Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08RANGOON429
2008-05-29 09:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rangoon
Cable title:  

AID FLOWS, BUT NOT MUCH

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM BM 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5752
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH RUEHTRO
DE RUEHGO #0429 1500914
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 290914Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7691
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1243
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4787
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8331
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5893
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 1625
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1695
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000429 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, AND IO
PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: AID FLOWS, BUT NOT MUCH

Classified By: Poloff Chelsia C. Wheeler for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000429

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, AND IO
PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: AID FLOWS, BUT NOT MUCH

Classified By: Poloff Chelsia C. Wheeler for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (SBU) Summary. Poloff and LES were turned around at a
military checkpoint on the border between Rangoon and
Irrawaddy Divisions on May 29. Prior to being stopped, we
observed heightened security in several towns and villages in
Rangoon Division that were damaged during the cyclone. The
head monk at one monastery told us that probably 40,000
people in his township died during the storm. He also said
that Save the Children had arrived soon after Nargis struck
and delivered rice and tarpaulins, among other goods. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) In an attempt to visit some of the cyclone damaged
areas of the Irrawaddy delta region, Poloff and LES were
turned around at a military checkpoint on the border between
Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions on May 29. The uniformed and
Special Branch police manning the checkpoint were initially
willing to allow us to meet with the local colonel. The
colonel, however politely declined our permission to enter
Irrawaddy Division and promised his welcome once we return
with permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the
Ministry of Social Welfare. No foreigners will be allowed
into the delta region without such permission, he said.
Later in the day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated
to us they would grant permission for the trip over the
coming weekend. The strict enforcement of travel permission
is not unexpected, something that several diplomatic staff
and foreign aid workers have encountered.


3. (SBU) Prior to reaching Irrawaddy Division, we drove
through several towns and villages in Rangoon Division that
had been damaged during the cyclone. Along the road, we
observed approximately 20 trucks filled with police in full
riot gear. Some trucks were stopped along the road and
others were moving, presumably toward Irrawaddy Division.
Large crowds of storm victims that had reportedly migrated to
the roads in hopes of obtaining aid were nowhere to be seen.


4. (SBU) In Kungyangon Township, home to approximately 2
million people, approximately 40,000 died in the storm,
according to the head monk at Ma Soe Yein Monastery, which
has been active in relief efforts. He estimated that despite
the relatively regular flow of relief supplies to this town,
which is a little over an hour drive from Rangoon, only 25
percent of the people in the township had been helped. He
lamented that donors went to government relief camps and did
not make efforts to reach people in the more remote villages.



5. (SBU) One notable exception, he observed, was Save the
Children (STC). STC arrived only four days after Nargis
struck and returns regularly with supplies, including
tarpaulins and rice. (Note: Many of our consignment
shipments to STC include these tarpaulins.) It is one of the
few NGOs working in the area, and the monk praised the
group's willingness to carry supplies on foot to villages
that have no access to roads or waterways.


6. (C) Comment: The GOB may be opening up to aid, but the
reach of that aid, even in more accessible areas, remains
limited. Even a short distance outside of Rangoon, hundreds
of thousands of people have not yet been reached. We will
continue testing the GOB's promises of openness. They appear
determined to try and maintain control over who goes into the
delta. Despite these obstacles, our aid appears to be
reaching those who need it most. End Comment.
VILLAROSA