What should be done re: aid to Burma?

Great Debates
#1

Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India. All in the news nonstop. But Burma? Not a word. I’m looking at a map, and it has a huge stretch of coastline exposed to the tsunami. I can’t see how it could possibly not have been hit every bit as hard as India. Google news searches turn up a tiny collection of stories of the ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council (a collection of unmitigated evil, imho) reporting 43 dead and 25 missing, with 200 displaced. Move along; nothing to see here.

Yeah right. Unless they forgot to include a couple or three zeros in those numbers.

So what should we (we being the rest of the world) do? Do we respect the SPDC’s wishes and not pry too much into things? Do we impose aid? If so, how?

#2

Impose ?

Offer it , but dont be surprised when the rangoon govt turns it down. There is probably about 4 or 5 other countries that will take the aid willingly in the spirit offered, sooner or later rangoon will ask.

Declan

#3

Any foreign aid offered to Myanmar should be with the stipulation that its disbursement be overseen by representatives of established NGOs and charities. Theirs is one nasty regime that can’t be trusted.