Thoughts for Barter

I am outraged at how the international crisis is unfolding in Burma.

Why is this not getting more media coverage and public attention?

On Saturday, May 3rd Cyclone Nargis devastated the southern delta region of Burma, also referred to as Myanmar by its military government. The first I heard of it, a small clip, was Sunday on NPR. Popular sites such as CNN, ABC, Yahoo News, and even disappointedly NPR have allotted the issue in Burma to a front page link & article. As the week continued, the death toll and number missing grimly increased from 10,000 to 20,000 to its now current estimate of 63,000 – 100,000. When the tsunami crisis hit Indonesia in 2004, it was televised everywhere and relief efforts, donation drives were incorporated in TV shows and info-commercials. I think even the recent Chinese Olympic protests received more coverage. For in-depth information, folks, head to the BBC.

After nearly a week, the Burmese government is barely starting to accept foreign aid.

The government, which is highly suspicious of foreigners, balks at allowing aid workers into the country. They are, however, accepting (i.e. confiscating) aid material sent into the country. Without foreign aid workers, there is no way to monitor the distribution process and ensure that the victims will indeed be the ones to receive the critical clean water, food, clothing, etc. Several countries have been hovering on the sidelines in Thailand, waiting for their proper visas to surge in with huge cargo shipments. However, each day spent waiting is another day greater losses and mounting health hazards. France proposes that the United Nations can give Burma ‘the finger’ and provide aid without granted permission from the government.

I don’t know what the Burmese government’s priorities are if they rule suspicion and isolation over the lives of their citizens.

Oh wait, I do know. It’s because..

The Burmese government and military are more preoccupied over a piece of paper than saving one to two million of its population.

Voting for a new constitution doesn’t pair well with a national crisis, yet Burma’s government somehow fits that in the agenda. Instead of sending its soldiers to clean rotting corpses from the delta, rebuild destructed homes and villages, distribute clean water and food, they are parading around the streets encouraging folks to vote. Not like it matters since it’s all a sham and rumored to already “pass” with a 84.6% vote. Not to mention that one to two million displaced people are more concerned with survival, families, and awaiting outside help (but we already know why that’s not happening). How convenient for the Burmese leadership.

The more I hear and read, the more reasons I find to be angry. Despite its desire to remain isolated from the world, this disaster drags Burma in the public radar and forces the government, as well as ourselves to ask some hard questions.
Now that the world is watching, how will Burma respond with increasing pressure from the international community? With such a slow supply of relief or aid, how much longer can the victims, the country, and the world wait? What death toll is high enough to elicit a response, a call to action? Do politics and diplomacy between countries come before the basic rights of preserving and protecting human life? What are the responsibilities of the global community against human rights abuses, including negligence during dire need?

When will the rest of the world decide enough is enough?