U.N. Suspends Disaster Relief Food Shipments To Myanmar After Military Seizes Aid

Rangoon, Myanmar (AHN) - United Nations officials suspended disaster aid to Myanmar after its military government confiscated food aid meant for victims of Cyclone Nagris.

Myanmar's military government has said it would accept food aid, but would not allow any foreigners into the nation to distribute that food. It has said it will distribute the food itself. But the nation is ill-equipped to distribute disaster relief supplies and there is no assurance that the supplies will be distributed to the intended recipients.

Nearly one week after the cyclone struck Myanmar's government is still thwarting international disaster relief efforts by refusing to let foreign relief workers into the country to distribute food, along with disaster assessment teams.

More than 1 million people lost their homes to the cyclone last Saturday. Along with a lack of food and safe drinking water multitudes of people have lost all their possessions, including cooking utensils and equipment.

State media has reported that 62,000 people were killed and the death toll is expected to continue climbing.

The country's rice-producing region was hardest hit and bodies reportedly are still floating in salt water-flooded rice paddies the Irrawaddy delta.