the UN has halted its aid to burma ...

[wannaBe]

because its first shipment has been impounded

wtf is wrong with them?

Why can nobody do anything? shouldn't we be going in there to bring about regime change? Oh but no, silly me, they don't have anything we want do they. .

it's so shocking. what a state

wtf is wrong with these people? I made a donation yesterday but it was probably pointless

Hang on ! I'm under the impression that their government doesn't want assistance from western countries, thats how much they care about their own people.

As for regime change, thats not our call. With that usually comes war.

I was tempted to say we should take our aid back but then I realised it was the big wigs who are being arseholes and it is the innocent who will suffer.

just posted on the other thread, what an absolute farce their government is. Allowing their own people to die because they wont let aid into the country

as usual it is the poorest people who will bear the greatest weight of this shocking decision. Isn't it always?

because regime change enforced from the outside worked really well everywhere else we've tried it...

I'm not sure what to think tbh

I wasn't serious abuot the regime change, but the fact is that if this had been an oil rich country we would have been in there by now, calling for action, calling for something to be done. But we only put pressure on the countries that have something to offer, iraq for eg, but Zimbabwe and these countries where the people don't actually have a say are just left to their own devices.

And what makes it worse is that millions will die and the burmese will be reporting it to the news agencies but refusing help. it's like rubbing peoples' noses in it. .

I heard on Radio 5 live that they want to distribute the aid themselves.

TBH I am not going to donate to fatten already fat pockets.

I want a guarentee that ot will go to the people that need it the most

I agree , of course its always the poor and innocents that will suffer and die, it is always the way but , while I understand your opinion on the not having anything we want side of things, the Myannmar government could help their own people, they could accept lots and lots of aid, they don't want to, the responsibility for that doesn't lie with us.

the UN have halted anymore aid because te government siezed all the aid they landed yesterday to 'distribute themselves'. This sounds very dodgy, why will they let no-one into the country? Its so so secretive andsuch an oppressive regime.

the sad thing is people are now far less likely to donate money because they feel it is pointless, as Themadhouse's post suggests. I feel that way too.

But aid never gets to those who need it the most...

If you saw the huge amount of aid (money, clothes, food..) that was poured into Mocambique as flood relief a few years back,it was heartbreaking to see that it never ended up where it should...

Zimbabawe actually REFUSED aid - Mugabe was adamant that Zimbos could produce enough for themselves without aid...

is it the DEC ( disaster emergency committee) which was convened following the tsunami of 3 yrs ago? I think that is a pretty sound organisation.

I agree with donnie, people are going to feel against giving mony because it wont get to the people. I am not donating money to anything for now, but will see how the situation progrsses.

Have just read on the bbc that the government in burma is willing to accept cash and emergency aid, but has turned back an aid flight from quatar.

willing to accept cash? hmmmm. could be suspicious.

The thing about aid is that it never comes with no attachments or responsibilities - and locals begin to depend on the aid and lose their self sufficiency...

It is a double edged sword and I am unhappy to pay money into an account and not know who will be the caretakers or distributors of those funds...

They have had a democratically elected government since 1990, but the military have had them under arrest ever since.

Aung San Suu Kyi

We should have done something before.

Nagpie - i don't think you can lump emergency aid in with general aid (which yes, often has strings attached).

I think quite a lot of people in Burma right now would be happy to lose a little self-sufficiency in exchange for a meal or a drink of clean water.

Absolutely fucking tragic. Not enough for the so-called generals to suppress all democracy and human rights, they have to prevent aid reaching the victims of a disaster, too. How much more do the poor bloody Burmese have to bear?

I really, really hope China and Thailand can exert some pressure and get something done. Suspect the chances are slim, though, the Chinese regime is probably in cahoots with the generals.

WB - Unfortunately, using Africa as an example, aid always tends to be the emergency sort...

Edam - the same wish was for SA and all the other SADC countries to pressurise Mugabe into stepping down... fat lot of good that has done... and I am sure you are right about China...

i havent donated because i couldnt see it being accepted not currupted diverted etc

tho i do trust dec

i think they are up totally up against it with burma

tragically

Please don't stop giving!!! i've just seen some shocking pictures of dead bodies of lie little children lying bloated in dirty water. Don't let the Junta win, please write to the Burmese embassy in London and voice your views and encourage everyone else to do so.

The aid has only halted, it will reach some of the needy eventually.

We should mount combat air patrols over the country and keep their air force on the ground. We should then fly in and air drop massive amounts of food and provisions all over the country, swamp the place. And each donation should have a note saying, 'A gift from the free world'

The pictures are truly awful coming from the country, what sort of government can act like this