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U.N. eyes plan to force Myanmar to accept aid

Officials warn cyclone deaths may be 'dramatically' above 22,000 figure

AP

An
aerial view of devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar is shown
on Tuesday, four days after the storm unleashed winds, floods and high
tidal waves on the densely populated region.

YANGON,
Myanmar - France has suggested invoking a U.N. "responsibility to
protect" clause and delivering aid directly to cyclone-hit Myanmar
without waiting for approval from the military.

The
proposal came as internal U.N. documents revealed Myanmar's government
is dragging its feet on giving visas to aid workers who are waiting to
help the survivors of Cyclone Nargis.

French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters on Wednesday that the
United Nations recognized in 2005 the concept of "responsibility to
protect" civilians when their governments could or would not do it,
even if this meant intervention that violated national sovereignty.

He said the idea was under discussion at the United Nations in New York.

"We
are seeing at the United Nations if we can't implement the
responsibility to protect, given that food, boats and relief teams are
there, and obtain a United Nations' resolution which authorizes the
delivery (of aid) and imposes this on the Burmese government," he said.

Shops stormed

Hungry crowds of survivors stormed
the few shops that opened in Myanmar's stricken Irrawaddy delta, where
food and international aid has been scarce since a devastating cyclone
killed more than 22,000 people and left 40,000 others missing.

One
of the U.N. documents obtained by The Associated Press says: "Visas are
still a problem. It is not clear when it will be sorted out."

The comments were made by U.N. officials during a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday to coordinate relief efforts.

It said U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon "will contact Myanmar" to arrange a
meeting with high-ranking officials on the issue.

'Major disaster'

U.N. officials also declared
Myanmar's stricken Irrawaddy delta a "major disaster" with corpses
floating through flooded waters and enormous logistical challenges
hampering humanitarian aid efforts.

Witnesses
said survivors tried desperately to reach dry ground on boats using
blankets as sails. The U.N. said some 1 million people were homeless in
the Southeast Asian country, also known as Burma.

Military
helicopters dropped food and water on Wednesday to survivors in the
Irrawaddy delta, where entire villages have been washed away, officials
said.

"Basically the
entire lower delta region is under water," said Richard Horsey,
Bangkok-based spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Aid. He predicted the casualty figure could rise
"dramatically" beyond the latest figure given by Myanmar officials
Tuesday.

Aid
workers were able to start distributing essential relief supplies in
the region, including water purification tablets, mosquito nets,
plastic sheeting and basic medical supplies. But heavily flooded areas
are accessible only by boat, he said.

"Teams
are talking about bodies floating around in the water. ... It's a huge,
huge problem just to get these goods out," he said. This is "a major,
major disaster we're dealing with."

Here's how to help cyclone victims

With
as many as 1 million left homeless, the international community was
struggling to deliver aid in the military-ruled country, which normally
seeks to shut out foreign officials and restricts their access inside
the country.

State television on
Wednesday quoted Yangon official Gen. Tha Aye as reassuring people that
the situation was "returning to normal" in certain areas of Karen state
that were hit by the cyclone. He was shown thanking volunteers and
visiting the village of Naungbo, outside Yangon, where locals were
cutting apart downed trees and brush to clear the roads.

But
nearby in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, cyclone victims faced new
challenges as markets doubled the price of rice, charcoal and bottled
water. Electricity was restored to a small portion of the city's 6.5
million residents, but most, who rely on electric wells, had no water.

At
a morning market in the Yangon suburb of Kyimyindaing, a fish monger
shouted to shoppers: "Come, come the fish is very fresh."

But an angry woman snapped back: "Even if the fish is fresh, I have no water to cook it!"