Flooded villages are seen in this aerial
view near an airport in Yangon, May 5, 2008, after Cyclone Nargis slammed
into Myanmar's main city on Saturday, ripping off roofs, felling trees and
raising fears of major casualties.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
UNITED NATIONS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations
humanitarian chief on Thursday underlined an urgency to get international aid
into cyclone-hit Myanmar, warning of a "worse tragedy" if failing to do so.
"There's a real danger that an even worse tragedy may
unfold if we cannot get the aid that's desperately needed in quickly," John
Holmes, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told a UN briefing.
He said that while there had been a little bit of
progress in gaining access to the country since he last briefed the press
yesterday, much more was needed in terms of the granting of visas and easing of
regulations, given the "increasingly desperate situation" on the ground.
"Frustrations have been growing that this
humanitarian response is being held back because of difficulties of access in
different ways," he said, noting that many visas are still pending.
"I do appeal very strongly indeed to the government
of Myanmar both to step up their own relief efforts to help people on the ground
and to change their attitude completely to the efforts that we are making to get
these relief supplies in," he said.
He added that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is
attempting to talk to Senior General Than Shwe to urge him to facilitate access.
Meanwhile, the UN chief said he has noted the
government's decision to proceed with the constitutional referendum scheduled
for May 10, while postponing it in some of the areas most affected by the
cyclone.
"Due to the scope of the disaster facing Myanmar
today, however, the secretary-general believes that it may be prudent to focus
instead on mobilizing all available resources and capacity for the emergency
response efforts," said a statement issued by Ban's press office.
BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A
senior U.S. diplomat in Myanmar said the death toll in cyclone Nargis that swept
Myanmar's five divisions and states may exceed 100,000, according to media
reports Thursday.
"The information we are receiving indicates over 100,000
deaths," said Shari Villarosa, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Yangon, "I think
most of the damage was caused by these 12-foot storm surges." Full story
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- A devastating cyclone that
struck Myanmar last Friday and Saturday has killed at least 15,000 people and
left 3,000 missing, and the death toll may continue to rise, Myanmar's national
television station reported Monday. Full story
YANGON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Relief work for cyclone victims
are urgently underway in Myanmar's cyclone-hit regions with the government,
non-governmental organizations and individuals being engaged in striving for the
reconstruction of infrastructures destroyed in a recent deadly cyclone storm and
rendering assistance to the victims. Full Story
UNITED
NATIONS, May 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep
concern on Wednesday about the "continuing tragedy" in Myanmar, where over
22,000 people have been killed by Cyclone Nargis. Full Story
UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations
announced Wednesday that it will allocate a minimum of 10 million U.S. dollars
from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Myanmar, where a cyclone has
killed at least 22,000 people. Full Story
YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- All international
and domestic flights through Myanmar's Yangon International Airport will resume
on Monday, the State Radio reported in a night broadcast on Sunday. Full Story
BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua)
-- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechion Sunday sent a message of condolences
to his Myanmar counterpart U Nyan Win over the weekend cyclone disaster. Full Story
YANGON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A minor part of the daily life
started to resume in Myanmar's former capital of Yangon Sunday, the first day in
the aftermath of the deadly cyclone Nargis strike the country for 10 hours from
Saturday night to Saturday noon. Full Story
