Burmese military officers were “stubborn and very resistant” to offers of US aid to help survivors in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, a top US Navy officer said on Wednesday.
Admiral Timothy Keating, who heads the US Pacific Joint Command, said Burmese military officers with whom he interacted in the aftermath of the cyclone were "friendly, amiable, stubborn and very resistant."
US Navy admiral Timothy KeatingIn the cyclone’s wake, the US Pentagon dispatched ships in the US fleet to Burmese waters to lead the US relief and rescue operation in Burma.
The US Essex and other US ships were denied permission to enter Burma’s territorial waters, which eventually led to the US relief effort being conducted from airbases in Thailand. French and UK ships were also not allowed into Burmese waters.
"At the end of the day, we were disappointed with the junta's refusal to let us contribute in a much more comprehensive fashion," Keating said during an interview with foreign correspondents in New York.
"I am convinced that we could have saved many lives and hastened the return to normal life of those affected," he said.
Keating said the main stumbling block was that the junta didn’t believe the US was only interested in humanitarian relief operations.
"We had no military intentions,” Keating said. “We just wanted to provide relief to the people who needed it.”
When Keating was allowed to fly into Rangoon on May 12, Burmese officials told him that everything was fine and that farmers were getting ready to plant their next crops.
"We told them that was rubbish," Keating said. The US had detailed satellite images which showed the exact devastation of towns and villages, down to individual houses and businesses. Large parts of the region were completely destroyed, leaving survivors to cope on their own.
Recollecting his first meeting, Keating said: "They were cordial and friendly. We sat around the table. The Burmese officials expressed confidence that their government would be able to provide the support which its people needed. Things were not all that bad, they said. In fact, the summer monsoon was a blessing …. and the people were returning to their villages and were already planning for the summer crops."
After a month of waiting to be allowed to deliver aid into the country, Keating ordered US ships to leave their positions near Burmese waters. The junta eventually allowed US Air Force C-130s to deliver supplies to the international airfield at Rangoon.
Meanwhile, the latest news from the devastated area is that a water crisis threatens the livelihoods and health of thousands of cyclone survivors in the delta, according to international aid agencies.
Many village wells and ponds throughout the densely populated rice-growing region remain contaminated by sea water. Rainwater, collected in jars, plastic sheets or tarpaulins, is now the only source of fresh drinking water for many people.
As the dry season nears, aid agencies are warning of a renewed threat of diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea from dirty drinking water.
U Win Tin Congratulates Obama, Calls for Regime Change in Burma
Admiral Timothy Keating, who heads the US Pacific Joint Command, said Burmese military officers with whom he interacted in the aftermath of the cyclone were "friendly, amiable, stubborn and very resistant."
US Navy admiral Timothy KeatingIn the cyclone’s wake, the US Pentagon dispatched ships in the US fleet to Burmese waters to lead the US relief and rescue operation in Burma.
The US Essex and other US ships were denied permission to enter Burma’s territorial waters, which eventually led to the US relief effort being conducted from airbases in Thailand. French and UK ships were also not allowed into Burmese waters.
"At the end of the day, we were disappointed with the junta's refusal to let us contribute in a much more comprehensive fashion," Keating said during an interview with foreign correspondents in New York.
"I am convinced that we could have saved many lives and hastened the return to normal life of those affected," he said.
Keating said the main stumbling block was that the junta didn’t believe the US was only interested in humanitarian relief operations.
"We had no military intentions,” Keating said. “We just wanted to provide relief to the people who needed it.”
When Keating was allowed to fly into Rangoon on May 12, Burmese officials told him that everything was fine and that farmers were getting ready to plant their next crops.
"We told them that was rubbish," Keating said. The US had detailed satellite images which showed the exact devastation of towns and villages, down to individual houses and businesses. Large parts of the region were completely destroyed, leaving survivors to cope on their own.
Recollecting his first meeting, Keating said: "They were cordial and friendly. We sat around the table. The Burmese officials expressed confidence that their government would be able to provide the support which its people needed. Things were not all that bad, they said. In fact, the summer monsoon was a blessing …. and the people were returning to their villages and were already planning for the summer crops."
After a month of waiting to be allowed to deliver aid into the country, Keating ordered US ships to leave their positions near Burmese waters. The junta eventually allowed US Air Force C-130s to deliver supplies to the international airfield at Rangoon.
Meanwhile, the latest news from the devastated area is that a water crisis threatens the livelihoods and health of thousands of cyclone survivors in the delta, according to international aid agencies.
Many village wells and ponds throughout the densely populated rice-growing region remain contaminated by sea water. Rainwater, collected in jars, plastic sheets or tarpaulins, is now the only source of fresh drinking water for many people.
As the dry season nears, aid agencies are warning of a renewed threat of diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea from dirty drinking water.
U Win Tin Congratulates Obama, Calls for Regime Change in Burma
Prominent Burmese opposition leader Win Tin on Monday congratulated the citizens of the United States for electing Barack Obama as president. At the same time, he said that Burma too was in need of “regime change.”Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, the National League for Democracy (NLD) executive member said, “I would first like to congratulate the American people and president-elect Barack Obama.”
Win Tin continued by urging the US to adopt a multilateral approach toward Burma. “We need support from the international community,” he said. “We want the US to work with the international community and the United Nations [on Burma].”A veteran newspaper editor and political prisoner who was released from Burma’s infamous Insein Prison in September after serving 19 years for opposing military rule, Win Tin, 79, used the occasion of leadership change in the US to call for similar action in the Southeast Asian nation.“We need regime change in Burma,” he said. “The people of Burma want change. They voted in the NLD in the 1990 election.”The opposition NLD party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory in Burmese elections in May 1990. However, the ruling military junta refused to honor the election results.
Win Tin pointed out that previous US administrations had cordial relations with several dictatorial regimes around the world. He warned it was important for the “leader of the free world” not to compromise with authoritarian regimes. Win Tin also said that more effective sanctions and proactive pressure from the international community were necessary for Burma’s democracy efforts. As US senators, Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden have previously supported US sanctions against the Burmese ruling generals and their cronies. In Obama’s very first speech after being declared the winner on November 4, the president-elect addressed US foreign policy by saying, “To those who would tear this world down—we will defeat you.
To those who seek peace and security—we support you.” Prior to the US presidential elections, Frank Jannuzi, a senior Asia advisor to the Obama campaign, said that Burmese issues should not prevent deeper US engagement with Asean, according to a news report by Agence France-Presse on October 31. “Rather, the United States should work with Asean to ensure that Burma lives up to its obligation as an Asean member,” he said.However, Dr Tin Maung Maung Than, a Burmese scholar based in Singapore, told The Irrawaddy that the incoming administration’s policy on Burma will be difficult to gauge at the moment. However, he said he believed that it would be more or less the same as the Bush administration’s policy. President Bush’s Burma policy has been seen as radical and won praise from Burmese living inside and outside Burma.However, the Bush administration was often criticized for neglecting Southeast Asia.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regularly skipped the annual Asean regional forum.With on-going wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a global financial crisis to contend with, Tin Maung Maung Than said he didn’t expect the new administration to engage Asean immediately. “Asean won’t be a top priority for the moment,” he said.
He pointed out, however, that President Bush had appointed Scot Marciel, a senior state department officer, as the US special envoy to Asean.
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