Mizzima/RFA-Oct 8
Myanmar’s military junta has delivered almost no relief aid and done little else to help people affected by Typhoon Yagi, which caused widespread flooding in central and eastern parts of the country, several people told Radio Free Asia.In neighboring Laos, where Asia’s worst storm of the year also caused flooding, there are similar complaints of an insufficient government response“There is one group that came to help – not the government,” a resident of Na Leev village in northern Houaphanh province told RFA. “They helped with food and blankets. But for shelter, we had to do that by ourselves.” In Myanmar, Typhoon Yagi damaged schools and tens of thousands of homes in Shan and Kayah states and the Mandalay region. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the flooding had affected more than 1 million people in 70 towns across the country. Some villages near rivers remain under water one month after the storm, while no work has been done on damaged roads that have left some residents unable to travel to neighboring villages, Mandalay residents said.
A resident of Kayah state’s capital, Loikaw, told RFA that 10 neighborhoods in the town were severely affected by flooding. People who live on the outskirts of Loikaw have received no food or other aid deliveries, he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons. “The aid group mainly reached the town’s main religious community hall. Some residents are taking shelters at the monasteries and some religious buildings.” The junta has restricted the delivery of relief items elsewhere under the pretext that they are going to rebel groups. RFA was unable to reach junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun to ask about the absence of relief aid in flood-affected areas. Businesses in various regions and states have announced cash contributions for aid relief. In Shan state alone, the junta has received more than 1 billion kyat (US$476,000) in donations, according to media reports. Read more at: https://eng.mizzima.com/2024/10/08/14810
