Burma: '10,000 dead'

The death toll from the Burma cyclone is more than 10,000 people, the foreign ministry said on Monday - the most deadly natural diaster in the country's recent history.

The provisional death toll was about 10,000 with 3,000 missing, said a diplomat who attended the foreign ministry briefing.

Survivors faced their third night without electricity and thousands of downed trees clogged roads, making organised relief almost impossible.

People in Rangoon are queuing for drinking water

Diplomats were summoned to a government briefing Monday, where the Burmese junta issued a rare appeal for international assistance. The first planeload of Thai aid was due to leave Bangkok on Tuesday morning..

A state of emergency was declared across much of the country following the 10-hour storm that left swathes of destruction in its wake.

The staggering death toll would make the cyclone the deadliest natural disaster to hit Burma in recent history, according to figures compiled by a United Nations-funded disaster database.

The Thai government confirmed the Burmese junta had already requested food, medical supplies and construction equipment.

There have been angry charges of total incompetence by the Burmese government, leading to the high death toll.

The first lady of the United States, Laura Bush, said Monday, "Although they were aware of the threat, Burma's state run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm's path," Bush said, using the country's historical name.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and the destruction suffered by the people" of Burma and pledged to mobilise international aid and assistance as needed.

A United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team is on stand-by to assist the government in responding to humanitarian needs if required, the statement said.

Laura Bush said there will be a "substantial" amount more if Myanmar's ruling military junta agreed to accept US help.

"I'm worried that they won't even accept US aid," she said. "And I urge the government to accept aid from the United States and from the entire international community right now while the needs of their people are so critical."

The US Embassy in Rangoon has issued a "disaster declaration" in the country and authorised the release of $250,000 for cyclone relief efforts, Deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said Monday.

A disaster relief team is standing by, Casey said, but the Burmese government had not given permission for the team to enter the country.

Bush said the regime's response to the Cyclone Nargis coupled with the regime's repressive policies and economic mismanagement of the country showed the ineptitude of its leaders and the need of the international community to pressure the government for democratic change.

"The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs," Bush said, accusing the junta of squandering the nation's natural resources for their won benefit.

Relief agencies met at the United Nations' Bangkok headquarters Monday to coordinate their response to the disaster. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had released 200,000 Swiss Francs (about $190,000) to help with the aftermath.
(Source-http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=127490)