A month has passed since cyclone Nargis hit Burma on 2 May. While access has improved, the situation remains extremely grave. The UN continues to estimate that 2.4 million people have been directly affected by the cyclone and only 1 million of those have so far received any form of relief. Most of those who have been reached are in the most accessible and least badly affected regions. The official Burmese death toll is 78,000 and 56,000 missing. The threat of further deaths from infectious diseases and malaria is significant. Priority needs are food, shelter, clean drinking water and medical supplies.
The delivery of relief goods is increasing. The UN air-bridge between Bangkok and Rangoon is operating. We estimate a total of 237 flights have arrived since the cyclone struck. The first of nine World Food Programme helicopters is now delivering aid supplies to the Delta region.
The UK Government’s priority has been, and remains, to ensure that relief reaches those who need it most. To this end, I attended the UN/ASEAN conference in Rangoon on 25 May at the personal invitation of the UN Secretary-General. The conference confirmed the importance of international aid workers being given necessary access to affected areas and the key role to be played by the ASEAN nations in facilitating the international relief effort.
Since the conference there has been some improvement in access. No visas have been refused to UN or international NGO personnel in the last seven days. The Myanmar Red Cross has been able to scale up its operations substantially in the Delta. Five international medical teams from countries in the region are now providing support to national health care staff in the Delta. A DFID team managed to travel to the Irrawaddy Delta on 29 May.
However, significant concerns remain. Visa extensions are being granted for only one or two weeks at a time; there have been restrictions on dates of travel and requirements that Government liaison officers accompany relief staff. There are still too few relief workers based in the Delta.
The UK remains the largest single donor to the relief effort. We have contributed £7 million to the UN Flash Appeal; we have also channelled £6.7 million through international NGOs, including Merlin, MSF Holland and Save the Children. Our humanitarian team, which has been operating in Rangoon for three weeks, continues to play a crucial role in helping coordinate the overall aid operation.
A total of 20 DFID-funded aid flights have now arrived in Rangoon, delivering plastic sheeting and blankets for 250,000 people, hygiene kits and flat-bottomed boats for use in the Delta. All these items have been consigned to the UN, NGOs and the Red Cross. We are also transporting 162,000 mosquito nets into Burma.
In addition to our previous commitment of £17 million, I am today announcing a further £10.5 million, bringing our total contribution to £27.5 million. These additional funds will be channelled through the Red Cross, NGOs and local community-based organisations. As before, none of the UK’s assistance will go through the Burmese regime.
While the Government’s immediate focus is to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the cyclone, this does not diminish our commitment to the restoration of accountable, democratic Government in Burma. It is an indictment of the Burmese regime that they proceeded with their constitutional referendum in the immediate aftermath of this natural disaster. The official results lack all credibility. I am also disappointed and saddened that the Government has once again ignored the international community and extended Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention on 27 May.
Millions of people remain in desperate need. Our priority remains to get assistance to those that need it. To do so, the regime’s promises to the UN Secretary-General must be turned into action. Together with the UN, ASEAN and NGOs, the UK Government will be monitoring the situation closely in the days and weeks ahead.