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Myanmar’s military regime on Friday, May 23, 2008 announced that it will allow foreign aid workers and commercial ships to help survivors of the cyclone Nargis. The ruling junta however refused to relent on accepting aid from the US, French and British military ships. The military regime told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that all aid workers would be let in the country as long as it was clear what they were doing and for how long they would stay.
According to the United Nations an estimated 2.5 million people remain in severe need and only 25 percent of the survivors have received aid in any form. The survivors are now threatened by disease, hunger and exposure owing to the loss of homes. Myanmar has estimated economic damage at about $11 billion from the May 2-3 cyclone. The UN Secretary General made known that the ruling junta has agreed that international aid could be delivered to Myanmar via civilian ships and small boats. Official estimates have put the death toll due to the disaster at about 78,000, with 56,000 people missing.
