Navy Ships Leaving Without Delivering Cyclone Aid

U.S. Navy ships laden with relief supplies will steam away from Myanmar’s coast today, their helicopters barred by the ruling junta even though millions of cyclone survivors need food, shelter or medical care.

More than a month after the storm, many people in stricken areas still have not received any aid and the military government continued to impose constraints on international rescue efforts, humanitarian groups said Wednesday.

"I am both saddened and frustrated to know that we have been in a position to help ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people and help mitigate further loss of life but have been unable to do so because of the unrelenting position of the Burma military junta," said Adm. Timothy Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command. Myanmar is also known as Burma.

The Essex and three other amphibious assault ships, which have been in international waters off Myanmar since May 13, will continue with their previously scheduled missions, Keating said in a statement .

But Keating added that "should the Burmese rulers have a change of heart and request our full assistance for their suffering people, we are prepared to help."

He said the United States had made "at least 15 attempts" to persuade the junta to allow the ships – which carry 22 medium and heavy helicopters, four landing craft and 5,000 sailors and Marines – to deliver aid directly to victims in Myanmar’s most badly damaged areas.

The junta also refused help from French and British warships .

U.S. military C-130 transport planes are being allowed to fly in relief supplies to Yangon, the country’s biggest city, from a temporary base in Thailand.

About 1.3 million survivors have been reached with assistance by local and international aid groups, the Red Cross or U.N. agencies, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

U.N. officials estimated that 1.1 million more still needed help. "There remains a serious lack of sufficient and sustained humanitarian assistance for the affected populations," the agency warned.

The government says 78,000 people were killed by the cyclone, which hit May 2 and 3, and 56,000 more are unaccounted for.