10-16 May: The People Need More Than Token Gestures of Drought Assistance

Burma is facing severe drought and water shortages throughout the country, due to unusually high temperatures and late monsoon. Water levels have been declining in the last month, but have now attained critically low levels. The situation stands to deteriorate further as there is an increased risk of cholera and other diseases linked to dirty drinking water.

As in previous natural disasters such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the junta has so far failed to come to the aid of the people. In Dala Township, across the river from Rangoon, the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) has provided some water to the people. However, it has not been enough for the whole town and does not arrive on a regular basis. In Arakan State, the USDA has also been drilling wells which locals report is only an attempt to buy votes in the lead up to the elections.

In the face of lacking assistance from the regime, citizens and non-governmental organizations are trying to provide enough water to the people. The women’s wing of the National League for Democracy has been distributing water in Pegu Division, where ponds and water sources in more than 60 villages have dried up. UNICEF is also distributing water, along with volunteers who have received donations from Burmese overseas. The Free Funeral Services Society has also been donating water around Rangoon. See more photos.

As they did in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, junta officials have been harassing volunteers in Pegu Division, setting up checkpoints to collect information about where the donations are coming from, who they are benefitting, and who is doing the work.

Other than the USDA’s token water donations, there has not yet been any serious emergency assistance from the junta—showing that the regime has little regard for the well-being of the people of Burma, even in the face of natural disasters. If the regime is unable to provide meaningful assistance in response to disasters such as Cyclone Nargis or the current water shortages, it must at the very least allow volunteers and relief organizations to do their work unhindered. We hope that international aid agencies will resist against the junta’s restrictions and continue to provide much-needed assistance in Burma.

News Highlights

US extends sanctions on Burma

Election Commission chair tells Kurt Campbell that Burma doesn’t need international election observers

PM Thein Sein and ministers who lead the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will resign from their government posts this month

Inside Burma

Daw Suu Aung San Suu Kyi has submitted a final appeal against her extended house arrest

Daw Suu criticizes NDF faction as being “not compatible with the democratic process”; U Win Tin accuses NDF of exploiting NLD name

NLD members distribute leaflets reading “citizens have the right not to vote in the coming election”

Photographer accused of Rangoon bombing has been tortured and denied food

Election Commission organizes training of school teachers to monitor elections and encourage students to vote for the USDA

Junta censors media reports on Kurt Campbell’s visit

Junta sets another deadline for ceasefire Shan State Army North; told to withdraw its forces

Regional

Philippines’ foreign secretary shrugged off Burma’s rejection of international monitors, saying the elections will be a farce anyway

Up to 5,000 migrant workers are hiding in Mae Sot after Thai police start crackdown

International

EU says Burma should be responsible for resolving Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh

The city of San Francisco calls on the US government to denounce the elections and declares 27 May as Burma Democracy Day

First Rohingya delegate visits US congress to speak about the religious persecution of ethnic minorities

Latest from the Blog

Update for 14 May
By Burma Partnership

Action

Actress and Burma activist Jane Birkin visits Thai-Burma border

Opinion

Hope and Humanitarian Space in Burma
By David Scott Mathieson
The Huffington Post

News Flash: Oil Companies Sometimes Lie
By Matthew Smith
The Huffington Post

Statements and Press Releases

A Political Prisoner’s Mother Died after Her Visit to Her Son
By Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma

Crowley Spearheads Introduction of Bipartisan bill to Renew Sanctions on Burma’s Military Regime
By Congressman Joe Crowley

US Envoy Kurt Campbell’s statement on his visit to Burma
By Kurt Campbell

Burma’s Ten Alliances call for “People’s Elections” on 27 May
By The Ten Alliances

Reports

Week 9: 2010 Election Watch (4-10 May)
By Altsean-Burma

Cross-border DKBA attack displaces households in Thailand
By Karen Human Rights Group

Attacks on cardamom plantations, detention and forced labour in Toungoo District
By Karen Human Rights Group

Weekly Political Events Regarding the SPDC’s Election (015-2010) (English)
By Network for Democracy and Development

Weekly Political Events Regarding the SPDC’s Election (016-2010) (Burmese; English available soon)
By Network for Democracy and Development

Community-based assessment of human rights in a complex humanitarian emergency: the Emergency Assistance Teams-Burma and Cyclone Nargis
By Voravit Suwanvanichkij et al.

Report on the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma
By Women’s League of Burma and Nobel Women’s Initiative

This post is in: Weekly Highlights