Myanmar Cyclone Nargis Deaths
If you have been following the news you have seen wildly varying estimates of death and destruction in Myanmar. The numbers have been growing exponentially. This won't stop. When such devastation happens, deaths continue on for sometime following the event and will kill more- a magnitude more, perhaps- than were killed initially. Tens of thousands are already dead, with tens of thousands missing and most likely dead. 1 million homeless- many of these are dead men walking. How long do you live with no shelter, little food, bad water, and the deadliest water-borne diseases brought on by dead bodies? This ain't survivor. These people are at risk and tens of thousands more are likely to die, especially when you see a headline like this: U.S. still waiting for Myanmar aid flight approval
We can't send aid and people will die every day. The military government does not care. Why? Probably some dissidents are dying, certainly poor peasants. These are pople worth nothing to the junta and losing them might even make their job easier. Aid will flow in, eventually, and lots of it will not go where it is supposed to. The junta will rejoice, make some extra cash selling aid products on the black market, and the next cyclone will be no different.
How does the junta survive since 1962? Selling natural resources to China, getting military aid from China allowing their army to grow, and selling heroin. They also get weapons from North Korea and India. China's actions are disgusting and their support of the 'governments' of Myanmar and Sudan (aloing with the suppression of Tibet) are criminal. Imagine how things would be different without Chinese intervention. But the peasants know nothing of this. I wonder, is it easier to die hoping for help but knowing none will come, or hoping for help knowing it might come?
More information on just how sad Myanmar is: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33479.pdf
By the way, the official name of the junta is the "State Peace and Development Council." This situation is just another example of evil being called good and good being called evil.
