This comes as no surprise. This is the same thing Liberals in New Orleans did in 2005.
U.N. 'furious' as Myanmar aid 'seized' - CNN.com
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A top United Nations official says he is "furious" over the Myanmar's government's refusal to allow the organization to distribute aid flown in for cyclone disaster victims.
In response, the U.N. suspended future flights but then later Friday said it would resume emergency airlifts on Saturday.
Two planes that landed Friday morning in Rangon carrying 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, medical kits and other items were seized by officials at Yangon International Airport, said Tony Banbury, Asia director of the U.N.'s World Food Program.
The cargo is enough to feed 95,000 people, he said.
"We off-loaded the food, and then the authorities refused us permission to take that food away.
"We were told we needed a special letter from the Minister of Social Welfare. We hand-delivered a request to him. The answer back was 'No, you can't have the food.'
"That food is now sitting on the tarmac doing no good."
Under U.N. rules, the organization must control and distribute its aid supplies.
"I'm furious. This is unacceptable," Banbury said.
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However, the WFP said later that it would try to send more aid.
"The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the government of Myanmar," spokeswoman Nancy Roman said Friday.
As many as 6 million people lived in the Irrawaddy Delta, the low-lying region that bore the brunt of the storm. More than 2,000 square miles of land are under water.
The Myanmar government says last week's cyclone killed 22,000 people, but the top U.S. envoy in the country says the death toll may exceed 100,000. Thousands are without food, shelter and clean water, and aid workers say boats and helicopters are needed to reach remote areas.
As the delivery of aid supplies lags, the possibility of diseases such as malaria rises, medical authorities say. Video Watch how some aid is getting through »
Friday's move by the Myanmar military government comes one day before a national constitutional referendum that would strengthen the power of the military junta.
The government delayed voting in areas most ravaged by last Saturday's cyclone, but, despite urging by U.N. General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon, refused to cancel the balloting countrywide. Ban told authorities it may be "prudent" to focus their resources on emergency response efforts.
Political observers note that Myanmar has been isolated from outside influences since the military began ruling the country in 1962. Photo Look at satellite pictures of the damage by the flooding »
One senior U.S. military official told CNN that the United States was presenting Myanmar with an aid plan that would minimize the presence of American troops on the ground.
The United States is proposing that C-130s fly into the Myanmar carrying U.N. supplies. The planes would drop supplies off and then turn around and leave. But they would conduct as many flights as possible.
The United States is also proposing that Navy helicopters already in Thailand and on board U.S. Navy ships in the region fly supplies to remote areas. The helicopters would conduct low-level flights and air-drop the supplies but not touch the ground.
Four U.S. Navy ships are now moving to a region offshore Myanmar. They are the USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Mustin. Some U.S. Marines are ashore in Thailand for an exercise but could readily be moving to relief operations.
Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, told CNN the agency has never encountered such resistance to offers of help in such a mushrooming humanitarian crisis.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the military junta in Myanmar has behaved "appallingly" by declining to grant more visas to relief workers.
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"This has never happened before," he said Friday.
To complicate matters, Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand -- where aid groups have been waiting for days for entry permission -- was closed Friday for a holiday.
Liberals refuse cyclone aid.
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