Myanmar Holds Referendum Amidst Aid Crisis

Junta Tries To Cement Hold On Power, Turns Cyclone Relief Efforts Into Propaganda For Military

(AP)  Myanmar's military rulers held elections aimed at solidifying their hold on power, while brazenly turning cyclone relief efforts into a propaganda campaign. In some cases, generals' names were scribbled onto boxes of foreign aid before being distributed.

Human rights organizations and dissident groups have bitterly accused the junta of neglecting disaster victims in going ahead with Saturday's referendum, which seeks public approval of a new constitution. Critics describe it as a sham.

Aye Aye Mar, a 36-year-old homemaker, looked frightened when asked if she thought anyone would vote against it.

"One vote of 'No' will not make a difference," she whispered, her eyes darting around to see if anyone was watching. Then she raised her voice to declare: "I'm saying 'Yes' to the constitution."

The referendum comes just one week after winds of 120 mph and a storm surge 15 feet high pounded the Irrawaddy delta, killing or leaving missing more than 65,000 people in one of the worst natural disasters in living memory. Nearly 2 million others were left homeless or in need of food, shelter and medicine.

Though international aid has started to trickle in - with two more planes organized by the U.N. World Food Program landing at Yangon's airport Saturday - almost all foreign relief workers have been barred entry into the isolated nation.

The junta says it wants to hand out all donated supplies on its own.

But with roads blocked and bridges submerged, reaching isolated areas in the hard hit delta has been made all but impossible. The military has only a few dozen helicopters, most small and old. It also has about 15 transport planes, few of which are able to carry massive amounts of supplies.

Long lines formed in front of government centers, where minuscule rations of rice and oil were being distributed. Elsewhere, people clustered on roadsides hoping for handouts. The words "Help us!" were written in chalk on the side of one home.

"Please, don't wait too long," said Ma Thein Htwe, 49, who waited with dozens of other women and children at a monastery in Kungyangon for her ration of rice.

Ko Zaw Min, 27, said not enough aid was reaching his community. Each family was given just a half kilogram a day.

"I want to build my home where it used to stand, in the field over there," said the farmer, who lost his 9-year-old son and a one-month-old baby in the disaster. "But I have nothing."

Despite international appeals to postpone the constitutional referendum, voting began Saturday in all but the hardest hit parts of the country.

As lines formed, state-run television continuously ran images of top generals including junta leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, handing out boxes of aid at elaborate ceremonies.

"We have already seen regional commanders putting their names on the side of aid shipments from Asia, saying this was a gift from them and then distributing it in their region," said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, which campaigns for human rights and democracy in the country.

"It is not going to areas where it is most in need," he said in London.

It has been 18 years since the last poll, and many people had no idea how to vote. Some asked each other or officials, "Where do I go?" or "What do I do?" as they walked into curtained booths to cast their ballots.

The referendum seeks public approval of a new constitution, which the generals say will be followed in 2010 by a general election. Both votes are elements of what the junta calls its "roadmap to democracy."

But the proposed constitution guarantees 25 percent of parliamentary seats to the military and allows the president to hand over all power to the military in a state of emergency - elements critics say defy the junta's professed commitment to democracy.

It also would bar Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained leader of the country's pro-democracy movement, from public office. The military refused to honor the results of the 1990 general election won by her National League for Democracy party.

Some 27 million of the country's 57 million people were eligible to vote, although balloting was delayed for two weeks in the areas hardest hit by the May 3 cyclone.

For many it was hard to think of anything but the storm that tore apart so many lives.

State media say 23,335 people died and 37,019 are missing from Cyclone Nargis, which submerged entire villages in the Irrawaddy delta. International aid organizations say the death toll could climb to more than 100,000 as conditions worsen.

Heavy rain forecast in the next week was certain to exacerbate the misery.

Despite obstacles put in place by the junta, some aid was arriving.

The United Nations has sent several planes and trucks loaded with relief supplies, even though the junta took over its first two air shipments.

Aid flown in Saturday on flights organized by the WFP were quickly released to the agency - described as "good news" by spokesman Marcus Prior in Bangkok, Thailand.

The military rulers have also agreed to let a U.S. cargo plane bring in supplies on Monday, but foreign disaster experts were still being barred entry.

The U.N. refugee agency said it sent its first aid convoy by land into Myanmar on Saturday and began airlifting a 110 tons of shelter supplies from its warehouse in Dubai.

Two trucks carrying more than 20 tons of tents and plastic sheets for some 10,000 cyclone victims crossed into the country from northwestern Thailand, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

"This convoy marks a positive step in an aid effort so far marked by challenges and constraints," said Raymond Hall, UNHCRs Representative in Thailand. "We hope it opens up a possible corridor to allow more international aid to reach the cyclone victims."

A total of 23 international agencies were providing aid to people in the devastated areas, said Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

But a large number of organizations still were awaiting government clearance for more aid shipments, staff and transport.

"It's a race against the clock," Byrs said. "If the humanitarian aid does not get into the country on a larger scale, there's the risk of a second catastrophe," she said, adding that people could die from hunger and diseases.

Health experts have warned there was a great risk of diarrhea and cholera spreading because of the lack of clean drinking water and sanitation. Children, including those orphaned by the storm, face some of the greatest risks.

"The fact that there are people we still haven't gotten to is very distressing to all of us. We don't know how many that is," Tim Costello, president of the aid agency World Vision-Australia, said by telephone from Myanmar's largest city, Yangon. "The people are all exposed to the elements, and they are very, very vulnerable."

So far, relief workers have reached 220,000 cyclone victims, only a small fraction of the number of people affected, the Red Cross said Friday. Three Red Cross aid flights loaded with shelter kits and other emergency supplies landed Friday without incident.

The international Red Cross sent 31 tons of relief goods from Geneva Friday evening, including pumps, generators, water tanks and other water treatment equipment, as well as basic health care for about 10,000 people and surgery material, according to spokesman Marcal Izard.

The shipment was designated for those in labor camps and prisons, he said. He said the agency planned to distribute the aid in coordination with the Myanmar Red Cross, which is the leading relief agency in Myanmar.

Myanmar has been ruled by military regimes since 1962. The current junta seized power in 1988, throwing out the country's last constitution.

[downsteamjim]

To Humanavance: Since you see no difference from them and the U.S., please move to Burma.

[johngoodnews]

It just boggles the mind to see a national disaster being turned by the Burmese Government into a political propaganda campaign to help it stay in power. How pathetic.

[wsfd203]

WHAT COUNTRY IS STUPID ENOUGH TO SEND RELIEF SUPLIES TO A GOVERMENT LIKE THE JUNTA THAT''S USES THE RELIEF SUPLIES AS A BARGAINING CHIP? THEY RATHER HAVE THIER OWN PEOPLE DIE RATHER THAN GETTING THESE PEOPLE THE HELP THESE PEOPLE NEED! THE JUNTA IS SELLING RELIEF BUILDING SUPLIES! DON''T FORGET TO MENTION, PUTTING SOME STUPID GENERAL''S NAME ON THE SUPLIES FOR A VOTE! ALSO, EVICTING PEOPLE FROM EMERGENCY SHELTERS FOR POLLING PLACES! i UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE DYING. HOWEVER, WHAT''S THE PUPOSE OF SENDING STUFF WHEN ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE GONA DIE BEFOR THE SUPLIES REACH THEM ALL BECAUSE THE JUNTA WANTS TO KEEP A CAP ON IT''S PEOPLE! GET REAL FOLKS! THE FRENCH ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT''S USING SOME COMMON SENSE!

[ramos937]

Time ''''Is It Time to Invade Burma?'''':
"Some observers, including former USAID director Andrew Natsios, have called on the U.S. to unilaterally begin air drops to the Burmese people regardless of what the junta says. The Bush Administration has so far rejected the idea %u2014 "I can''''t imagine us going in without the permission of the Myanmar government," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday...
_________________________________________
We cannot invade. Because of Iraq, other nations would think that we would be there for other reasons than humanitarian. We would be cut off militarily.

Also, it is a basic fact of life that no matter the reasons, if someone invades a country for whatever reasons, that invader is seen as the enemy by that country''s people.

[junogoose]

Time ''Is It Time to Invade Burma?'':
"Some observers, including former USAID director Andrew Natsios, have called on the U.S. to unilaterally begin air drops to the Burmese people regardless of what the junta says. The Bush Administration has so far rejected the idea %u2014 "I can''t imagine us going in without the permission of the Myanmar government," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday..."
----

My head hurts.

[ubrew12]

on_alert247 said: "It was Pres. Clinton in 1999 that made the final push to get China into the WTO."

Stezzers point was that China''s govt was nothing compared to ''Western Democracy''. I told him that democracy doesn''t seem to be the ''sticking'' point regarding our relations with her. American business is all too interested in trading with her and, last time I heard, American business is dominated by Republicans (whom Clinton was not above pleasing). If we had a stronger labor movement in this nation, we wouldn''t be trading with China as closely for both political and economic reasons. But, if you''re looking for hypocracy, witness a virulently ANTI-COMMUNIST republican party playing ''kissin cousins'' with the leaders of Red China in the name of business. It''s something straight out of Orwells ''Animal House''.

Oh, and you''re the dvmbass...

[on_alert247]

ubrew12,

Your either a dumbas* or a liar. It was Pres. Clinton in 1999 that made the final push to get China into the WTO. Just last fall Wolf Blitzer asked Sen. Clinton about whether the Clinton administration''s push for NAFTA and WTO was a mistake; she laughed it off. In fact, the Bush admin. filed a legal suit in the WTO against China for granting illegal govt. subsidies to their companies.

[gce65]

Strange...not one story comes up for Doug or Douglas Goodyear when searched on the CBS website. Hmmmmm.....

[gce65]

Maybe McCain''s lobbying buddy Doug Goodyear can spin this into a good story for the military junta.

What, CBS? No mention of that dirty little secret?

He was chosen by McCain to run the Republican National Convention this summer, but abruptly resigned yesterday after Newsweek ran the story that his PR/lobbying firm, DCI, represented the Burmese government.

It''s in the WaPost (back pages) today.

[ubrew12]

Title: "Myanmar Holds Referendum Amidst Aid Crisis"

Please vote for us and we''ll take care of you (just look how we''re taking care of the folks in the Irrawaddy delta).

[ubrew12]

Stezzer said: "If ever you wanted proof that western democracy is superior to any other political doctrine, this is it."
Thanks for stating the obvious. If the Chinese communists are so bad, why are we trading with them? (Cuz republicans really dont care about democracy, only capitalism).

[stezzer]

What have China contributed in aid? You would have thought that the commies would be digging deep to support their friend and ally. No? Well what a surprise.

If ever you wanted proof that western democracy is superior to any other political doctrine, this is it.

[yongamerica]

nyeinc what a bunch o propaganda you bring to this article. Burma deserves more than the Burmese military slave masters will ever ever give them.

Democracy NOW

[veteran72]

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The man picked by the John McCain campaign to run the 2008 Republican National Convention resigned Saturday after a report that his lobbying firm used to represent the military regime in Myanmar.

ADVERTISEMENT

Doug Goodyear resigned as convention coordinator and issued a two sentence statement:

"Today I offered the convention my resignation so as not to become a distraction in this campaign. I continue to strongly support John McCain for president, and wish him the best of luck in this campaign."

Goodyear, chief executive of lobbying firm DCI Group, resigned a few hours after Newsweek posted a story posted online that the company was paid $348,000 in 2002 and 2003 to represent Myanmar''s junta.

Ah-Oh.....Poor Juan McOldbush displays poor judgment again....

[gkc99]

"Myanmar''s military rulers . . .brazenly turning cyclone relief efforts into a propaganda campaign."


Gosh kinda sounds like Bushit, Brownie, and Katrina!

[nyeinc]

The international relief organizations are bringing malaria drugs into Burma. Yes, malaria is a common disease in Burma but it is not prevalent in regions hit by the storm. The malaria mosquito does not live in the muddy water of the region which does not have deep jungles. (Take this with a grain of salt, because I could be wrong since I am making these comments with local knowledge but without detailed knowledge and without ground information.)

Yes, the malaria drugs the international relief organizations bring will in general be very useful for Burmese people because it is one of the top five killer diseases generally. But the misallocation of resources could cause the relief organizations miss the other possible diseases.

For example, among the top three diseases caused by mosquito bites in Burma, the two other than malaria are common in that region. (I cannot and am not going to name those diseases because I don%u2019t want to give misinformation. Just ask the local physicians to name the three major diseases mosquitoes spread in Burma and just prepare to bring in the drugs for the two other than malaria.)

[beehive21-2009]

Nyeinc, kill yourself.Your full of BS.

[nyeinc]

The Burmese generals are sending massive number of troops into the storm-hit regions. They already sent two army divisions, numbering somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 soldiers. The two territorial commands, one army division and several tactical commands already stationed in the region are mobilized for the relief efforts. The navy is already mobilized; its chief of staff is in the region. A large chunk of helicopters in the Burmese Air Forces are transporting relief materials into the areas inaccessible by boats and roads. Its chief of staff is back and forth from one region to another.

[johnshaft4]

Compassionate nations should be air lifting (accompanied by jet fighters) and dropping by parachute aid to these poor people

[nyeinc]

The Burmese people are going to vote YES and approve the draft constitution NOT because it is perfect and democratic BUT because it can bring a change in political climate with the low cost, low risk and medium returns. Not a lot of people are going to die like in the attempts at people%u2019s power revolution. The chance is very good for a return to a civilian government with military taking 25% of seats in parliament and maintaining the defense-security-related matters. Yes, the democratic returns of the regime-initiated transition by means of approving the draft constitution won%u2019t be as great as those by regime-defeated transition like in the People%u2019s Power Revolution in the Philippines. But they will choose to vote for the draft constitution and make a low-cost, low-risk investment with medium returns rather than to vote against the draft constitution and make a high-cost, high-risk, investment with people%u2019s power revolution or regime change by Security Council resolutions.

At least, that is what I think they will and should do. What they will actually choose, we will find out in one month.