Articles | Burma government stops relief

Burma government stops relief

Published: Saturday, 17 May 2008, 8:19AM

The Burmese military Government has declared the emergency relief effort over, despite many survivors of Cyclone Nargis still being without food, water and shelter.

Two weeks after the deadly cylone struck, military rulers have admitted that nearly 78,000 people have been killed and another 56,000 are still missing.

But Burma's prime minister Thien Sein stated that the relief phase was now finished, and rebuilding was beginning, saying: "We have already finished our first phase of emergency relief. We are going on to the second phase, the rebuilding stage".

Horrified aid agencies insist that getting food, water, shelter and medical care to victims is still the main priority.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said at least £6 million worth of British aid has already reached 350,000 people in desperate need.

But the United Nations said the relief supplies sent into the country by the international community remain far below the needs of up to 2.5 million victims of the cyclone.

ActionAid's head of emergencies, Roger Yates, said: "We must never take our eyes off the immediate needs of those who are suffering and we must ensure that survivors are not put at any further risk.

"We know that following disasters, people can remain extremely vulnerable for a very long time."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has accused Burma's government today of "inhuman" treatment of survivors.

Mr Brown said the military junta should be held to account for its "negligence" and warned the disaster, which is estimated to have claimed more than 100,000 lives, was in danger of becoming a "man-made catastrophe".