U.N. Suspends Myanmar Aid after Supplies Seized by Junta
Submitted by jgehring on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 2:53pm.
Story summary:
The United Nations suspended relief supplies to Myanmar on Friday after the military government seized the food and equipment it had already sent into the country. Earlier, in a statement, Myanmar’s military junta said it was willing to receive disaster relief from the outside world but would not welcome outside relief workers. Nearly one week after a devastating cyclone, supplies into the country were still being delayed and aid experts were being turned back as they arrived at the airport.
U.N. Suspends Myanmar Aid after Supplies Seized by Junta
New York Times
5-9-08
Paul Risley, a spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program, said, "all the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated." He said the World Food Program was suspending the few flights that the Myanmar authorities had so far allowed to enter the country until the matter was resolved.Myanmar said it had turned back one relief flight because, in addition to disaster relief supplies, it carried disaster assessment experts and an unauthorized media group.
"Myanmar is not in a position to receive rescue and information teams from foreign countries at the moment," the statement, from the Foreign Ministry, said. “But at present Myanmar is giving priority to receiving relief aid and distributing them to the storm-hit regions with its own resources."