YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar's military regime, which has barred almost all foreigners from its cyclone disaster zone, allowed the United Nations' humanitarian chief into the Irrawaddy delta for a brief tour today, a U.N. official said.
John Holmes, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, flew by helicopter into an area where hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims are suffering from hunger, disease and lack of shelter.
The U.N. official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, said Holmes would return to Yangon to meet with international aid agencies.
In what appeared to be a thaw in the junta's dealings with the United Nations, the government also gave permission for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to travel to the delta after his arrival here Wednesday.
Earlier, junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe had refused to take telephone calls from Ban and had not responded to two letters from him, Montas said. Holmes, who arrived in Yangon yesterday, was to deliver a third letter.
A senior British official hinted a breakthrough may also be near that would allow foreign military ships to join the relief effort as warnings grew of a potential second wave of death among children hard-hit by the lack of fresh water and proper shelter.
Than Shwe made his first visit to a refugee camp yesterday, patting the heads of babies and shaking hands with cyclone survivors, amid growing international criticism over the government's handling of the crisis.
Myanmar's state-run media lashed out at critics, detailing the regime's response. State television featured footage of the junta leader inspecting supplies and comforting victims in relatively clean and neat rows of blue tents.
According to the report, Than Shwe traveled from the capital, Naypyitaw, in the northern jungles, to relief camps in the Hlaing Thar Yar and Dagon suburbs of Yangon.
Some survivors clasped their hands and bowed as he and a column of military leaders walked past. At least 78,000 people were killed in the storm on May 2 and 3; 56,000 are missing.
In the devastated Irrawaddy Delta to the south of Yangon, the situation remained grim.
In the city of Laputta, hundreds of children covered their heads from the rain with empty aluminum plates as they lined up in front of a private donation center. They were given rice, a spoonful of curry and a potato.
“Children only. Please. Children only,” shouted a man who pushed back a crowd of adults. He explained they were feeding children and the elderly first because food supplies are limited and adults can still fend for themselves.
In one of the few positive notes of the day, British Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch-Brown told the British Broadcasting Corp. that he believes the rulers of Myanmar – also known as Burma – may soon relent on allowing military ships to join in the relief effort, especially if Asian go-betweens are involved.
“I think you're going to see quite dramatic steps by the Burmese to open up,” he said.
Aid agencies say about 2.5 million survivors are in desperate need of help – food, shelter from intermittent monsoon rains, medication, clean drinking water and sanitation.
A U.N. report released Saturday said that emergency relief from the international community had reached only 500,000 people.
