Myanmar people's plight
It is incomprehensible the way the military government in Myanmar continues to turn a blind eye to the imperiled plight of its own people. We are afraid, after the devastating cyclone, the country is now in the midst of a man-made disaster because of the complete lack of sensitivity of the military government to human suffering. The fear is accentuated by the fact that over 1.5 million survivors are now faced with hunger, lack of clean water, disease and exposure to rough elements of nature.
We are deeply concerned at the reports of outbreak of malaria and diarrhea that are reaching the outside world from cyclone-hit areas. Unless emergency health care services are intensified in the areas, preventable diseases may claim many more lives than the cyclone has. And while aid workers from various countries are ready to go in with succour for the people, the military junta puts up bureaucratic obstacles under one pretext or another to discourage them. It is preposterous that some of the military generals of Myanmar are offering whatever international relief materials they have received allegedly with their personal names sealed on the packets as publicity stunt. This shameful act only speaks loudly about the moral bankruptcy of the officials concerned. Myanmar has always had an infamy of being a rather closed country and with the current level of nonchalance to public weal, they have added a new dimension to their alienation from the world.
Meanwhile, amidst death and distress, Myanmar authorities organised the referendum on a new constitution on May 10 against world opinion that stressed on reaching emergency relief to utterly helpless victims of the cyclone. It is no wonder the referendum was said to be widely marred by fraud and intimidation with voters threatened with imprisonment if they voted against the wish of the military rulers.
We can see that the affairs inside Myanmar today remain as shrouded in secrecy as they have been for the past years. By turning down offers of help by the world community and organising a questionable referendum, the military government has proved to the world how unconcerned it was about the welfare of its own people. Here we believe countries like China, Thailand and India could exert their influence over Myanmar to come to its senses and allow the world community to come to the help of the suffering humanity.
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