Myanmar Situation Worsened by Junta’s Abuse

“Please, help us!”

A local journalist contacted the Dong-A Ilbo last Friday to inform the world of the havoc wreaked by the May 3 Cyclone Nargis. The journalist, who we refer to as his pseudonym Taukhan to protect his identity, contacted us again on Saturday to appeal to the world for more aid.

According to him, the prices of all commodities including the gas in the largest city of Yangon has been skyrocketing, and the residents in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta area are cut off from the rest of the country, living a stone age-like lifestyle.

The journalist also reported that parts of the communications network have been restored, enabling some Internet cafes to reopen business. Still, access to some sites is hard to come by. He suspects that the junta in Myanmar may control the access, fearing that free access to the Internet might harm their control over the citizens.

Cyclone victims first expected neighboring Thailand to help them, but in vain. So now, Taukhan said, they are looking forward to the help from East Asian countries, like Korea, and the United States.

Major overseas newspapers such as the LA Times reported yesterday that Myanmar’s military leaders resumed rice export, despite the hunger of millions of Myanmar citizens. According to the newspapers, some cargo ships were detected, shipping out rice to Bangladesh from a port at the entrance of the Yangon River over the weekend. Thus, the export and the devastated rice fields have left almost nothing for Myanmar’s own citizens.

A local trucker was quoted, on the condition of anonymity, by the LA Times, as saying that the authorities doled out only small amounts of rice to cyclone victims.

The rice export was part of the deal the junta had made with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka prior to the disaster.

Myanmar`s junta has also been criticized for holding a referendum on Saturday on a new constitution aimed at solidifying its hold on power, the Associated Press reported. The approval rating is expected to reach 80-90 percent, raising concerns of rigged election results. Eyewitnesses’ account says that soldiers threatened the voters into casting for the amendment.

esprit@donga.com surreal@donga.com