that the U.N. has the power to intervene to help civilians because of an agreement by world leaders at a 2005 summit that the international body has a "responsibility to protect" people sometimes when nations fail to do it. But that agreement did not mention natural disasters.

Myanmar's generals, traditionally paranoid about foreign influence, issued an appeal for international assistance after the storm struck Saturday. They have since dragged their feet on issuing visas to relief workers even as survivors faced hunger, disease and flooding.

"What is critically needed at this point is for Myanmar authorities to open up to a major international relief effort," said U.N. spokesman Richard Horesy. "If that is not done quickly, there is a major risk that there will be a second phase to this disaster where large numbers of people will die of communicable disease."

[algoresarse]

Posted by AL2008 at 10:36 AM : May 09, 2008
+ report abuse

*******


oh come on! how can you expect the ''administration'' to do anything to would mean to police the planet, when the ''adminsitration'' IS AUTOMATICALLY labeled a facist, a nazi, a regime when they deal with any nation..

THE PROBLEM HERE IS MOST BLEEDING HEART LIBERALS HATES THE GOVT..BUT IS SO INCOMPETENT THAT THEY NEED THE GOVT TO CONTROL THEM..if you want to stop this..THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT..if you hate the war on OIL then stop using effing oil...


GET IT YET??

[algoresarse]

"Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."
Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot

A Future of the Brave

Posted by Humanavance at 07:09 AM : May 09, 2008
+ report abuse

*********

what a crock of liberal bulls*hit!!!

[minnick8-2009]

It is ludicrous in light of the massive devastation in Myanmar that they would be selective as to whom they would be allowing to help them. Those power hungry, military dictators should have their ***** cut off.

However, since that isn''t likely to happen and since they don''t want our aid, let''s use the money to help out all the people across the midwest who continue to hammered by tornados here in America.

[minnick8-2009]

The earth has been subject to the forces of nature for about 4.7 billion years. It will continue to be subject to the forces of nature long after the United States no longer exists.

A C02 tax is not going to change the climate. If it is money we need to change the climate, just go on over to the Treasury Department and have them print more of it up. Make sure they don''t print it on paper, that is bad for the enviornment.

[al2008-2009]

I%u2019m appalled at the administration%u2019s lack of response to the global warming hurricanes, and cyclones as well. We have no comprehensive strategy in place whatsoever, let alone a detailed plan of action to mitigate the effects of these cyclones, and mother earth continues to suffer while the administration refuses to go forward and do what%u2019s right for mother earth.
.
How long must we sit idly by while our mother continues to suffer from the warming taking place at a feverish pace? How long must our mother suffer before we have proper c02 taxes put into place? How long must the destruction of mother earth take place before we finally put responsible plans into action? How long must we wait until we beef up our corn ethanol production? At least Obama wants to cut c02 pollution by 80%; he is definitely our best hope.
.
We the people call upon our leaders to implement a comprehensive antiglobal warming strategy at once and work in coordination with state and federal officials; these cyclones and storms continue to worsen and the quicker we stop the warming the sooner we will see these storms cease. We need action now.

[lewiston14]

Psy: your kidding. A strike on burma military you would hear about on the morning news and it would be all over on the night news on the first day.

[lewiston14]

"Yeah lewis, that mayor was stupid and a lier. He is directly responsible for what happened or didn''''t happen for our american poor people. I was called tar baby and darkie growing up in Texas...calling a people chocolate is equally offensive from someone in office.

Reed let me expand on my statement if I may. That mayor was not responsible for the nations poor. He is responsible for what happened in NO after the storm. The chocolate statement likley took millions of aid off the table. People just dont want to hear that stuff. He was inserting himself to the country with his vision of a rebuilt NO and it was not taken well by the people with the power to rebuild it. So now the lower (below sea level) areas just sit there and rot. Likley to toxic to rebuild on anyway. The big mouth should have kept his mouth shut but no he wanted his one minute of glory that did not pan out so well in the end. NO has changed and will never be the same again. A fact he is going to have to live with. It will be a city not Vanilla chocolate or strawberry.

[nonayabiness]

The US should go in and drop aid anyway, and immediately.


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Posted by NonayaBiness at 03:52 AM : May 09, 2008

- I wanted to expand on this. If someone shot us down for delivering aid, I certainly would feel horrible for any service members involved, and their families.

However, I think THIS is the type of thing worth possibly risking a few lives for rather than the 4 thousand plus we''ve already lost to an unjust and unnecessary war.

[nonayabiness]

wHAT PART OF THEY DO NOT WANT OUR HELP DOES THIS STUPID PRESIDENT PEICE OF BUSH NOT GET. LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE AND GET YOUR NOSE OUT OF THE ASSSSES OF OTHER COUNTRIES !!!!!!


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Posted by maedean at 07:35 PM : May 08, 2008

- Yeah, I see it both ways. I get your point. Perhaps we should save all that food and water for the legitimate working class citizens of our own country (who didn''t overbuy their homes causing the mortgage crisis) who are being laid off and losing their livlihoods all because of Bush''s immoral war.

[nonayabiness]

The US should go in and drop aid anyway, and immediately.

[farkusa]

Why is it so difficult to understand why US is refused entry to Myanmar? USA has been constantly criticizing the junta for everything and anything they do. There is also a general belief in the east that, some allegations with traceabale evidence, US has been using such situation to plant "instigators" to distabilize the country

[kennergirl]

It is funny that the US government is trying so hard to get aid to Myanmar when they couldn''t even get aid to a city in the US. They''d probably show up to the wrong place....lol ;)

I feel really sorry for the people who are suffering there. Cyclones have happened in the past 40 years that have killed hundreds of thousands in the vicinity of Myanmar (namely Bangladesh).

The US should not try to force aid on a government that plainly doesn''t want it. Let the UN take care of it, it''s not the US'' place to welcome themselves in when the "junta" does not want them in their country.

[adarkstorm]

The United States is no longer considered a kind and just nation. This country is viewed as a self serving bully. Our credibility has been seriously damaged. We take what we want and don''t care about the consequences. Is it so surprising that we are not welcomed with open arms where ever we go?

[rebelscout]

Iraq has scared the hell out of every contry in the world. No one knows if it will be a invasion or REAL help. Cant say as I blame them considering the history of this administration.

[brianbwb-2009]

"By rejecting the U.S. offer of help, the junta is refusing to take advantage of Washington''s enormous ability to deliver aid quickly,"

It also prevents the planting of US spies, and also prevents the recruiting of future fake "terrorists", that would be used by the US as an excuse to invade and occupy their country.

It has been said that if one "shakes hands with the devil, one finds that he doesn''t lose his grip easily".

[beehive21-2009]

the government is scared to death for the world to see what they been up too.Should have excepted , now we shall force feed em.Please com down its not the people its the king,dickator,or what ever military rule they are ruled by, that needs fixen.

[kmccliment]

Yo Seafang: The Astrodome is in Houston. The people she was talking to had left New Orleans on the bus. See what happens when a bigoted fool like you relies on Faux News for information!


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Posted by excoachken

Yes, Thats it blame it all on Bush. I really cant wait to see if Obama wins the Presidency how he will handle everything just purrfectly. We''ll see and then alot of us will say we told you so. My job is secure for the next ten years. Go ahead and lect the junior idiot. i dont give a ***. i''m tired of hearing how great he will run things. well i hope he wins let see.

[nbrdknkldgr]

Give GW and cohorts in crime enough time and they''ll "bomb" them with food!

[excoachken]

Yo Seafang: The Astrodome is in Houston. The people she was talking to had left New Orleans on the bus. See what happens when a bigoted fool like you relies on Faux News for information!

[sistatee-2009]

May the next flood, typhoon or plague wipe Myanmar off the face of the Earth.