Up To 10,000 In Myanmar Cyclone

[filkertom]

And I don't know what's more horrible: that, that the military junta is resisting any foreign aid besides money, or that the US has only kicked in $250,000, which is about twenty-five bucks a body.

As soon as I can find some links to aid agencies that are getting in there, I'll post 'em. If you find 'em first, post 'em here for us.

Comments

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Why was Laura Bush giving the press conference?

It looks like UNICEF has dispatched assessment teams. I'm waiting to see if Doctors Without Borders will be doing something.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

I'm sure on Doctors that they'll try to, if they're allowed in country. The junta is probably terrified to let people in to see what things have been like *before* the storm, or to expose their people to outside views. The stories about their forced labor construction for gas pipelines were pretty nasty before they started in on the monks.
And what do we all think will happen to the money sent there?

[bschilli.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I'd give money to that "government". I don't see it going anywhere except into the pockets of the generals.

Ben

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

You know, at a certain level, none of this is surprising. A cyclone / hurricane was going to hit there eventually, and the country has such poor infrastructure that it was going to be *bad* when it did. I have to think that a large percentage of their population is now without solid shelter; they never have much food or clean water at the best of times. I have to think that the 10,000 number is off. Imagine if New Orleans had had no warning, and no levees, and no SuperDome. It has to be just awful.

I would hold my money, though, until some reliable charity has been allowed to get resources on the ground.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

twistedchick got back to me on the question of who was responding this way:
"...The groups I would suggest checking first are Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=2656) and the American Friends Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org/), both of which have a long record of delivering humanitarian aid inside repressive regimes. Don't just go by what's on the webpage but phone them and ask; in times of crisis webpages aren't always updated as quickly as possible. I see that Doctors Without Borders is already responding..."

problem, Tom

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

is that the government isn't that keen on allowing anyone in to help at all, so maybe it's best to delay until assurances are made that the money and/or materials will get to those who need them?