Burma allows another five UN choppers to fly in

by Mungpi

Thursday, 05 June 2008 21:16

New Delhi – By allowing five more helicopters of the United Nations World Food Programme to aid relief operations in remote areas of the cyclone-hit Irrawaddy delta, the Burmese authorities have given the nod to international organizations to function in Burma albeit a little late. WFP spokesperson Edith Champagne said in Bangkok, five helicopters out of a total of nine waiting in Bangkok would fly into Burma on Friday morning to assist the sole helicopter that was already ferrying aid supplies to the delta area. "If everything goes as planned and if the weather is fine, then the five (helicopters) would leave tomorrow morning," Champagne told Mizzima. She said the one helicopter that had been deployed in Rangoon had also received permission from the authorities and begun flying into the delta, the country's worst-hit area. Champagne said the helicopter in Rangoon had made at least four trips to the delta region with aid supplies since Monday. The junta's permission to allow another five helicopters came as the United States announced the withdrawal of the USS Essex group of four naval ships loaded with aid supplies with 12 helicopters ready to assist Burma's cyclone survivors. The US on Wednesday said it would reposition the USS Essex group of ships from the Burmese coast after waiting for over three weeks and failing to convince the Burmese junta to allow access to cyclone survivors. According to the UN over 1 million out of an estimated 2.4 million cyclone victims have still not got any assistance. Aid workers on the ground said several villages, which were badly-hit by the cyclone, have not received any assistance due to difficulties in communication and transportation. An aid worker in Rangoon, who had been distributing aid in the Irrawaddy delta town of Laputta said, people from remote villages told them that no aid had reached their villages and requested the groups to help them. "Literally, these people have never seen any form of aid. And that is because communication and transportation are difficult," the aid worker told Mizzima earlier on Monday. Paul Risley, another spokesperson of the WFP in Bangkok during a conference on Wednesday said the use of helicopters was the best way to reach remote villages, which are unreachable by road or by sea. "A helicopter is the best way to move that sort of equipment," Risley said. The US on Thursday, however, said while the USS Essex group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit would move away from the Burmese Coast, it would prepare its helicopters based in Thailand's airbase Utapao to assist Burma if the junta makes a request. "This distribution support includes the use of helicopters currently in Thailand," Lt. Gen. John Goodman, the Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Caring Response and Commander of Marine Forces Pacific said in a statement on Thursday. "…and if requested, the landing craft from the amphibious ships would assist the world community in the distribution of relief supplies to relieve suffering," Goodman added.  Burma, however, maintained that while it welcomed aid supplies and workers, it would not accept the use of military equipment to bring in aid supplies.  James East, spokesperson of the World Vision, a Christian NGO working extensively in Burma, said accepting the US Navy ships would have been an added support for the cyclone survivors. East, who had helped during the 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh, said the government's restrictions on the global community's efforts to assist has had direct impact on the victims and the region would therefore take longer to recover. "In Aceh, helicopters had been flying in and out, and naval ships from various countries came to help and it definitely made a difference," East said, however, avoiding any comments on the Burmese government's response to international relief efforts. Some of the information is provided by Solomon < Prev   Next >