YANGON - MYANMAR said on Wednesday it had issued more than 900 visas to foreigners after Cyclone Nargis, in an apparent bid to deflect criticism from aid agencies that it has not done enough to help survivors.

'The government has granted visas to members of aid groups to render humanitarian assistance, to enable international experts to assess damages, to carry out relief work and to provide medical care to storm victims,' the state New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.

The paper said 911 foreigners had been granted visas since the cyclone hit - 458 to UN staff and foreign aid workers, 357 to citizens of Southeast Asian nations and 96 to participants in a donor conference on May 25.

In the crucial weeks after the storm hit on May 2-3, the isolated junta stalled on issuing visas to international aid workers, provoking the ire of the United Nations and relief agencies.

After a personal visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the junta slowly started to open up access to the country, especially the badly-hit Irrawaddy Delta region. Some 2.4 storm survivors remain in need of emergency aid.

The United Nations has since said that its staff were getting visas with greater ease but cautioned this week in a report that some independent aid groups were still having trouble, with some visas pending for three weeks.

Aid workers have complained that visas are only being issued for short visits to the country, while getting permission to travel to the delta was still a struggle.

'Some international NGOs report problems in accessing the affected areas, with reports of organisations being turned away at police checkpoints despite authorisation and unexplained withdrawals of authorisation,' the UN said. -- AFP