We’d rather let people die than allow the US Navy to help

[Tigermike 3,055]

Burma: We’d rather let people die than allow the US Navy to help

Report: Burma shuns aid from U.S. warships

Updated 1h 15m ago

RANGOON, Burma (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Burma to focus on saving lives, not on politics, after the military government on Wednesday shunned a U.S. proposal for naval ships to deliver aid to cyclone survivors.

The U.N. says up to 2.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis face hunger, homelessness and potential outbreaks of deadly diseases.

"This is a critical moment for Myanmar," Ban told reporters after arriving in Bangkok, Thailand. "The government itself acknowledges that there has never been a disaster on this scale in the history of their country ... The issues of assistance and aid in Myanmar should not be politicized. Our focus now is on saving lives."

Ban was to fly Thursday to Burma on a mission to scale up relief efforts and lobby the junta to allow more foreign aid workers into the isolated country. He told reporters his two-day visit would include a trip to areas devastated by the cyclone and talks with officials, including junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

Before leaving U.N. headquarters, Ban said the world body had finally received permission from the junta to use helicopters to carry aid to stranded victims.

His announcement was not immediately confirmed by officials in Burma.

Burma's state-controlled media said that U.S. helicopters or naval ships were not welcome to join the relief effort.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said accepting military assistance "comes with strings attached" that are "not acceptable to the people of Myanmar."

The report cited fears of an American invasion aimed at grabbing the country's oil reserves.

The United States, as well as France and Great Britain, have naval vessels loaded with humanitarian supplies off the Burma coast, waiting for approval from the junta. The article did not say whether the French and British supplies would be allowed.

The four U.S. warships in the region were seen as a major potential boost for the relief effort with the capacity to deliver supplies to inaccessible areas of the low-lying Irrawaddy delta, with 14 helicopters, two landing craft vessels, two high-tech amphibious hovercraft and about 1,000 Marines.

American military aircraft are already sending aid on about five flights a day from Thailand to Rangoon.

The New Light of Myanmar gave no explanation why the regime was willing to accept aid flown on U.S. C-130 cargo planes, with U.S. military personnel on board, but would not allow the warships and helicopters to deliver relief supplies.

Burma's xenophobic leaders appear to have long feared an invasion by the United States, a concern that some analysts believe prompted the junta's abrupt decision in 2005 to move the capital from Rangoon to the remote city of Naypyitaw, which is equipped with bunkers.

Before leaving New York, Ban welcomed the junta's "recent flexibility" in saying it will allow relief workers from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations — of which Burma is a member — to begin distributing aid.

He warned that relief efforts to save cyclone survivors had reached a "critical moment."

"We have a functioning relief program in place but so far have been able to reach only 25% of Myanmar's people in need," he said Tuesday.

So far, the few foreign aid workers allowed inside the country have been banned from the areas of the worst devastation in the delta.

At least 78,000 people were killed in the May 2-3 storm and 56,000 remain missing. European Union nations have warned that Burma's junta could be committing a crime against humanity by blocking aid.

Ban also planned to attend a meeting of aid donors in Rangoon on Sunday. Burma, one of the world's poorest nations, claims losses from the disaster exceeded $10 billion.

Burma's leaders began three days of mourning for the dead and missing Tuesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05...us_N.htm?csp=34

The junta fears a collapse of its credibility more than anything else. If they are seen as so weak that the US has to step in and rescue the Burmese from the incompetence of the military dictatorship, then they risk a popular uprising when the country recovers. The junta already put down one round of demonstrations in the streets a few months ago, and now the people of Burma have even more motivation to put the dictators up against the wall.

According to USA Today, though, the fear of American invasion isn’t just an excuse. The country moved its capital in 2005 from Rangoon to Naypyitaw to keep the government from being easily captured by the Americans. For those of us here in the US, this sounds absolutely ridiculous. Other than a desire to see Aung Sang Suu Kyi freed and democracy return to the country, Americans don’t have Burma on the political map. We haven’t any ambition to launch ourselves into another southeast Asian military enterprise for any reason, let alone the Burmese.

The junta may do to themselves what they fear we will do to them. Once the people understand that we have food and medicine off shore but cannot deliver it because of the idiotic paranoia of dictators in Naypyitaw, starving and dying people will descend on the junta and rip it to pieces.

[autigeremt 6,717]

Hey.....it's OK TigerMike.....

The United States is "hated" around the world, so why should we be accepted in Burma? We can only do so much witin the boundaries of the world order. Never mind the fact that if the U.S. pulled it's support to the U.N. it would close shop! Never mind the fact that the U.S. supports and provides more aid to the world than ANY!

And Mrs. Obama calls us a mean, nasty country that she only now has pride in. What a shame.

[autigeremt 6,717]

Burma: We’d rather let people die than allow the US Navy to help

Report: Burma shuns aid from U.S. warships

Updated 1h 15m ago

RANGOON, Burma (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Burma to focus on saving lives, not on politics, after the military government on Wednesday shunned a U.S. proposal for naval ships to deliver aid to cyclone survivors.

The U.N. says up to 2.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis face hunger, homelessness and potential outbreaks of deadly diseases.

"This is a critical moment for Myanmar," Ban told reporters after arriving in Bangkok, Thailand. "The government itself acknowledges that there has never been a disaster on this scale in the history of their country ... The issues of assistance and aid in Myanmar should not be politicized. Our focus now is on saving lives."

Ban was to fly Thursday to Burma on a mission to scale up relief efforts and lobby the junta to allow more foreign aid workers into the isolated country. He told reporters his two-day visit would include a trip to areas devastated by the cyclone and talks with officials, including junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

Before leaving U.N. headquarters, Ban said the world body had finally received permission from the junta to use helicopters to carry aid to stranded victims.

His announcement was not immediately confirmed by officials in Burma.

Burma's state-controlled media said that U.S. helicopters or naval ships were not welcome to join the relief effort.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said accepting military assistance "comes with strings attached" that are "not acceptable to the people of Myanmar."

The report cited fears of an American invasion aimed at grabbing the country's oil reserves.

The United States, as well as France and Great Britain, have naval vessels loaded with humanitarian supplies off the Burma coast, waiting for approval from the junta. The article did not say whether the French and British supplies would be allowed.

The four U.S. warships in the region were seen as a major potential boost for the relief effort with the capacity to deliver supplies to inaccessible areas of the low-lying Irrawaddy delta, with 14 helicopters, two landing craft vessels, two high-tech amphibious hovercraft and about 1,000 Marines.

American military aircraft are already sending aid on about five flights a day from Thailand to Rangoon.

The New Light of Myanmar gave no explanation why the regime was willing to accept aid flown on U.S. C-130 cargo planes, with U.S. military personnel on board, but would not allow the warships and helicopters to deliver relief supplies.

Burma's xenophobic leaders appear to have long feared an invasion by the United States, a concern that some analysts believe prompted the junta's abrupt decision in 2005 to move the capital from Rangoon to the remote city of Naypyitaw, which is equipped with bunkers.

Before leaving New York, Ban welcomed the junta's "recent flexibility" in saying it will allow relief workers from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations — of which Burma is a member — to begin distributing aid.

He warned that relief efforts to save cyclone survivors had reached a "critical moment."

"We have a functioning relief program in place but so far have been able to reach only 25% of Myanmar's people in need," he said Tuesday.

So far, the few foreign aid workers allowed inside the country have been banned from the areas of the worst devastation in the delta.

At least 78,000 people were killed in the May 2-3 storm and 56,000 remain missing. European Union nations have warned that Burma's junta could be committing a crime against humanity by blocking aid.

Ban also planned to attend a meeting of aid donors in Rangoon on Sunday. Burma, one of the world's poorest nations, claims losses from the disaster exceeded $10 billion.

Burma's leaders began three days of mourning for the dead and missing Tuesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-05...us_N.htm?csp=34

The junta fears a collapse of its credibility more than anything else. If they are seen as so weak that the US has to step in and rescue the Burmese from the incompetence of the military dictatorship, then they risk a popular uprising when the country recovers. The junta already put down one round of demonstrations in the streets a few months ago, and now the people of Burma have even more motivation to put the dictators up against the wall.

According to USA Today, though, the fear of American invasion isn’t just an excuse. The country moved its capital in 2005 from Rangoon to Naypyitaw to keep the government from being easily captured by the Americans. For those of us here in the US, this sounds absolutely ridiculous. Other than a desire to see Aung Sang Suu Kyi freed and democracy return to the country, Americans don’t have Burma on the political map. We haven’t any ambition to launch ourselves into another southeast Asian military enterprise for any reason, let alone the Burmese.

The junta may do to themselves what they fear we will do to them. Once the people understand that we have food and medicine off shore but cannot deliver it because of the idiotic paranoia of dictators in Naypyitaw, starving and dying people will descend on the junta and rip it to pieces.

Problem is they will never know we were here........as many in the world never hear of the good things we do for them.

[arnaldoabru 11]

Didn't McCain employ some lobbiest for his campaign, that did lobbying work for the Burmese military government as well?

[autigeremt 6,717]

McCain didn't chose Mr. Goodyears career prior to his work with him. Associations with Wright are just as, if not MORE repulsive. I think it's safe to say that both candidates have some real issues with their associations, but McCain isn't hanging out with known terrorists or America haters.

But it is fair game.

[autigeremt 6,717]

BTW....neither are with the campaign anymore (Goodyear nor Davenport).