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Burmese Cyclone Victims: Discrimination against Western Aids, Is it Acceptable?

It is unwise to send ASEAN team to help the cyclone victims in Burma because it will only delay the massive aid shipment from the USA, France and Great Britain to the disaster regions for the victims who lives are at stake.

The ASEAN leaders know the outcome very well. Even though they have no capacity to help the two million victims, they are doing it to favor the regime, in return, they can get lucrative business deal with the Burmese Junta. That kind of move only covers up the regime from escaping the crime against humanity and allows the innocent people to die painfully and slowly. In fact, ASEAN help will not safe lives it will allow to kill more lives in Burma because their team is not qualify for massive disaster like Cyclone Nargis.

How much money and materials they can donate and use in hard hit regions? Indonesia is far more develop than Burma but when Tsunami hit the country, they could not help by themselves so they opened up and allowed all the donors without a visa and within days, many victims received food, clothing, shelter and medical treatment. In addition, they were managed to identify dead bodies and buried them in proper ways.

Ironically, when France push the idea of using R2P Indonesia rejected the idea together with Russia and China.

Sadly, Burmese cyclone victims did not get a chance like Indonesians. Still many dead bodies were not bury yet and were rotten. The government did not try to identify dead bodies and never record who they were. The Junta does not have money but Generals have all the money. Senior General Than Shwe’s daughter alone received 60 million dollars from her wedding gifts. However, the generals will not spend any penny from their pockets.

Compare with China and Burma dealing on natural disaster

Chinese leaders proved that they have capacity to help the people when they need it. Soon after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit Sichuan province on May 12, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited and toured around the disaster zone, people were moved by his eagerness to help people. He encouraged, team members who were exhausted, not to give up, “Every seconds lost means lives lost”. It is true, in Burma, we are losing every second and minute’s people are dying but General Than Shwe does not care about it.

In contrast, Burmese cyclone victims waited and waited for help not only a second, not a minute, for more than two weeks but aids from the government did not arrive to most of the hard hit areas, instead of helping them the regime not only blocked the capacity donors like westerners but also native donors as well. Only people who are allowed to go in the areas are government-sponsored organizations and groups, which collaborate with the regime.

Right now UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is going to meet the generals to discuss the allowance of all parties who want to help. Ban said the regime is now allowing nine UN helicopters to carry food and medicines but compare to China, Chinese government sent out one hundred helicopters for the relief supplies.
Both countries have over two millions victims Burma only have nine helicopters and China has ten times more than Burma to help its people. Burmese regime does not have an ability to help its own people; ironically, they do not want the west and the US to help the victims either.

On the other hand, Chinese government sent 130,000 soldiers to comb wreckage for survivors. In contrast, the Burmese regime sent troops to block the local and foreigners who come to the hard hit areas and distribute foods and medicine.

China got lucky because of the coward generals who blocked the west donors. As a result, donors swing their donation to China instead of Burma and China got 400 millions. The generals got the blames; Burmese cyclone victims got rotten food.
The good thing within the bad situation in Burma is the whole world wake up and sees the real evil inside Burma, the ruling generals. The whole world witnessed that how cruel the Burmese generals are and their inhuman behavior on dealing with the cyclone victims.

One of my neighbors told me that, “the Burmese generals are not humans, they are low life animals because animals also protect its own kind, and they are not.” His eyes balls were sparkle with tears and his voice was trembling with anger. Even a foreigner can feel the pain of the Burmese people and children and have passion about it but not the cruel generals. It is the history of the SPDC regime. Some day, in the near future we will see them in the International Criminal Court for their “crime against humanity”.

UN and Burma

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Than Shwe failed his telephone calls, so why he goes there to see Than Shwe? It is obvious Than Shwe does not want to talk to him even on the phone. It will turn out as a total rejection from Than Shwe. I see the history repeated by it self. When Burmese UN Secretary General U Thant flew to Burma and trying to meet General Ne Win, he flew to Nagpali Beach to avoid meeting U Thant. When U Thant heard about it , he flew to Ngapali Beach. Ne Win flew back to avoid U Thant. U Thant never had a chance to meet Ne Win..

The only thing Ban need to do is tell the truth directly without fanfare without diplomacy because this kind of regime never respects diplomacy. They only care the dominant force, which is waiting outside Burma reach, the US, France and Great Britain fleets. Ban needs to give a green light to the foreign fleets, which are eager to help Burmese victims with passion and understanding. Ban needs to tell the world that , “the only way to help and save lives of the Burmese cyclone victims is to send the foreign troops immediately”
Then the foreign troops will do their job.
Look at the figures in China 29,000 are confirmed dead and it will rise up to 50,000. In Burma over 100,000 dead and it will be higher but China use 100 helicopters to help, Burma allow nine for two million people. Ban admitted that only 25% of the victims received aids. Time is running out, UN has to act bravely now.

Post Cyclone Era: Problems Stem from Human Disaster

If Than Shwe still afraid of foreign help and block the way to enter legally:
1. More victims will die of diseases and starving
2. Irawaddy paddy field will lost its cultivating season and Burma will face a huge rice crisis in its history. SPDC is mainly thinking of building infrastructure not ordering tools and machines for cultivation. Farmers only have two months to cultivate their rice field on time, if not Burma will slide into rice crisis.
3. ASEAN task force which guide is “ASEAN led Mechanism” will fail miserably which will be known as “ASEAN led Grave yard”.
4. If Ban Ki-Moon is undecided, he will lost his face like former UN special envoy Razali Ismail.
5. People will start looting because of hunger and crimes will sprout every where in the nation.
6. The army will follows its tradition that is “when it shoots, it shoots to the target not in the air”. Many people will die for starvation and gun shot wounds.
7. Tayzar, the regime main financier will get extra billions for his new contract for construction of infrastructure in the delta region.
8. SPDC Generals, Tayza and cronies will illegally confiscating land from victims and dead owners for their own benefit. Some lands and paddy fields will given to USDA members to keep their mouth shut.
9. Orphans will force to recruit as child soldiers and send them to the frontier for the regime’s benefit.

Our Choice

We want The French ship Le Mistral, The frigate HMS Westminster, the American USS Essex. to go inside the disaster regions and help the people without permission from the illegal regime. Then the country will join with them to help the victims freely without fear. Soldiers will abandon their arms and embrace the foreign helpers with friendly hand. Our choice is a better choice; it will save lives millions of it.

Contact numbers
Sasana Moli International Burmese Monks Organization (USA) 718-426-3959
88 Generation Students (Exile) 630-728-4349
Joint Action Committee for Democracy In Burma. (Thailand) 66-894896424
Burma Caucus (Singapore) 65-97988862
Burma Caucus (Malaysia) 017-2071-353
Burma Caucus (Japan) 090-1506-2893
Burma Bureau (Germany) 491735347534