The humanitarian disaster caused by Cyclone Nargis in Burma is equivalent to a "five-fold tsunami," European German Aid Group Puts Burma Cyclone Death Toll at 50,000 ...
UN condemns Turkey border deaths ... External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Thursday as the European Union reiterated its concerns over the difficulties which aid organizations faced in entering the country. Ferrero-Waldner said she had written to Burma's Foreign Minister Nyan Win appealing him to open the borders to allow international relief workers in.
A spokesman for the EU's executive, the European Commission, echoed Ferrero-Waldner's words in an official statement: "Access remains one of our biggest concerns -- access of humanitarian workers, access of aid.
Aid pledges are increasing, but what is important now is to have the material deliveries of aid."
"Promises do not save lives. Those who save lives are those humanitarian workers who know what to do in such a situation," the spokesman said.
Burma's normally reclusive military regime was initially quick to ask for international aid, in a move praised abroad as a rare show of openness.
"There are encouraging signs, but still a few of them, not too many," the commission spokesman said, citing Burma's decision to admit three commission experts and a UN supply flight as examples.
But other humanitarian agencies complain that the authorities are simply not letting them into the country fast enough.
"We expect that this [granting access to the country] is extended to other humanitarian actors. Of course the UN has the central role of coordinating the efforts, but other humanitarian players should be able to deliver aid," the EU spokesman said.
He admitted that Europe could apply little pressure other than diplomatically, saying "we cannot force the entry of humanitarian aid, so it's a diplomatic joint effort which can be done."
Ferrero-Waldner concerned over looming epidemics Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Ferrero-Waldner warned of the threat of disease in Burma In her statement, Ferrero-Waldner continued by focusing on the lack of drinking water and rice, saying these were key problems in the affected areas and warned of the looming danger of epidemics. Much of the fresh water had been contaminated with salt water, she said.
"It's an unbelievably catastrophic situation," she said before going into a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.
Steinmeier said the German government was "deeply concerned over the development of the situation" in Burma.
"The need of the people is great," he said. "Part of our concern is that the government in Burma is still standing in the way of effective cooperation in organizing assistance."
Steinmeier issued an urgent appeal to the Myanmar government to allow aid organizations into the country so that they could do their work.
"We have called in the ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to repeat this appeal to him and to call urgently on him to relay this message to the government in Myanmar," he said.
Germany to talk directly with Burma over access Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Steinmeier urged Burma for allow more access German Foreign Ministry sources said talks with Ambassador U Tin Win would concentrate on obstacles placed in the way of relief organizations reaching the stricken areas.
Germany on Wednesday doubled its humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar to 1 million euros [$1.5 million], channeling the funds through German aid organizations and not to the military government.
Cyclone Nargis left Burma's largest city, Yangon, without electricity and water after it struck over the weekend, causing untold damage to the fragile infrastructure and food supply.
Estimates of those killed, hurt and left homeless vary widely, with a US diplomat in Myanmar saying the death toll from the weekend cyclone could reach 100,000.
UN agencies ready to enter Burma with aid Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Shelter, food and water purification take priority for the UN In aid developments, UNICEF announced Thursday that it had launched an emergency appeal for an initial $8.2 million to assist the survivors.
UNICEF said the priority was to ensure supplies of clean drinking water, shelter materials, water purification tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, food and essential drugs.
Many schools and health centers have been destroyed or severely damaged and electricity has been cut. Access to clean water and health care were major concerns bringing increased risks of water- borne diseases.
The Deputy Director of UNICEF's Office of Emergency Programs Pierrette Vu Thi said, in launching the appeal in Geneva: "Children are the most vulnerable in coping with the effects of such a disaster. They are likely to be severely affected and in need of immediate assistance."
UNICEF was distributing pre-positioned emergency supplies including family health kits with medicine for 155,000 people.
Another United Nations agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] said it hoped to deliver 22 tons of relief goods to Burma this weekend crossing the border from North West Thailand at Mae Sot.
Refugee agency to provide shelter by the weekend Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: UNHCR tents are expected to arrive in Burma on Saturday UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis told reporters in Geneva the delay in getting aid through was "only a question of logistics" and the organization hoped the goods would enter Burma Saturday.
The situation was confirmed by the director of UNHCR's Asia Pacific Bureau, Janet Lim: "We are working closely with the Myanmar authorities to get our relief supplies into Myanmar by road from Thailand and we are also exploring sending more emergency shelter materials, mainly plastic sheeting and tarpaulins, to Yangon by air from Dubai."
UNHCR does not normally deal with natural disasters, but said it had responded to the cyclone because of the scale of the devastation, the urgent needs of the victims, and the proximity of its emergency relief supplies to Myanmar. UNHCR was part of the joint UN emergency response to the cyclone.
The UNHCR supplies should provide enough plastic sheets and tents to shelter 10,000 people. "It may take time to reach Yangon, but we will be moving as fast as possible," said Lim.
(Deutsche Welle)
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