A tragedy of gigantic proportions and probably the worst in living memory, visited Burma when Cyclone Nargis slammed into the coastal regions at wind speeds of 120 miles an hour and tidal waves as high as 12 feet washed away thousands of people, homes and livestock. Over 134,000 people have died. Thousands are missing while 2.5 million refugees roam the desolate rural countryside – without a roof over their heads, hungry without drinking water and with a bleak future.
In a situation such as this, which reminds one of the Tsunami in Asia in December 2004, Indonesia among other countries had reacted with alacrity, seeking the help of the world community in relief and rescue operations. Relief workers were allowed to rush into the country and disaster management experts were at hand to guide rescue and aid workers to do the needful.
Compare this the response of the of the Burmese military junta, somnolent about the people's misery at any given point of time, the Tatmadaw's (Myanmar Military) aloof attitude to the tragedy shocked the world. Frenetic in its preparation for its referendum to approve the draft constitution, the regime supremo Senior General Than Shwe responded to the cyclone warning in a manner which would shock the strongest of hearts. The junta head, the media has reported was told by the chief of Burma's Hydrology and Meteorology Department about the impending cyclone and the path it would take across Burma. He in turn had been warned by the Indian Meteorology Department in New Delhi, India. The Senior General allegedly told the Meteorology head not to issue a warning to the people for it would create panic and jeopardize the referendum. With the military dictatorship hell bent to approve the new constitution seeking to perpetuate and legitimize military rule in the garb of democracy, the danger from the cyclone to the people, was of little concern to the despotic regime. It wanted nothing to upset its neatly arranged apple cart.
The cyclone, heading for Bangladesh changed course and lashed the coastal regions of Burma lying waste the rice bowl in the Irrawaddy Delta and parts of Yangon between May 1 and 2. Unsuspecting, most who had had no warning, were caught unawares. Thousands from villages were washed away by the surging tidal waves along with their cattle. Homes, both thatched and made of bricks were either blown away or reduced to rubble. The fury of the winds uprooted trees and plucked concrete electric poles off the ground. The scale of the destruction was massive.
The role of the junta at this stage needs to be assessed. There was no immediate assessment of the damage caused by the killer cyclone. Instead the regime went full steam ahead with preparations for its referendum. It put up polling booths, and went about systematically garnering supportive vetoes for the draft constitution. It cajoled, intimidated and coerced voters to cast advance vote and of course tick 'Yes'. Even as millions suffered wandering the countryside begging for food and drinking water seeking shelter, the regime went in for the kill in the referendum declaring it had had the support of 92.4 per cent of the 99 per cent eligible voters who turned up on May 10. It perforce had to postpone the referendum in the cyclone ravaged Irrawaddy and Rangoon divisions.
Having predictably got what it wanted, the junta turned its partial attention to the cyclone damage, a week after the havoc had been wrought. And in a criminal act of negligence of its people, began to block relief aid from outside the country. It chose to take what it wanted and tuned away the ones it was suspicious off. In fact in one of its first aggressive overture after the cyclone it turned away an aircraft from Qatar, which was carrying relief material along with 64 aid workers without allowing either the supplies or the men to disembark.
While continuing to block foreign aid workers and specialists, the junta then turned on its own private donors. In the initial stages it stopped private donors who did not belong to the devastated areas demanding identity proof of the region. Then followed unnecessary red tape in relief distribution. And finally the junta circulated word not to throw relief at survivors on roadsides saying that it would weaken their moral fibre and would only come in the way of helping them stand on their feet.
It was only after the United Secretary General Ban ki-moon's visit to the country that the junta relented agreeing to allow access to foreign aid workers in the ravaged regions. Ironically, while private donors were being discouraged the junta was collecting donations forcibly from various sates ostensibly to help cyclone victims. There have been reports of funds being misappropriated.
For instance in Kachin state The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the New Democratic Army – Kachin (NDA-K) who recently supported the junta's referendum, donated 30 million Kyats (US $ 2,667) giving into the demand of Maj-Gen. Ohn Myint, the junta's commander of Kachin State. However, none of the two organizations is certain that the money will reach the victims. So to ensure that the victims get some relief, it sent food, water, clothes and medical supplies worth about 10 million Kyats directly to the cyclone victims. Businessmen have also helped, some under pressure from the junta some voluntarily in many states including Kachin and Arakan two names two.
In Kachin state the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) launched a massive relief mission for cyclone Nargis survivors in the devastated Irrawaddy River Delta in Southern Burma. The MBC is sending food, drinking water, clothes, mosquito nets and medicine daily to nearly 100,000 survivors who desperately need the supplies.
To make sure the survivors do receive it, relief material is being delivered directly to the survivors in the Irrawaddy River Delta areas by ferries, boats and cars from Rangoon.
In comparison, the junta has done precious little. There are still many remote areas where the survivors have not received relief material despite the junta having collected thousand of tones of relief supplies from abroad. The survivors continue to struggle to get out of their misery, many on their own, even as an apathetic junta receives relief supplies selectively.
(The author is a veteran journalist from India and has been in major newspapers as a Reporter, Deputy Chief of Bureau, News Coordinator, Op-ed and Edit writer.)
