Pressure sought on Myanmar over aid

http://www.burmabloggers.net/?p=913

18 October 2008 No Comment
The UN and ASEAN must put more pressure on Myanmar’s military junta over the proper distribution of international assistance to the victims of Cyclone Nargis, a Myanmar activist says.

“A lot of international aid was misused by SPDC (State Peace and Development Council). The military sold many donated items in the markets. There should be an independent system to monitor and evaluate aid distribution to ensure that it reaches the right people,” Khin Ohmar of the Burma Partnership said to The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Ohmar also blasted the “Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA)” prepared by the UN, ASEAN and the SPDC.

“It (PONJA) cannot be considered truly comprehensive nor objective as it omits references to certain aspects, including intimidation and human rights abuses and of the real situation in the cyclone hit areas. It was prepared in collusion with the SPDC,” Ohmar said.


Ohmar with Yuki Akimoto of Japan’s Burma Information Network and National Democratic Institute’s director Stephanie J. Lynn discussed the newly launched alternative to PONJA, “Post-Nargis Analysis: The Other Side of the Story”, with the Post.

“We felt the need to tell the other side of the post-Nargis story. Our analysis is based mainly on documentation by civil society organizations and true stories from the cyclone victims,” Ohmar said.

Produced collectively by 19 NGOs and authored by Akimoto, “Post Nargis Analysis” was launched in Jakarta on Thursday.

“Indonesia is the biggest country in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN Secretariat is located in Jakarta. That’s why we chose to release the report in Jakarta,” Ohmar said.

In early May 2008, Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar. Around 2.5 million people lost their houses and livelihoods, and around 140,000 lost their lives.

The junta, which has a notorious record for suppressing human rights, blocked international aid for several days after the disaster struck. After strong pressure from ASEAN and the international community, the regime finally allowed foreign aid workers to help cyclone victims.

During the distribution of aid, there were reports of aid being confiscated and sold on the market, and also of aid being withheld to those who refused to vote in a referendum to prolong the junta’s power.