|
YANGON: Myanmar said on Friday it was not ready to
let in foreign aid workers, rejecting international pressure to
allow experts into the isolated nation where disease and starvation
are stalking cyclone survivors.
One week after the devastating
storm killed tens of thousands, Myanmar’s ruling generals—deeply
suspicious of the outside world—said the country needed outside
aid for those still alive, but would deliver it themselves.
The foreign ministry announcement
came as a top United Nations official warned time is running out to
move in disaster experts and supplies to prevent diseases that could
claim even more victims.
Instead, the ministry said some
relief workers who arrived on an aid flight from Qatar on Wednesday
had been deported.
“Currently Myanmar has prioritized
receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous
efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own
labors to the affected areas,” it added.
“As such, Myanmar is not ready
to receive search and rescue teams as well as media teams from
foreign countries,” the ministry said.
The military regime that rules
this impoverished country, once known as Burma, has long been wary
of any influences that could threaten the iron grip on power it has
maintained for almost half a century.
Even with the country battered by
tragedy, the ruling generals insist they will hold a constitutional
referendum on Saturday, brushing off criticism they are ignoring the
plight of the homeless while devoting resources to the vote.
--AFP
|
