Torog
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Message #114451 posted by Torog (Info) May 09, 2008 09:15:25 ET
U.N. halts Myanmar flights after aid 'seized'
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May 9,2008
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/09/myanmar/index.html
U.N. says cyclone-hit Myanmar has confiscated aid shipments
Spokesman say move will shut down U.N. aid flights into country
Australian PM says Myanmar behaving "appallingly" over foreign access
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Authorities in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar have seized United Nations aid intended for victims of the disaster, prompting the organization to halt future relief flights, a U.N. World Food Program official said.
The organization, which insists on distributing its own relief supplies, says two aircraft-loads of food, medicine and equipment, were seized by the army in Myanmar's main city Yangon.
"This is another example of them actively getting in the way of relief getting to the victims," said Tony Banbury, Asia director of the World Food Program.
Asked whether the move would jeopardize future U.N. aid flights, he said, "absolutely, from our perspective, it shuts them down."
On Saturday, the United Nations had been planning three further aid flights, from Dubai, India and Cambodia. It would bring tons of biscuits, emergency ready-to-eat meals, and logistical support and equipment, such as boats, to reach isolated areas.
The powerful cyclone, which swept through the country's low-lying river delta regions last weekend killed 22,000, according to Myanmar officials. Foreign observers say 100,000 may have perished, while many more are at risk of disease and starvation.
The seizure of the planes is being seen as a tug of war over who controls aid distribution, and could have a major impact on aid distribution in Myanmar.
U.N. aid officials have warned in recent days that if there are no guarantees that this and future aid can be distributed under its rules. They say they plan to discuss the issue with officials from Myanmar. Watch how some aid is getting through »
The international community, including the United States, has been frustrated by the efforts to distribute aid in Myanmar.
In an effort it says is to speed relief delivery by its military personnel, the United States has devised a new plan that it hopes will be accepted by Myanmar's government.
The ruling junta is suspicious of any U.S. military presence it sees as potentially aimed at unseating the government, a prospect the Bush Administration has repeatedly denied.
One senior U.S. military official tells CNN that the United States is presenting Myanmar with an aid plan that would minimize the presence of American troops on the ground.
The United States is proposing that C-130s fly into the Myanmar carrying U.N. supplies. The planes would drop supplies off and then turn around and leave. But they would conduct as many flights as possible. Look at satellite pictures of the damage by the flooding »
The United States is also proposing that Navy helicopters already in Thailand and on board U.N. Navy ships in the region fly supplies to remote areas. The helicopters would conduct low-level flights and air drop the supplies but not touch the ground.
Four U.S. Navy ships are now moving to a region offshore Myanmar. They are the USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Mustin. Some U.S. Marines are ashore in Thailand for an exercise but could readily be moving to relief operations.
Meanwhile, Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, told CNN the agency has never encountered such resistance to offers of help in such a mushrooming humanitarian crisis.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the military junta in Myanmar has behaved "appallingly" by declining to grant more visas to relief workers.
"This has never happened before," he told CNN on Friday.
To complicate matters, Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand -- where aid groups have been waiting for days for entry permission -- was closed on Friday for a holiday.
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