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Myanmar lashes out at donors; says cyclone victims do not need 'bars of chocolate'

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In another word, "Where's MY money???? I have another wedding party to throw."

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Myanmar means those Burmese generals,they are just gangsters,thugs;they represent no one, not even a dog!They only represent the power which control Burmese people ,control a piece of land which is called Burma,nothing more than that.When they say chocolates(they are not cheap) is no good for hungry people,people of starvation... just show the world that they are not only extremely arrogant, but also have 0 idea about nutritional matters,nil, nothing. They are so ignorant just about everything except guns and more guns.

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tclh: if so why promise so much aid to these generals? it is obvious West was interested in sending workers (aid workers=volunteers=jobless=spies) and warships to cyclone hit country. Whereas, real aid work is being carried out by ASEAN, China, Thai and India.

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This story just makes no sense. So the Military Junta of Myanmar is lashing out at the International Community for lack of relief aid, which, the Military Junta has repeatedly (since the cyclone hit) turned down? I don't get it: What, exactly, is the government of Myanmar protesting???

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I guess the generals don't like chocolate - those inconsiderate countries trying to help should know that, and instead donate diamonds, luxury cars, champagne and maybe some weapons to the poor victims of the cyclone...

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Oh, for cryin' out loud, someone please remove these thugs from their position of power.

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Sarge, just whisper in W's ear that there be oil in Burma.

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Hoser - Nah, that wouldn't work. We're fairly tied up elsewhere at the moment. Maybe someone else for this one?

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Please do not think that the generals are ungrateful. The donors should have known that in hot weather like Burma, chocolate bars melt and they can't be pocketed. With all the natural resources like trees, gas, jade and all other wealth disappearing into their pockets how could they forgive the donors for donating 'chocolate bars'.

Sarge should just persuade the US Pacific fleet to just turn the 'Cobra Gold' exercise into the real one. Mr Bush and his lot in the White House will all be forgiven for their past mistakes. Who knows, the US might have found oil in the Gulf of Martaban already?

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some14some:spies?It was unlucky that these generals weren't crazy enough to arrest and jail UN's SG Ban Ki-moon as a spy!These generals have been busy to accumulate so much wealth (palaces,girls,gold diamonds dollars...etc) for themselves and they could not care less if cyclone's victims have to eat grass ,drink sewage, live next to rotten corpses...These generals seize power from people's elected government and now they see spies..spies,spies everywhere,even just aid workers.

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Sarge, just whisper in W's ear that there be oil in Burma.

Why not shout to the world that hundreds of thousands are going to die with no end in sight? heh...just kidding.

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Hopefully this 'not needing bars of chocolate' will be Myanmar's version of 'Let them eat cake.'

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no doubt in a few years when the full extent of the damage has been accessed, mass dead graves unearthed etc, we can have another bosnian style war to remove the junta and let "democracy" take place.

funny how democracy is being forced on people these days :D

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Crucades- 1st or 2nd year University? That's the kind of arrogant and hopelessly naive statement made by someone who needs a few years living in the real world under his belt. By the way, your major is -let me guess- philosophy?

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no, they're right...what the cyclone victims really need are guns and bullets so they can shoot the generals currently in power

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Myanmar news paper mentioned that “fresh vegetables that grow wild in the fields and on protein-rich fish from the rivers.” It is incorrect. After the Cyclone, Irrawaddy delta can not grow fresh vegetables for a few yrs. Flooded-Lands needed to be recovered and repaired. Even Rice has to be imported from the Vietnam. Protein-rich fish eat the dead human bodies from river. Eating the fish like eating the dead people. It is against the rules of all religions.

Even Myanmar Generals do not want to cremate the dead bodies from cyclone. Their excuse is fuel is so expensive for cremation. They said "Let's fish eat the dead bodies". I will never eat fish from Myanmar. I will eat the Chocolate bar. It is sweeter than fish.

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Even Myanmar Generals do not want to cremate the dead bodies from cyclone. Their excuse is fuel is so expensive for cremation.

Shows a lack of creativity and knowledge of science. A dead body wrapped several times in cloth will burn like a candle as fats and bodily fluids melt and seep into the cloth, causing a wick-effect.

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Conqueror of Pluto or Cyclone

The main reason for generals hate the Chocolate bar is most generals have obesity. I think they worry about getting diabetes.

Who care about causing the wick-effect. As far as bodies are completely cremated, no need to worry about the spread of decease and contamination. I may lack the creativity and knowledge for science. However I am not dumb about waterborne deceases and contamination. Stamping out the all dead bodies is one of the priority for relief operation. For dry land, easy to be buried. For wet and soft soil, cremation is preferred.

If the burning fire is strong enough, dead bodies will become ashes within a few seconds. The ashes will become fertile enough for next generation of the crops. Flooded land needed more fertilizer.

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I meant lack of creativity and science on the Junta's part.

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Or perhaps we shouldn't, seeing how well our military provided relief after the Tsunami.

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All these generals care is how much CASH DONATION they can make out of this human disaster.The military in Burma cannot care less if aid materials stopped coming in for the victims. They already have written-off the victims in delta region. A relative, who is an army doctor told us that one person dies every 10 minutes in the delta-town he is in; they died out of starvation, diseases and lack of shelter. Before these starving victims are cared for just to continue living, junta's relatives have already won contracts to build government buildings, hospitals, houses etc. in the region;therefore that billions from donors is urgently needed.

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some14some ; real aid works is being carried out by ASEAN, China, Thai and India,

What are you talking about? (western aid workers= spies ?) sounds exactly like stupid generals of Burma who lack experience in international relations . Who has been stopping the aid workers from entering the country ? the generals themselves. The international aid workers and western news media are doing EXCELLENT JOB in China; only guilty generals are paranoid.

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PepinGalarga; Billions of aid money were given to greedy contractors that made ...........kicking them out homeless"

The "greedy contractors" in Burma/Myanmar are the relatives of the generals themselves. The billions will disappeared into their pockets as usual.

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The billions will disappeared into their pockets as usual.

Attacking Myanmar Generals for the greed and wealth is irrelevant, it is same with any leader in any country, or you think that the leaders of rest of the world are living in poverty? Infact, their wealth and assets far exceed than those in Myanmar. The point of discussion is aid.. humanitarian aid... not aid-workers. There are many places in the world like Iraq, Afghan, Pak where these aid-workers can serve better than in cyclone hit Myanmar.

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They pity the Ghanian children forced to labor for the cocoa. And they're envious of not having any chocoslaves of their own.

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I don't care what some14some "THINKS" and spining anti-western propaganda. I am writing what I "KNOW" about "MY COUNTRY and MY PEOPLE's SUFFERINGS". Greedy generals do not give a toss about the dying people, it never had. Who cares about those wealthy countries' leaders some14some is talking about? I am talking about OUR Burmese people, who are not only starving but flattened under the military boots . Who will donate generously without checking (where their money goes) under such circumstances?

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Attacking Myanmar Generals for the greed and wealth is irrelevant

Oh, I don't know about that. As somebody else already pointed out, you might want to check the history of the French Revolution before you start saying that comparative wealth isn't an issue. Pretty soon the generals are going to understand that pitchforks have several uses.

As far as ASEAN doing much positive work it doesn't seem to be happening. ASEAN should be ashamed for ever supporting such a corrupt bunch of thugs in the first place. They all have the blood of the Burmese people on their hands.

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ca1ic0cat; Thank U!

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Infact, their wealth and assets far exceed than those in Myanmar.

Is that so? These leaders you are quoting...Do they also shoot thousands of unarmed citizens/monks on the streets, for asking for food ? Do they burn 4000 villages, driving tens of thousands of women, children and elderly into the jungles? Do they send their elected MPs to 100 of years of prison (slow death) sentences? Do they also refused to recognize the national general election winners? How long have they ruled the country for ? Half a century (like Myanmar generals)?

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There is only one thing left for the international community to do ; Take the Myanmar military junta to the International Court of Justice for "Crime Against Humanity". Other options will be too bloody and could result in too many lost of lives.

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The best aid would be for someone to assasinate Than Shwe so the people of Burma could set about restoring their place in the world. As I had said I believe that the nations of the world should have by-passed the Junta and begun airdrops marked with nice UN stickers or maybe the donor nations stickers. As for the Junta's constitional referendum you can bet that it was a sham.

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Interesting to note that some posters are focused on basic structural reforms of Myanmar Generals/Govt. and forgetting about the basic cause of helping people in need. Go ahead and let's see New Myanmar under new ideas presented in this dicussion.

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In order to help the people of Burma on their basic necessities , the greatest obsticle is the military (so-called) government itself. This has been proven time and time again. First,2 days before the cyclone, India and Thai officials warned Burma but the junta hushed up the weather warning on approaching cyclone, in fear of displacing people, as the junta is planning voting on the 10th . Second, the news blackout regarding the damage caused; no alert for help. Third, the soldiers were ordered to build voting booths and to provide security there instead of helping the victims. Gen Than Shwe came out to vote on the 10th.May (8 days after the cyclone) before he ackowledged the disaster on 12th May. Fourth, he had a tour of the delta by air two weeks after the cyclone, few days before the arrival of UNSGeneral. But still strongly blocking the international aid. No aid materials reached the delta. Fifth, after meeting the UNSG on 22nd, Than Shwe agreed to lift the blockage on 23.05.08(3 weeks after the cyclone). Sixth. It's media has written and spoken of free access by aid workers into the disaster area,but on the ground only 7 out of 45 UN workers who were allowed into the country on 28th got to travel to delta .

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A United Nation aid worker in Burma made remark on his experience in Burma as...... "NEVER ENDING SERIES OF CONSTRAINT"....... That's how helpful the junta is to it's dying millions.

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Pretty soon the generals are going to understand that pitchforks have several uses ".

ca1ic0cat; I like that alot ; The French revolution's "let them eat cakes" is another good example.

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While 1.2 million are still out of reach in remote (destroyed) villages, drinking water is the big issue here. Water purification plants have to be operated by experience aid workers but cannot by the local people. The animals in the delta have been drinking salt water in the aftermath and have died of diarrohea dialy. Human and animal remains are still floating up and down the streams and more danger is lurking as decomposed bodies are attracking BLACK FLIES. For the survivors the next disaster awaits. BUT the military gov.,adamantly ,declared emergency relief work is over and reconstruction works ought to begin, hinting "Where is my Billions?"

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Actually what these generals are lashing out at is their own stupidity. Not allowing friendly countries to help the people, help the junta could not, will not provide. They want billions of dollars, in cash if you please. Guess in whose pockets that money would end up.

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If the Bush Administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina got a grade C minus (barely over 60 out of 100 in Burmese grading system), then the Nargis cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese military government got a grade C plus (nearly 70 out of 100). If the Nargis cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese military government got a grade C plus, its public relations efforts should get a D minus (around 50 out of 100). Here is why and what more needs to be done. The government-controlled media, particularly the multi-media like television, shows the government leaders visiting the camps, extraordinarily clean and tidy, with the victims standing stiff outside their tents, supposedly and sometimes the generals and the visiting dignitaries sitting in the polished furniture in teak in a tent near the temporary shelter camp in the middle of the paddy field. It might be the image that the Burmese government leaders want to project to the public, including the international community, or at least the journalists working in the government-controlled media assumed so, judging from the past experiences. But the problem is that these images are too pretentious and too good to be true, at least to the eyes of the beholders, if not so in reality. If the fault of their opponents and opposition-sympathetic media can be found in unrealistically painting and portraying the government’s cyclone relief efforts as null and none, the fault of the Burmese government and its media can be found in found in unrealistically painting and portraying the government’s cyclone relief efforts as in perfect setting, too perfect to be true, again at least to the eyes of the beholders, if not so in reality. Who would believe their eyes if what they are seeing in the television is the extraordinarily neat and tidy camps without any hardships. At best, the public would think that the camp has been airbrushed by the bureaucrats before their superiors come to inspect. At worst, the Burmese government leaders might even be accused of staging a media show and exaggerating their handling of the situation. I know for a fact that the regime opponents, their state/non-state supporters and their sympathetic media are misleading the public when they insinuate, if not outright report, that the Burmese government is doing nothing to help the cyclone victims. Nobody would believe what the opposition-sympathetic media report. However, it would be much better for the Burmese government if the state-controlled media realistically portray the situation on the ground rather than broadcasting the extraordinarily neat and tidy camps with the cyclone victim families standing in front of their tents to greet the visiting officials. As two wrongs do not make a right, countering the unrealistically negative portrayal of the opposition-sympathetic media with the unrealistically positive images in the government-controlled media will get the cyclone relief efforts of the Burmese government nowhere. Secondly, the public will be more hesitant to believe what they see if the state-controlled TV and the newspapers are showing the generals’ cyclone relief efforts and inspecting a variety of sites everyday. Growing up in a state-controlled media, the public tends to immediately reject what they see as a media show or as the airbrushed images of the bureaucrats before their superior officers come. The public would be more willing to believe what they see on TV if they saw the images of the mid-level officers and the soldiers in the cyclone relief efforts. Remember the images that represented the army’s cyclone relief efforts around the world are not the generals’ inspection of the camps or distribution of cyclone relief aid; it was the two privates or corporals lifting some relief materials from the aircrafts delivering the international aid in the early days of the relief operations. Of course, the traditional portraits, taken as a group in front of the camera mostly to equally share their contributions and efforts, and to avoid giving more credit to one over another, or taken with the cameraman’s wishes, would not work either. It is a staged show; we can see that from the images. It would be much better and more natural to take the photos and record the videos when the participants are unaware of the cameramen provided that they are informed in advance. Of course, to take those pictures, the video and photo journalists from the government-controlled media would have to go and see the ground activities on their own, in addition to, if not rather than, following the government leaders and ministers around. The remaining question if what if those video and photo journalists assigned to work on their own, found a good corner to take a nap in stead of doing what they are supposed and expected and paid to do? At that stage, many corrective actions can be taken; between now and then, just simply have faith and hope that the video and photo journalists assigned to work on their own would do what they are supposed and expected and paid to do. In addition, some quality media images that could potentially come out of the efforts of the video and photo journalists assigned to work with the mid-level officers and soldiers would worth much more than their current products which are most likely to be rejected out of hand by the Burmese public. The Burmese military government leaders still do NOT understand the human nature. The government, particularly the soldiers and the other public employees, will have to take care of the public property and clean the trees and debris, that only a very small portion of the local population would and could take care of. However, few would remember and be thankful for their work on public properties. Most will probably think that the government and soldiers are doing what they are supposed to be doing. On the other hand, almost everybody would remember and appreciate if the government and the soldiers lend a hand in reconstructing their homes. Human nature is such that few would remember the barrister for the entire Frappuccino, but most would certainly remember the barrister for the extra cream on top. [In Burmese context, few would remember a bowl full of fish soup at the shop but most would remember for the extra or for the extra pieces of egg on top.] I can simply hope that the Burmese government, particularly its photo and video journalists would depart from the historical approach of following the top leaders and ministers around so that the government and the military’s efforts could be recorded and presented more realistically and thus that they get the due credit they deserve for all their efforts and consequently that they can reestablish a good rapport with the Burmese public, a good rapport the Burmese military had enjoyed until the mid 1980s.

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