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HEADLINES
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AP - Myanmar accused of forcing cyclone survivors to toil for food; US Navy ships pull out
AP - Top Myanmar comedian, social activist detained
AP - Rights group: Myanmar exchanging food for labor
AFP - Rights Group Says Burma Targets Civilians in Offensives Against Rebels
AFP - US offers helicopters to Myanmar as navy ships leave
AFP - ASEAN officials see 'difficulties' in Myanmar aid effort
AFP - Southeast Asian team finally enters Myanmar cyclone zone
CNA - Medical team returns after lending aid to Myanmar’s cyclone victims
IANS - Asean deploys assessment team to cyclone-hit areas of Myanmar
The Economic Times - Cabinet clears investment pact with Myanmar
Aljazeera - Saving the children in Myanmar
IRIN - MYANMAR: Targeting assistance to where it is needed most
AI - Cyclone survivors at increased risk because of Myanmar government's actions
Today Online - Fears for mental health of Myanmar cyclone survivors: aid group
Novinite.com - Bulgaria Govt Allocates EUR 150 000 to Help China and Myanmar
Malaysia Sun - UNDP for early recovery activities in Burma
Asia Times - Gates offers reassurance for Asia
The Nation - EDITORIALS: Burma still blocking cyclone aid effort
The Nation - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - A death sentence and the prolongation of misery
Mizzima News - Son of top army general arrested for alleged drug trafficking
DVB News - Bogalay residents accuse authorities of selling aid

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Myanmar accused of forcing cyclone survivors to toil for food; US Navy ships pull out
AP - Thursday, June 5

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military regime has forced cyclone survivors to do menial labor in exchange for food and has stepped up a campaign to evict the homeless from aid shelters, an international human rights group said Thursday.

London-based Amnesty International also said authorities in several cyclone-hit areas continue to divert aid despite the junta's pledge to crack down on the problem weeks ago.

"Unless human rights safeguards are observed, tens of thousands of people remain at risk," Amnesty said in a report released Thursday. "Respect for human rights must be at the center of the relief effort."

More than a month after the storm, many people in stricken areas still have not received any aid and the military regime continues to impose constraints on international rescue efforts, human rights groups say.

U.S. Navy ships laden with relief supplies steamed away from Myanmar's coast Thursday, their helicopters barred by the ruling junta even though millions of cyclone survivors need food, shelter or medical care.

The USS Essex group, which includes four ships, 22 helicopters and 5,000 U.S. military personnel, had been off the Myanmar coast for more than three weeks hoping for a green light to deliver aid to the survivors.

"The ruling military junta in Burma have done nothing to convince us that they intend to reverse their deliberate decision to deny much needed aid to the people of Burma," Lt. Denver Applehans said in an e-mail from the flotilla.

"Based on this, the decision was made to continue with previous operational commitments, " Applehans said.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S. had made "at least 15 attempts" to convince the generals to allow them to deliver aid directly to victims in affected areas.

The government says Cyclone Nargis killed 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.

Amnesty's report cites 40 accounts of Myanmar soldiers or local officials having confiscated, diverted or otherwise misused aid intended for cyclone survivors since the storm hit on May 2-3.

Although the junta has granted greater access to the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta, "recent incidents of corruption and diversion of aid suggest a potentially serious threat to effective distribution of aid," the report said.

Most of the cases that were cited involved authorities confiscating aid from private donors or arresting them for refusing to hand the aid over.

A major U.N. agency on Monday, however, caught junta officials trying to divert their aid after the officials insisted on accompanying the U.N. workers who were delivering it, Amnesty spokesman Benjamin Zawacki told a news conference in Bangkok. He declined to give additional details.

The report also cites several cases of forced labor in exchange for food in the delta.

In mid-May, people near the hard-hit delta township of Bogale were forced to "break rocks and level a field" to construct a helicopter landing pad in exchange for biscuits sent by the U.N.'s World Food Program, the report said.

Others in Bogale were given rice soup and shelter on condition that they cleared debris and built an official camp, the report said, adding that authorities told displaced survivors in nearby Labutta they would not receive food unless they worked.

Meanwhile, a campaign to kick homeless survivors out of temporary shelters in schools, monasteries and public buildings appears to have intensified.

"Movement has been increasingly widespread geographically, " Zawacki said. "It violates the human rights of those people to food, to shelter, to health and, perhaps, the right to life."

The junta, which explicitly rejected the use of foreign military helicopters in the relief effort, still has not authorized the entry of nine civilian helicopters flying on behalf of the U.N. World Food Program, though they have been sitting in neighboring Thailand since last week.

Restrictions on visa and travel permission for foreign workers, as well as on entry of some equipment, continue to hamper the aid effort, despite a pledge made almost two weeks ago by junta leader Senior
Gen. Than Shwe to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon to allow foreign aid workers free access to devastated areas.

"The small number of visas and the short duration of travel permits for access" into the delta area "continue to impose serious constraints on the effectiveness of overall operations," the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

Out of the 2.4 million people affected, only 1.3 million survivors have so far been reached with assistance by local and international humanitarian groups, the Red Cross and the U.N., said the U.N's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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Top Myanmar comedian, social activist detained
AP - Thursday, June 5

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's most popular comedian, known for his jibes against the military regime and recently for helping cyclone victims, has been taken from his home by police, family members said Thursday.

Maung Thura _ better known by his stage name of Zarganar _ was taken into custody Wednesday night by police after they searched his house, the family said. He had just returned from the cyclone-shattered Irrawaddy delta where he had been donating relief items to survivors.

Zarganar, who has been imprisoned several times, is known to suffer from hypertension and other ailments.

In an interview earlier this week, Zarganar said he and more than 400 entertainers in Myanmar had volunteered to aid victims of Cyclone Nargis, making numerous trips to the delta to help some of the more than 2 million victims of the May 2-3 storm.

Zarganar, 46, was last arrested and held for three weeks for providing food and other necessities to Buddhist monks who spearheaded anti-government protests in Yangon last September.

His comedy routines are banned for their jokes about the junta that rules Myanmar, also known as Burma.

"Burmese people love to laugh. But if I can't speak, jokes will still spread. The people will make them up themselves," he told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview.

Myanmar's military, which has held power since 1962, could not immediately be reached for comment. The ruling junta brooks no dissent and has frequently arrested artists and entertainers regarded as opposing their regime, even those making seemingly innocuous wisecracks.

Two of the Mustache Brothers, a trio of comedians, were sentenced to five years of hard labor in 1996 after making fun of the country's ruling generals. A campaign by the London-based rights group Amnesty International later helped secure their release.

Zarganar, whose name means "tweezers," is also a successful producer, director, writer and actor. He also works as a dentist to pay bills.

He was first arrested in 1988 for his political activities and again for helping his mother _ a member of the opposition National League for Democracy _ during her campaign for the May 1990 general elections. The NLD, the party of detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, swept those elections, but the military regime refused to give up power.

In an interview this week with the Thailand-based magazine Irrawaddy, Zarganar said that since May 27 he had been to every township in the delta struck by the cyclone except one.

Some areas, he said, had neither been reached by the government nor international relief agencies. He and his group distributed food, blankets, mosquito nets and other emergency aid.

Zarganar said that his group sometimes had "confrontations with authorities" during the trips.

Earlier, other Myanmar entertainers had complained that authorities want all aid to be distributed through official channels rather than by private individuals and groups.

The U.N. has estimated 2.4 million people are in need of food, shelter or medical care as a result of the storm, which the government said killed 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.

Myanmar's regime has been sharply criticized by the international community for its inept handling of the disaster and for barring foreign aid workers from the delta. The ban was later officially lifted but aid agencies still report holdups and foot-dragging by the regime.

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Rights group: Myanmar exchanging food for labor
AP - Friday, June 6

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military regime has forced cyclone survivors to do menial labor in exchange for food and stepped up a campaign to evict displaced citizens from aid shelters, an international human rights group said Thursday.

London-based Amnesty International also said authorities in several cyclone-hit areas continue to divert aid despite the junta's pledge to crack down on the problem weeks ago.

"Unless human rights safeguards are observed, tens of thousands of people remain at risk," Amnesty said in a report released Thursday. "Respect for human rights must be at the center of the relief effort."

More than a month after the storm, many people in stricken areas still have not received any aid and the military regime continues to impose constraints on international rescue efforts, human rights groups say.

U.S. Navy ships laden with relief supplies steamed away from Myanmar's coast Thursday, their helicopters barred by the ruling junta even though millions of cyclone survivors need food, shelter or medical care.

The USS Essex group, which includes four ships, 22 helicopters and 5,000 U.S. military personnel, had been off the Myanmar coast for more than three weeks hoping for a green light to deliver aid to the survivors.

"The ruling military junta in Burma have done nothing to convince us that they intend to reverse their deliberate decision to deny much needed aid to the people of Burma," Lt. Denver Applehans said in an e-mail from the flotilla.

"Based on this, the decision was made to continue with previous operational commitments, " Applehans said.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said in a statement Wednesday that the United States had made "at least 15 attempts" to convince the generals to allow them to deliver aid directly to victims in affected areas.

The government says Cyclone Nargis killed 78,000 people and left another 56,000 missing.

Amnesty's report cites 40 accounts of Myanmar soldiers or local officials having confiscated, diverted or otherwise misused aid intended for cyclone survivors since the storm hit on May 2-3.

Although the junta has granted greater access to the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta, "recent incidents of corruption and diversion of aid suggest a potentially serious threat to effective distribution of aid," the report said.

Most of the cases that were cited involved authorities confiscating aid from private donors or arresting them for refusing to hand the aid over.

A major U.N. agency on Monday, however, caught junta officials trying to divert their aid after the officials insisted on accompanying the U.N. workers who were delivering it, Amnesty spokesman Benjamin Zawacki told a news conference in Bangkok. He declqined to give additional details.

The report also cites several cases of forced labor in exchange for food in the delta.

In mid-May, people near the hard-hit delta township of Bogale were forced to "break rocks and level a field" to construct a helicopter landing pad in exchange for biscuits sent by the U.N.'s World Food Program, the report said.

Others in Bogale were given rice soup and shelter on condition they cleared debris and built an official camp, the report said, adding that authorities told displaced survivors in nearby Labutta they would not receive food unless they worked.

Meanwhile, a campaign to kick homeless survivors out of temporary shelters in schools, monasteries and public buildings appears to have intensified.

"Movement has been increasingly widespread geographically, " Zawacki said. "It violates the human rights of those people to food, to shelter, to health and, perhaps, the right to life."

The junta, which explicitly rejected the use of foreign military helicopters in the relief effort, still has not authorized the entry of nine civilian helicopters flying on behalf of the U.N. World Food Program, though they have been sitting in neighboring Thailand since last week.

Restrictions on visa and travel permission for foreign workers, as well as on entry of some equipment, continue to hamper the aid effort, despite a pledge made almost two weeks ago by junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon to allow foreign aid workers free access to devastated areas, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Of the 2.4 million people affected, only 1.3 million survivors have so far been reached with assistance by local and international humanitarian groups, the Red Cross and the U.N., said the U.N's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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Rights Group Says Burma Targets Civilians in Offensives Against Rebels

BANGKOK, June 5, 2008 (AFP) - Myanmar's regime is committing crimes against humanity by targeting civilians during its military offensive against ethnic rebels, a human rights group said in a report released Thursday.

The junta has been battling Karen National Union (KNU) rebels in the eastern regions for decades, but Amnesty International said the latest push against the KNU had been particularly punishing.

Amnesty, which is based in Britain, said 147,800 people have been internally displaced in the affected regions of Karen State and eastern Bago Division since the offensive began two-and-a-half years ago.

Civilians living in the areas affected have been subjected to abuses including torture, forced labour, killings, arbitrary arrest and the destruction of homes, villages, farmland and food stocks, Amnesty said.

"Civilian Karen villagers told Amnesty International of living in fear for their lives, dignity, and property," the report said.

"Such violations were described as directed at civilians, simply on account of their Karen ethnicity or location in Karen majority areas, or retribution for activities by (KNU armed wing) the KNLA," it added.

"These violations constitute crimes against humanity," Amnesty said.

The group called on Myanmar's junta to immediately halt any abuses against civilians, investigate any allegations of violations of international law, and compensate the victims of its ongoing offensive.

Amnesty also said the United Nations Security Council should impose an arms embargo on Myanmar.

The KNU is one of the few remaining ethnic insurgent groups yet to sign a peace deal with the junta. Myanmar, under military rule since 1962, has signed ceasefires with 17 other ethnic armed groups.

About 100,000 Karen refugees already live in camps along Thailand's border with Myanmar. Many of them have been there for more than 20 years.

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US offers helicopters to Myanmar as navy ships leave

BANGKOK, June 5, 2008 (AFP) - US helicopters and small boats are still ready to help deliver cyclone aid to Myanmar, a US official said Thursday, after the regime rejected US navy ships laden with emergency supplies.

Four US Navy ships, which had idled off Myanmar's coast since May 13, left for the Gulf of Thailand on Thursday after the ruling junta refused to accept aid from foreign militaries.

Lieutenant General John Goodman, commander of Marine forces Pacific, said that even though the USS Essex group was leaving, the United States was still ready to offer other equipment for the cyclone relief effort.

"The US maintains its offer to support the distribution efforts of the Burmese government and the international community," Goodman said in a statement, refering to the country by its former name.

"This distribution support includes the use of helicopters currently in Thailand, and if requested, the landing craft from the amphibious ships to assist the world community in the distribution of relief supplies to relieve suffering."

More than one month after the cyclone left 133,000 dead or missing, the United Nations estimates more than one million people still have not received any international assistance.

Myanmar has accused the United States of offering aid with unspecified "strings attached."

"Our offer has been without strings, and it has never included bringing US Navy ships into their ports," said Goodman. "Unfortunately those offers of support have yet to be accepted."

US military C-130 cargo planes are still delivering supplies to Yangon from Thailand, the statement said.

The United States has flown 116 flights delivering more than 2.2 million pounds of relief supplies, it added.

Goodman said Washington had repeatedly offered helicopters and surface craft to support the relief efforts in the devastated Irrawaddy Delta, where many villages are not reachable by road.

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ASEAN officials see 'difficulties' in Myanmar aid effort
AFP - Friday, June 6

YANGON, June 5, 2008 (AFP) - The team of Southeast Asian experts that arrived Thursday in Myanmar faces a difficult mission to find ways to deliver aid to one million hungry and homeless cyclone victims, ASEAN officials said.

The 200-strong team of experts from the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began flying into the Irrawaddy Delta, which suffered the most when Cyclone Nargis struck nearly five weeks ago.

One ASEAN official said the team "will try to get full access and all efforts are being made to reach the victims."

The team will "do all it can to ensure that the window of opportunity for aid will be made wider," the official added.

But when asked if Myanmar's military authorities were cooperating fully with the aid effort, the official said: "How can I fully answer that without hurting the mission?"

The ASEAN team is working under a tripartite arrangement with the United Nations and the Myanmar government.

One Southeast Asian diplomat here said the team would finish its work by month's end, although ASEAN says its findings will only be released in mid-July.

"We expect them to meet a lot of difficulties, with many parts of the delta remaining physically difficult to reach by road or boats," the diplomat said.

"We are hoping we may be able to fill in the gaps, although we realise there is a big void in terms of aid to be filled."

The deployment of the assessment team comes a day after the United States gave up trying to convince the junta to allow aid-laden warships stationed off the devastated southern delta to deliver their vital supplies.

Cyclone Nargis left more than 133,000 people dead or missing when it smashed into the country formally known as Burma, but the secretive military regime has severely limited access for foreign relief workers.

The United Nations estimates that of the 2.4 million survivors in need of food and shelter, 1.1 million have received no foreign aid.

International relief agencies have been desperately appealing to the junta to remove obstacles and allow them to do their job amid fears of many more deaths from disease and hunger in the months ahead.

ASEAN has also come under criticism for its slow response to the storm and its apparent unwillingness to pressure the rulers of member state Myanmar over a humanitarian issue in the face of such a catastrophe.

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Southeast Asian team finally enters Myanmar cyclone zone
AFP - Friday, June 6

YANGON (AFP) - - Southeast Asian aid experts flew into Myanmar's devastated Irrawaddy Delta on Thursday for a mission to assess cyclone damage, but US navy ships sailed away -- laden with supplies rejected by the junta.

Nearly five weeks after Cyclone Nargis hit, leaving 133,000 dead or missing, the first members of the joint ASEAN-UN "Emergency Rapid Assessment Team" flew by helicopter into the shattered towns of Labutta and Pyapon.

The 200-strong team of aid experts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations will later begin moving into remote areas of the delta, where entire villages were washed away in the storm, ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement.

Their final findings will not be reported until mid-July, even as the United Nations estimates that one million hungry and homeless survivors have yet to receive any international assistance.

Myanmar's regime sparked international outrage by sealing off the delta for three weeks after the cyclone hit on May 2-3.

Now the military leadership has allowed some foreign aid workers into the region, a maze of swollen rivers and swamps that even in the best of times is inaccessible by road.

Myanmar has agreed in theory for 10 helicopters from the World Food Programme to ferry supplies into the region, but so far only one is actually flying.

The junta has rejected help from US, French and British warships. Four US ships left the area on Thursday, after three weeks of trying to convince the regime to accept their aid.

Lieutenant General John Goodman, commander of Marine forces Pacific, said that even though the USS Essex group was leaving, the United States was still ready to offer Myanmar helicopters and landing craft from the amphibious ships.

Myanmar has accused the United States of offering aid with unspecified "strings attached." The generals -- always suspicious of the outside world -- have long harbored fears of a US invasion.

"Our offer has been without strings, and it has never included bringing US Navy ships into their ports," Goodman said. "Unfortunately those offers of support have yet to be accepted."

Junta leader Than Shwe agreed nearly two weeks ago to allow foreign aid workers into the delta, but international agencies say access remains patchy.

Buddhist monks and volunteers are the most visible leaders of the relief effort, ferrying sacks of rice, clothes and medicine into the delta.

Myanmar's most famous comedian, Zaganar , who has been leading deliveries of aid to survivors of Cyclone Nargis, has been arrested at his Yangon home, a relative said Thursday.

The regime agreed for Southeast Asian nations to coordinate the relief effort, and Surin said that the next two weeks would be "crucial for building international confidence in this joint mission" between ASEAN, the UN and the Myanmar government.

On the ground, hundreds of thousands of desperate survivors have been left to fend for themselves, cobbling together whatever shelter they can find to survive the daily monsoon rains while scavenging for food.

Jon Mitchell, Myanmar director of the charity CARE, said he recently visited the remote delta village of Kan Phar, where 4,000 people once lived. Only 800 remain, he said.

"We asked them what they had been eating before aid arrived. All of their rice stocks had been destroyed. They told us they were either collecting coconuts or eating spoiled rice to survive," Mitchell said.

Private donors from Yangon and other towns have tried to fill the gap by delivering aid themselves, but some say security forces have turned them away.

A top figure in the local aid effort, Myanmar comedian Zaganar, was arrested late Wednesday at his Yangon home, a relative said Thursday.

Zaganar had been briefly detained during anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks last year. Those ended with a junta crackdown which left at least 31 people dead, the United Nations has said.

Myanmar analyst Aung Naing Oo said in Thailand that Zaganar was likely arrested for producing videos showing the true extent of the devastation, with graphic images of dead bodies still lying in fields.

"The situation is pretty grim everywhere," Aung Naing Oo said.

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Medical team returns after lending aid to Myanmar’s cyclone victims
Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 52 minutes ago

SINGAPORE: A Singapore medical team sent to Myanmar to provide aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis returned home on Thursday.

The team — 13 doctors and nurses from the Ministry of Health, and ten medical volunteers from charities Mercy Relief and Red Cross — spent two weeks in Myanmar.

The team attended to patients with respiratory ailments, skin infections and gastroenteritis.

Initially based in a town called Twan Te, which is about an hour’s drive from Yangon, the team later extended its services to Kayin Chaung, which was previously inaccessible.

Medical staff in the team said they saw 600 patients a day in the last week of May, up from the initial 200.

They also attended to non—cyclone patients for injuries and chronic diseases.

The team also faced some challenges including mental and physical fatigue from the heavy patient workload.

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IANS - Asean deploys assessment team to cyclone-hit areas of Myanmar
Thu, Jun 5 12:30 PM

Jakarta, June 5 (DPA) The Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Thursday deployed a 200-member team to the cyclone hit areas of Myanmar to begin a full assessment of the damage and the urgent needs of the victims, officials said Thursday.

The Asean-UN-Myanmar Tripartite Core Group agreed that after two days of intense briefing for their team, they are now ready to move into the cyclone stricken remote delta areas, Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary-general of Asean said in a statement.

'We will begin with two advance teams being ferried by World Food Programme's helicopter to two main townships of Labutta and Pyapon,' secretary-general added.

The assessment team will comprise members from the Asean countries, UN agencies and the Myanmar government, the statement said.

An Asean roundtable is expected to take place June 24 in Yangon with full participation of the Asean Humanitarian Task Force (AHTF) which will have its own third meeting on the next day, for an 'emergency response and recovery,' the statement said.

'This is important in view of the fact that Asean itself needs to build our capacity to prepare for similar emergencies in the future,' he said, adding that the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are supporting Asean for this exercise.

UN officials estimate more than 77,000 have been killed and 55,000 others are missing since cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar May 2 and May 3.

Cyclone Nargis left an estimated 2.4 million people in need of food, shelter or medical care. The UN said some 1.3 million have received assistance.

Asean members include Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Cabinet clears investment pact with Myanmar
The Economic Times
5 Jun, 2008, 1911 hrs IST, AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: Cabinet cleared on Thursday the signing of a decade-long investment pact with military-ruled Myanmar, part of efforts to woo its energy-rich neighbour.

The agreement comes amid sharp criticism by the global community of Myanmar's cyclone relief efforts and longstanding international calls for India to pressure the junta-ruled nation to shift to democracy.

Country was until the mid-1990s a big supporter of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. But it has since cultivated ties with the junta as it sees Myanmar as an important source of energy to power fast economic growth.

"The union cabinet gave its approval to the bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement with the government of Myanmar and its ratification, " Information Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters in New Delhi.

The pact will be valid for a decade, Dasmunsi said. Last month's cyclone in Myanmar left 133,000 people dead or missing. US Senator Joe Lieberman has called on Asian giants China and India to do more to pressure Yangon's military rulers to bring about democratic reforms.

Country in particular could use leverage from its close proximity and economic contacts to influence the junta, Lieberman said last month.

However, New Delhi has consistently opposed economic sanctions as unhelpful in pressuring Myanmar to improve its human rights record, although it says it is urging democratic reforms.

Bilateral trade between India and Myanmar totalled $ 590 million in 2005-2006, the latest figures available, according to the Indian foreign ministry.

In April, the two sides signed an accord under which New Delhi would invest $130 million in Myanmar's Sittwe port on the Bay of Bengal that will give India's northeast access to a new trade route to Southeast Asia.

Last year, New Delhi also pledged to invest 150 million dollars for gas exploration in Myanmar.

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Saving the children in Myanmar
Aljazeera - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 04, 2008
By Shaista Aziz, aid worker from Save the Children

I have been in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, for two weeks but I have lost all track of time as the hours and days have become a hazy blur.

My eyes are stinging due to a lack of sleep and the debilitating effect of the persistent humidity.

My colleagues who have been responding to the humanitarian needs of the people since the cyclone hit on May 2 are beyond feeling exhausted – they are running on empty.

But the aid workers here are motivated by the immense need on the ground and this is at the forefront of our concerns every day.

Save the Children's relief teams are slowly getting aid into the eastern and western Irrawady Delta in southern Myanmar, the region worst hit by the cyclone.

A few days ago a team of seven Burmese aid workers returned to Yangon after spending several days accessing remote villages by boat in the western delta with vital aid supplies.
Scenes of horror

My colleague looked visibly moved describing the scenes of horror that he found. He said entire villages along the delta were now empty of people. Survivors in some villages described in detail how the awesome power of Nargis had sucked in people and communities and spat them out into the rising waters of the delta. 

They did not stand a chance. Another team of Burmese aid workers - the real unsung heroes of this disaster - are due to return from the delta tomorrow.

The team has been delivering water, food, medicines, blankets and plastic sheeting to survivors.

We are scaling up the aid operation as more aid supplies are purchased in the country and more aid arrives from outside the country.

At present we have 260 Burmese aid workers working in the delta. Some international aid workers, including a health specialist and a logistician responsible for getting aid supplies into the affected areas, have been granted visas to work in the delta.

It is very challenging getting aid into the worst affected areas as they can only be reached by boat and the heavy monsoon rain makes working conditions for us and living conditions for the survivors difficult.

Focusing on children

Almost half of Myanmar's population are children and in the aftermath of Nargis, they make up some 40 per cent of the deaths. They also account for nearly half of the survivors.

For Save the Children, it is these youngest victims that have been the focus of our work and as in most emergencies they are the most vulnerable.

At the same time aid workers are gathering detailed information about the needs of children. We estimate that 30,000 children were acutely malnourished before the cyclone struck in the delta.

We are distributing emergency food rations but we are also working out how we will meet the long-term needs of survivors. Our initial assessments tell us that at least 2000 children have become separated from their families – this could be because their parents have died or because they have temporarily lost them in the aftermath of the disaster.

This makes children incredibly vulnerable and our child protection experts are in the field working out how we can set up systems to ensure that children remain safe.

In the coming weeks aid workers will try and locate the parents and reunite them with their children. This is one of the happy endings that we are always hoping for.

Save the Children is particularly concerned about reports of lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea and the high risk from malaria and dengue fever that make children particularly susceptible. We expect that pregnant women survivors are very vulnerable with poor access to safe deliveries and neonatal care.

We have estimated that our response to cyclone Nargis will continue for at least three years.

Cocooned from disaster

As a foreigner I am confined to Yangon where I am supporting the work that my colleagues are carrying out in the field. It has been hard to get a feel in Yangon of how much devastation Nargis has wrought elsewhere in the country, but there are reminders everywhere with trees that were ripped out of the ground and overturned in the cities parks and advertising boards dangling off mounted frames.

I have worked on in Banda Aceh, Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan and the 2006 war on Lebanon, but in all these areas I had the freedom to move around and work with aid teams on the ground.

Here in Yangon I have been forced to adapt to working in a different method and it is humbling listening to the frontline aid workers as they come back from the field and update us on how Save the Children's response is developing.

Unfortunately, in the midst of tragedy, enterprising locals have made some logistical planning for aid workers rather challenging. A local mobile phone sim card, which is extremely valuable for aid workers in the field comes, at a premium price - $3,000.

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MYANMAR: Targeting assistance to where it is needed most

BANGKOK, 5 June 2008 (IRIN) - With more than US$260 million committed or pledged to relief efforts in Myanmar, UN agencies and the humanitarian community are taking steps to ensure their assistance is well targeted.

In all countries where there is internal conflict and political tensions between ethnic or religious groups, getting assistance to where it is most needed is a challenge, according to UN officials. In Myanmar this is especially so, given sparse public services and infrastructure.

The problem is exacerbated in the cyclone-devastated country because of weak local humanitarian capacity and the need to inject large amounts of external resources quickly into unfamiliar areas.

The most effective way for the UN, NGOs and donors to monitor the delivery of relief supplies is to gain unhindered access to affected areas, particularly the delta, according to US Charge D'Affaires at the US Embassy in Yangon, the former Burmese capital, Shari Villarosa.

"The UN and NGOs already working in the area have tried to put into place monitoring measures for the assistance they have received," Villarosa said, noting, however, that they did not have any information on assistance given to the government and where and to whom it had been distributed.

"We urge the government to share this information with other donors to gather a more complete picture," she said.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said it, like other international donors, provided direct funding to partner NGOs, which are well established in Myanmar and have memos of understanding with the authorities.

Similarly, the UK Department for International Development' s Sarah Saxton said: "Our aid is going only to the UN, Red Cross and NGOs, not directly to the government. We are funding these organisations as they have a good track record of delivery in Burma. We have in place the usual monitoring mechanisms," including financial reports and written reports explaining what activities have been undertaken and what impact they have had.

"This means we can make sure the aid we spend is being used in the best possible way. We have confidence in the monitoring mechanisms of these partners to ensure that aid reaches those who need it," she said.

As of 4 June, a total of $153,636,162 had been committed to relief operations in Myanmar, with a further $107,996,656 pledged. Of these total contributions, $82.4 million has been committed to projects and activities outlined in the UN Flash Appeal. An additional $50.9 million has been pledged. The UN Flash Appeal for Myanmar currently requests $201 million and is covered at 40.8 percent. More than 20 UN agencies and NGOs have requested funding through the appeal.

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Myanmar: Cyclone survivors at increased risk because of Myanmar government's actions
Amnesty International
PRESS RELEASE
June, 05 2008

Myanmar’s government is stepping up efforts to force survivors of Cyclone Nargis out of emergency shelters and is keeping aid from reaching them, according to new research published by Amnesty International today. The government’s actions place tens of thousands of already vulnerable survivors at increased risk of death, disease and hunger.

On 20 May, Myanmar’s government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), announced an end to the rescue and relief phase of the disaster response and the beginning of the reconstruction phase. Since then, the SPDC has launched a campaign to force homeless cyclone survivors out of government and unofficial resettlement camps.

The authorities have targeted schools and monasteries, as both were used as polling stations for the delayed May constitutional referendum, and because the school term began on 2 June.

Most of the displaced survivors cannot return to their original homes as large swathes of the Irrawaddy delta, which bore the brunt of the cyclone, remain largely uninhabitable.

“After surviving the cyclone’s fury, thousands of cyclone survivors are now suffering at the hands of the SPDC,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International' s Myanmar researcher.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, including eye witness accounts and interviews with people with first-hand information from cyclone-hit areas, Amnesty International’ s findings underscore the urgent need for the SPDC as well as international donors to adopt human rights standards as safeguards in the disaster response.

Amnesty International is also concerned about aid delivery. On 16 May, the SPDC mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar pledged to “conduct investigation into the cases [of misappropriation of aid] to expose the offenders and take punitive action against them in accordance with the law.” Amnesty International welcomes such steps and calls on the SPDC to strictly monitor the distribution of aid by its officials and to investigate any allegations of theft, abuse of power or other diversion of aid.

“Given the SPDC’s long track record of abuses, humanitarian agencies should be especially alert to SPDC diverting or obstructing their aid,” said Zawacki, who has been in the region for the past month gathering information from the affected areas.

Amnesty International has confirmed more than 30 instances and accounts of people being forcibly removed from emergency shelters in monasteries, schools and other places.

In the last two weeks, the relocation campaign has become more systematic and widespread. The authorities have forcibly relocated people out of Maungmya, Maubin, Pyapon, and Labutta, where they had been originally displaced, further south back to their original villages.

Of the 45 camps that existed in Pyapon, by 28 May only three remained. On 23 May authorities in Yangon forcibly removed more than 3,000 cyclone survivors from an official camp in Shwebaukan in North Dagon Myo Thit, and from an unofficial camp in State High School No. 2 in Dala township.

Abuses also include confiscation and misuse of aid. Amnesty International has received over 40 reports or accounts of aid being confiscated by government officials, diverted or withheld instead of being handed to cyclone survivors.

Despite statements against such conduct by senior SPDC leadership, local officials can act with impunity. For example, Amnesty International received eyewitness testimony that on 26 May, at the Pan Hlaing bridge in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar township, Police Major U Luu Win stopped 48 trucks carrying supplies from private Myanmar donors. As of 1 June, the police had not released the trucks.

Background

Cyclone Nargis, devastated the Irrawaddy delta on 2 and 3 May 2008, killing tens of thousands of people. More than 130,000 people are believed to be dead or missing and 2.4 million have been seriously affected, many left without essential food, shelter or healthcare. A month after the cyclone, the United Nations announced that it has only been able to provide aid to 40 per cent of the survivors.

The crisis in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis is occurring against a backdrop of grave and longstanding human rights violations. The SPDC currently holds over 1,850 political prisoners in poor conditions. Nearly all key political activists languish behind bars or in hiding. Critics of government policy are routinely harassed, threatened and arrested. For over two years in eastern Myanmar, the army has waged a continuous offensive targeting ethnic Karen civilians in which it has engaged in widespread torture, forced labour, and forcible displacement.

For more information please call Amnesty International' s press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org

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Fears for mental health of Myanmar cyclone survivors: aid group
Today Online
Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 5-Jun-2008 06:57 hrs

People affected by cyclone Nargis stand on boats prior to traveling back to their devastated villages in the southwest Irrawaddy Delta, in the town of Labutta on June 3. Survivors of Myanmar's cyclone are plagued by visions of their lost loved ones and fears of further disaster as they try to summon the energy to rebuild their lives, a medical aid group said Wednesday.

Survivors of Myanmar's cyclone are plagued by visions of their lost loved ones and fears of further disaster as they try to summon the energy to rebuild their lives, a medical aid group said Wednesday.

Of the 2.4 million people affected by the cyclone which hit May 2-3, many remain in need of food, shelter and clean water, but Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said many were also losing the will to survive.

Kaz de Jong, one of MSF's mental health specialists, said about 40 percent of the people assessed by their 43 medical teams in Myanmar's disaster zone were showing signs of mental health problems.

"There are a lot of people who are very sad, very anxious, people have difficulties sleeping at night, they wake up, afraid that something may happen," he said.

"They're reliving the moments of the disaster, seeing the last images of their relatives coming back in their dreams."

As the floodwaters recede from villages and the vital rice-planting season begins, now is the most critical time for rebuilding efforts.

But many have lost the will to work, de Jong explained, recounting the story of one woman whose family died in the storm.

"She said 'you know, we are all worried about rice, but we are also worried about people having the motivation to eat it. My life is not worth living. I have lost all my family members'," de Jong told reporters.

"That's part of the problem -- you can deal with a lot of practical problems but people also need support to reconstruct their life and make it worth living," he added.

Orphaned children and the elderly who have lost their families are particularly at risk, with children lacking the motivation to play, he said.

Cycone Nargis left more than 133,000 people dead or missing.

MSF has set up mental health programmes in temporary camps to try to combat inertia setting in among traumatised communities.

Monks are being asked to teach villagers to meditate to help overcome their sadness and lack of motivation, while those grieving are advised to share their problems and set aside a part of each day to think about those they have lost.

Community health workers are to be trained in seeking out the most vulnerable people and monitoring their mental health, while trained counsellors would be brought in, he said. — AFP

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Bulgaria Govt Allocates EUR 150 000 to Help China and Myanmar
Novinite.com
5 June 2008, Thursday

The Bulgarian cabinet decided Thursday to allocate EUR 150 000 as aid to China and Myanmar in order to help them deal with the consequences of the natural calamities that recently hit the two Asian countries.

China whose province Sechuan was shattered by 7,9-degree earthquake is to receive EUR 100 000 from Bulgaria. The remaining EUR 50 000 will be allocated for the relief efforts in Myanmar, which was hit badly by the Nargis Cyclone.

The funds for the relief in China will be transferred to the Chinese authorities, whereas those destined to Myanmar, which is ruled by a military junta stalling the relief efforts, will be channeled through an appropriate multilateral mechanism within the UN or the EU structure.

The government money to be allocated to the relief efforts in the two Asian countries are to come from the state budget funds designated for official development aid.

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UNDP for early recovery activities in Burma  
Malaysia Sun - Wednesday 4th June, 2008

New York, June 4 :(ANI) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today presented a comprehensive early recovery package aimed at immediately re-establishing livelihoods for communities in Burmese villages.

This initiative will run parallel to the ongoing humanitarian operations in the cyclone-hit Ayeyarwady Delta region and bring together the expertise and resources of multiple UN agencies to deliver as one.

The early recovery basic services package comprises a combination of cash grants for immediate livelihoods support and cash-for-work schemes for rehabilitating social infrastructure.

The package will directly benefit 20,000 households, or about 100,000 cyclone survivors, in 250 priority villages.

The villages were selected based on the urgency of needs, taking into consideration the participating agencies' initial funding constraints. The package will enable the beneficiaries to resume their income generating activities in agriculture, poultry, fishery, homestead gardening, small trades and commercial and professional services in the next six months.

Simultaneously, this will build the foundation from which they can achieve more sustainable livelihoods.

UNDP's policy advisor, Shafique Rahman, said: "Early recovery starts from day one. The basic services package is an innovative model that provides essential support to revive and recover the villages. It can be rapidly implemented and easily replicated by other partners."

The inter-agency collaboration built into the package expands on an earlier agreement to assist farmers for the monsoon planting season. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) will provide paddy seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and power tillers, among other inputs.

UNDP will deliver these items to the farming households using its long-established distribution network. This will enable crop cultivation in 37,500 acres of farmland over the next six months. UNDP will also work together with the International Organisation of Migration and the UN's Children's Fund, UNICEF, in order to provide shelter materials.

"This will empower the survivors," said Hla Myint Hpu, consultant who has conducted needs assessment for the project.

"People want to keep their dignity; they want help to rebuild their livelihood and get back on their feet," Hpu added

UNDP, using its community mobility capacity, will set up village sub-stations with community development facilitators to monitor implementation. The outcome of this initiative will be closely monitored at township level to adjust the early recovery strategy, so that it reflects the fluid situation on the ground.

The UN agency coordination at the township level will further facilitate consolidated reporting of the outcome. The outcome analysis will ensure that the agencies can develop a new form of continued assistance, making sure the beneficiaries achieve sustainable livelihoods and more villages receive assistance in coming weeks.

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Gates offers reassurance for Asia
Asia Times - Jun 6, 2008
By Ralph A Cossa

The United States is a "resident" power in Asia that has been and will remain fully engaged in the region and both supportive of and involved in the development of any regional security architecture.

This was the central message delivered by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this past weekend. Press coverage has focused on his "subtle warnings" to China and blunt comments about Myanmar, but the real message was one of reassurance of continued US commitment to the region.

This was clearly underscored by Gates' three main points: the US is "a Pacific nation with an enduring role in Asia"; Washington stands "for openness, against exclusivity" ; and that the future

policy of any new US administration will remain "grounded in the fact that the United States remains a nation with strong and enduring interests in the region".

As one would expect, he pointed to Washington's five alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand as "the foundation of our security presence", adding that they were "enabled and strengthened by our relationships with partners and friends".

He stressed the important role of America's military presence, in Guam and in the region, as a signal of continued commitment and the ability "to respond quickly to a number of contingencies" .

Unlike the speeches of his predecessor, Gates barely mentioned China by name and when he did, it was generally in complimentary or sympathetic terms. He praised Beijing's "valued cooperation" on Korean Peninsula denuclearization and noted the increased level of engagement (including inauguration of a Defense Telephone Link) between the two militaries, while extending condolences over the tragic loss of life during the Sichuan earthquake.

More obliquely (but with China clearly in mind), he acknowledged regional worries about rising demand for resources and about "coercive diplomacy" and called for "more military openness in military modernization in Asia". He cited the advanced notification and open manner in which the US shot down a defunct satellite in February as an example of US military transparency; the comparison with China's antisatellite test last year was obvious, even if left unsaid.

Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was a bit less subtle. He did not mention the US at all (other than including Hurricane Katrina in the list of recent natural disasters), but did identify "expansion of military alliance" and "development and expansion of missile defense system" among the major security challenges the region faces.

While Gates saw alliances as a positive factor, Ma saw them as "ensuring security of some countries at the expense of others". Several questions from the floor asking for further clarification on this point were left unanswered. Missile defense, according to Ma, was "not helpful in strategic balance", although he failed to explain why the massive build-up of offensive missiles opposite Taiwan was any less helpful.

Nonetheless, Ma's central message was also one of reassurance: "China is a peace-loving country," Ma assured the audience, that would always adopt "a defensive defense policy", would not engage in an arms race, would never seek hegemony or expansion, and would be a "military threat to no other country".

He also noted the "positive developments" and "good momentum" in the cross-Taiwan Strait situation, albeit while still noting that "the mission of opposing and curbing secessionist activities remains strenuous".

Ma shared the podium with Japanese Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru who, along with Ma, underscored the improved nature of China-Japan relations. Ishiba more specifically called on Beijing to increase its military transparency, even while noting that "Japan does not subscribe to purposely overstating China as a threat".

The toughest questions from the floor were directed toward and largely unanswered or evaded by Aye Myint, Myanmar's deputy minister of defense, who wanted the audience to believe that Cyclone Nargis rescue and recovery operations were proceeding smoothly, while assuring his colleagues that all outside aid was welcome "as long as there were no strings attached".

It was refreshing to hear an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) senior statesman press his Myanmar colleague on the issue of "responsibility to protect", even if there was no follow through. One senses the genuine sense of embarrassment in ASEAN over Yangon's actions in the wake of the natural disaster. Whether this takes the form of policy-related actions or decisions remains to be seen, however. The one thing that virtually all present, specifically including Gates, seemed to agree on was that there would be no forced distribution of aid.

The toughest response to a question came from Gates. In his prepared remarks, Gates had been factual and largely neutral in discussing Myanmar, merely noting the US willingness to help, despite obstructions, and welcoming ASEAN's leadership in searching for a mechanism to help get aid to those most in need.

When asked by a former Singapore diplomat why Washington was not prepared to change its "failed policy of isolationism" against Yangon, however, Gates forcefully pointed out, "We have reached out; they have kept their hands in their pockets," adding that to date ASEAN's engagement policy likewise seems to have had "zero influence" on Yangon. The problem here is not Washington's (or ASEAN's) policies; it's the ruling junta in Myanmar!

Unlike speeches by his predecessors at earlier Shangri-La Dialogues, Gates essentially avoided talking about the Middle East or global issues in general, other than to acknowledge regional concerns that US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan were distracting Washington from focusing on Asia, a notion he hoped his speech would serve to disabuse.

Refreshingly, nowhere in Gates' speech was there any reference to the global "war on terror", indicating that the Pentagon has clearly gotten the message that Washington's constant hectoring on this topic is counterproductive and sends the wrong message about US priorities in Asia.

What defense establishments in Asia wanted and needed to hear was the reassurance that, despite commitments and distractions elsewhere, Washington remained aware of the region's growing importance and would remain engaged today and into the foreseeable future, regardless of who the next US president might be.

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EDITORIALS: Burma still blocking cyclone aid effort
The Nation
Published on Jun 6, 2008

Asean needs to force the junta into seeing reason and opening up to international relief agencies

With hundreds of thousands of suffering people waiting for food, shelter and medicine, the Burmese junta continues to play cat and mouse with the international relief agencies. Thousands of lives could be saved if General Than Shwe really does what he promised to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon when the two met in mid-May. Although visas for UN-related relief officials were given, others faced delays. Journalists are unable to gain access to Burma. There are no reports from and no cameras allowed inside the affected areas. So, the outside world does not know what is going on, except from the government-run media and word from international relief officials passing through Bangkok.

After Cyclone Nargis ripped through the Irrawaddy Delta, the US, UK and France dispatched warships loaded with food, water and makeshift shelters to help the victims. But the junta leaders stopped them from coming too close to land. So the French ships had to dump the supplies in Phuket for later trans-shipment into Burma. The UK also decided to withdraw its ships, which were in position to provide for the most needy victims in the area. The US finally decided to move its ships away, knowing full well that more lives could be saved. Already, several Western countries are commenting that the junta leaders are guilty of criminal neglect.

The US ships have the capacity to deliver huge amounts of emergency relief materials, at least 800 tonnes per day, which far exceeds the junta's own capacity. The US vessels are well-equipped with helicopters that can carry food and water to inaccessible areas. But the regime fears that these military vehicles would be used to dislodge them from power. How can you overthrow a government with helicopters flying around with food supplies ready to be dropped?

Even Asean is annoyed by Burma's behaviour. Malaysia is adamant that more cooperation from Rangoon is needed. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak urged Burma to allow military helicopters from Asean to get in to help with the relief effort. So far, there has not been any answer. The 200-member Asean Assessment Team, along with international experts, is carrying out  a much-needed assessment in Labutta and Pyapon that will be a basis for future recovery efforts.

If Burma continues to drag its feet, the UN Security Council must take up the issue and work out ways to save thousands of Burmese lives. A resolution that enables air drops should be considered. It is unfortunate that the responsibility to protect, which the UN agreed in 2005 as one of the principles governing international relations in the 21st century, does not explicitly include the effects of disasters. But the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and the junta's heartless reaction should be a case study for further action or amendment to the principle. Otherwise, every time there is a crisis, no action can be taken.

Gen Than Shwe knows how to take advantage of the UN and Asean. So far, the general has been able to play the two leading organisations against each other. Of late, representatives from the UN and Asean have been working in tandem to ensure there is no misunderstanding. In press conferences, foreign relief workers have complained that in the weeks to come an operational quagmire will start and the Burmese people pay the price. Asean needs to push Burma for more access. As a regional organisation, Asean has already served as a facilitator that has won some concessions from Burma. But that is not enough to save lives. Asean has a responsibility to see to it that its rogue member cooperates fully, without discrimination. The grouping has to back its secretary-general Surin and his work with a full mandate.

The next few months will be decisive for the future of Burma and Asean. Any delay will further jeopardise the rescue operation and will destroy the goodwill that Asean needs.

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A death sentence and the prolongation of misery
The Nation
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published on Jun 6, 2008

Adjectives and terms such as "truly unfortunate" , "regrettable" , "saddened and frustrated", pepper the comments of aid-agency officials and others, but reading between the lines, you realise that their blood is either boiling or cold as ice because they know full well the awful consequences of the Burmese junta's stone-walling.

At the Asean security ministers' forum (Singapore, June 1) Burma's deputy defence minister, Major-General Aye Myint blandly explained that his country "warmly welcomed any assistance and aid which are provided with genuine goodwill from any country or organisation" [so far so good] with the proviso that "no strings were attached". Did he bother to elaborate in any way what he meant? There were no reports of it, nor were there any reports of questions from delegates to ascertain his meaning.

There were, however, reports of strongly worded comments from a French MP, Pierre Lellouche, calling for a system of sanctions to stop regimes such as the one ruling Burma from allowing hundreds of thousands to die, and a promise to see to it that his government proposed a UN resolution to bring the junta before the International Criminal Court.

Not surprisingly there were no such harsh words from the Asean delegates - just calls "to respect the sovereignty of Burma" from the Malaysian deputy prime minister, Najib Razak.

So I ask: should the world have respected the sovereignty of the Third Reich when it was busily 'disposing' of millions of Europe's Jews? Or the  "erasure" of between one and two million people in Cambodia as part of the Khmer Rouge's "social engineering programme"? Or Rwanda's,when a section of the population were happily hacking and bludgeoning to death a million of its population? The answer of course is an emphatic no!

So why does Asean continue with this supine and spineless tack? Doesn't it realise that it is increasingly culpable in what are demonstrably crimes against humanity? What on earth is Asean for if it cannot apply a measure of ethics, morality and resolve in its dealings with the Burmese regime?

Julian Pieniazek
Korat

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Son of top army general arrested for alleged drug trafficking 
Mizzima News - Thursday, 05 June 2008 19:51

The son of a top Burmese Army general was taken into custody on charges of drug trafficking.

Aung Zaw Ye Myint, son of Lt- Gen Ye Myint, the Chief of Bureau of Special Operation I was arrested last Saturday after a joint force of the military intelligence and police raided his office in Kyi Myin Dine township. 

He is being suspected of selling drugs to Burma's movie celebrities, police sources said.

The accused owns the Yetagun Construction Company located in Yetagun Tower, at the corner of Pan Hlaing Street in Kyi Myin Dine Township.

Aung Zaw Ye Myint (29) s believed to have been detained by the Rangoon division military command.

An actress was also arrested for involvement in his drug trafficking ring but Mizzima is yet to identify her.

Film stars in Burma are known to use illicit drugs such as Ecstasy, Yaba or Yama and Heroin among others.

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Bogalay residents accuse authorities of selling aid

Jun 5, 2008 (DVB)–Despite the Burmese regime’s promise to prosecute anyone found misappropriating cyclone aid, Bogalay residents claim local authorities are openly selling international relief supplies for their own profit.

A resident of Bogalay township in the Irrawaddy delta said the ward Peace and Development Council chairperson had sold United Nations-branded sacks of rice to a local businessman.

“Yesterday, the ward PDC chairperson of Hai Shay sub-village tract, U Poe Zaw, sold 250 rice sacks to Maung Kaung, a shop owner, at his shop in Ward No. 3 of Bogalay township for 10,000 kyat per sack,” the resident said.

Another local told DVB that authorities from the local forestry department had also sold large quantities of diesel intended for cyclone relief to fund the daily expenses of the minister for agriculture and forestry, U Aung Phone.

“Every minister has been assigned to a township in the worst-affected areas to oversee relief operations,” the local explained.

“Here it’s U Aung Phone. He is staying at a township guesthouse, enjoying himself in a nice air-conditioned room. He hasn’t inspected the situation in the town or gone to see those who are in trouble,” he said.

“Our township has to take care of food and everything for him, which I believe cost a considerable amount of money, and yesterday I saw people from the forestry department selling hundreds of gallons of diesel.”

Bogalay residents told DVB that the lack of effective aid distribution by the authorities in the month since the cyclone stuck meant that cyclone victims have been reliant on donations from artists, private donors and NGOs to survive.

In mid-May, the SPDC announced that complaints regarding the misappropriation of domestic or international aid and cash donations for cyclone victims could be sent to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and those responsible would be prosecuted.

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