Home > Unused > mercy

Taiwan religious leader says Myanmar moving food to cyclone survivors without delay

The Associated Press, May 9, 2008

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A Taiwanese Buddhist leader said Friday that Myanmar was promptly dispatching food and medical materials to cyclone survivors even though the reclusive country has been slow to let foreign aid workers in.

<< Master Tsin Tao says Burmese army trying to handle situation themselves

Master Hsin Tao made the comments as he returned from a trip to Yangon to assess the destruction from Cyclone Nargis.

He led a team of 10 Taiwanese aid workers to Myanmar this week and dispatched 6 tons of food to cyclone survivors.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has come in for heavy criticism from the international community for failing to take full advantage of food and other aid it has been offered.

On Friday, spokesman Paul Risley of the World Food Program said "the frustration caused by what appears to be a paperwork delay is unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts."

But Hsin Tao said Myanmar's military rulers have mobilized soldiers and civilians to transport aid materials by ships or helicopters to the cyclone victims spread out along the country's west coast.

The materials include those sent in by foreign countries, he said.

"They rejected international aid workers out of distrust of the foreigners," he said. "They try to handle the relief work by themselves as much as possible because they don't have the time to deal with external criticism."

"Foreigners may not be able to conduct effective relief work because the villages are in remote areas and many bridges were swept away in the flood," he added.

The cyclone slammed into Myanmar's west coast last Saturday, killing at least 22,000 people, according to government figures.

For more than a decade, the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society headed by Hsin Tao has conducted charity work in Myanmar and provided financial support to its temples.

The Myanmar-born Taiwanese monk said his group plans to send in another relief team after discussing with Yangon authorities about how best to meet their needs.

"They need food, water, medical supplies and medical experts to prevent the spread of epidemics as well as building materials," he said.

"They trust us as their friends, so this may not be a problem," he said.


Google
 
Web www.buddhistchannel.tv www.buddhistnews.tv
MERCY
Myanmar Emergency Relief for Cyclone Disaster
Special coverage by the Buddhist Channel

New! Download Burma's Disaster Report

Prepared by
ALTSEAN-BURMA
Alternative Asean Network on Burma
campaigns, advocacy and capacity-building for human rights
(www.altasean.org)


Myanmar Cyclone Disaster Fast Facts

Toll as at May 9, 2008

Dead (official)
22,464
Missing (official) 41,054
Dead (US estimate) 100,000 plus
Homeless (UN estimate) 1 million- plus


International contributors

UNITED KINGDOM
$10 million
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
$3 million
UNITED STATES $3 million
AUSTRALIA $2.8 million
NORWAY
$2 million in aid.
CANADA $2 million
INDONESIA $1 million
SPAIN $775,000
GERMANY $775,000
CHINA $500,000
NEW ZEALAND
$394,000
FRANCE $320,000
GREECE $300,000
JAPAN $267,570
SINGAPORE
$200,000
THAILAND $100,000
SOUTH KOREA
$2.1 million
CZECH REPUBLIC $165,000
SRI LANKA $25,000


Thank you for your support!
Donations received
Jan 1 - Mar 12, 2008


 


 

Point your feed reader to this location
Submit an Article
Write to the Editor
Affiliation Program

      About The Channel   |   Disclaimer