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More relief supplies reach Yangon
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Mon, May 12, 2008
The Straits Times
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YANGON - MORE aircraft laden with relief material from the international community touched down at the Yangon International Airport yesterday for delivery to the cyclone-devastated regions of Myanmar, state radio and television reported.
Aid supplies included those from Thailand, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), Greece, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Petronas of Malaysia and Pakistan.
The supplies comprise bags of first aid kits, tents, medicine, water purifiers and blankets.
International humanitarian aid has been pouring into Myanmar since Tuesday with aircraft carrying various relief material from different countries and organisations landing at the airport one after another for Myanmar's homeless cyclone survivors.
| The international organisations and countries which have offered help include the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the Red Cross Society, Prince of Thailand, China, Singapore, Thailand, India, Russia, Italy, Bangladesh, Japan, Laos and Ukraine.
Material donated include mosquito nets, power generators, dried potato and pork, instant noodles, high-energy biscuits, zinc sheets, hammers and nails, and candles.
These international aid goods, along with those donated by people from different walks of life in Yangon, have been transported by the Myanmar authorities to the disaster-hit Irrawaddy delta region.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government has agreed to an offer by the United States to send in humanitarian aid which is scheduled to arrive today.
Myanmar said the best way to help is to send in aid material rather than personnel, clarifying that the country is not yet ready to receive search and rescue teams as well as media personnel.
International aid organisations are crying foul, saying that the junta is refusing to grant entry to foreign aid workers, who relief officials say are crucial to preventing more deaths from disease among an estimated 1.5 million victims of the May 3 storm.
The United Nations World Food Programme said that only one visa had been approved out of 16 it had requested and the aid group World Vision said it had requested 20 visas but received two.
Separately, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday that Thailand is willing to help transport international relief supplies for Myanmar.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr Noppadon said he had informed Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej that he might travel to Yangon tomorrow to ask the Myanmar authorities to provide wider access to foreign assistance for Myanmar cyclone victims, and to allow foreign experts to enter the country, on behalf of countries wishing to offer humanitarian aid to the Myanmar people.
As 'one of Myanmar's friends', Thailand does not want to put too much pressure on its neighbouring country as Myanmar has made it clear that it would allow only donated necessities or cash to enter the country, said Mr Noppadon.
However, foreign nations wishing to help Myanmar people could leave aid material with the Thai government, which will help transport them, he said.
Both ambassadors of the United States and Britain to Thailand had asked the Thai government to help persuade Myanmar leaders to allow foreign aid staff into the country to deliver foreign aid supplies to cyclone-affected people, which Myanmar has rejected.
XINHUA, NEW YORK TIMES
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