ASEAN deal not enough for Myanmar cyclone victims

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s deal allowing Southeast Asian nations to lead a limited foreign relief effort into its cyclone-ravaged areas falls short of the survivors’ massive needs, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

The New York-based watchdog said the world should not relent in its pressure on the regime to allow more foreign supplies in to about two million survivors, despite the agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“While the ASEAN initiative may turn out to be a step forward, it does not have the capacity to address all the urgent needs faced by Burma’s cyclone survivors,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

“Governments and aid agencies should not delude themselves into thinking otherwise.”

The group urged the international community to demand more visas for relief workers, freedom for agencies to oversee aid distribution, and approval for foreign governments to use military assets to deliver aid.

“Until the Burmese government opens its doors to all aid offered, unnecessary deaths and suffering will continue,” Adams said, while urging the United Nations Security Council to take action against Myanmar’s generals.

Tuesday, AFP