Food Group Resumes Relief Trips to Myanmar
Posted on: Friday, 9 May 2008, 15:00 CDT
The World Food Program said Friday it will send relief aid airplanes to Myanmar despite the government's seizure of previous aid shipments.
The World Food Program has decided to send in two relief flights as planned (Saturday), while discussions continue with the government of Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in (Friday) and not released to WFP, Nancy Roman, the organization's director of public policy and communications, said in a statement.
The military junta ruling the country formerly known as Burma Friday seized contents of two WFP flights -- high-energy biscuits that could feed 95,000 hungry people in Myanmar, Roman said. The relief organization suspended its relief operation after the food was confiscated.
The reclusive military has been criticized for its handling of the crisis in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless, the BBC reported.
Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday it was not ready to allow foreign aid workers to enter the country. Government leaders said they would accept aid, but insisted they would handle the distribution.
John Holmes, U.N. emergency relief coordinator, said the situation of trying to provide relief to Myanmarese was becoming increasingly desperate.
Frustrations have been growing that this humanitarian response is being held back because of difficulties of access in different ways, he said, noting that many visas are pending. Holmes said in a U.N. news release he would appeal to the junta authorities to step up their own relief efforts and to change their attitude completely to the efforts that we are making.
Source: United Press International
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