Tiny Bits of Information
Posted on May 6, 2008, by Hanna Ingber Win, under Uncategorized.
It’s been near impossible getting any information out of Burma since Saturday’s cyclone. The junta - almost as paranoid about natural disasters as it was about democracy protests last fall - refuses to allow foreign journalists into the country. Western news outlets have relied on information from media groups like Democratic Voice of Burma, which is run by Burmese exiles. Toe Zaw Latt, the DVB Bureau Chief in Chiang Mai, Thailand, told me their reporters can’t access the areas worst hit by the cyclone in the Irrawaddy Delta.
The government says 22,500 people have died, and 41,000 remain missing. But with areas cut off from communication, it’s impossible to know the real numbers.
Phones are working in parts of Rangoon, though irregularly. My husband and I talked to his uncle living in Rangoon last night. He said he and the rest of the family survived the storm, but they are still badly affected by it. The electricity has been out for four days. They have a small generator so can use it to pump water. The price of gas has doubled. Not that one can drive when fallen trees still litter the streets.
Toe Zaw Latt said the government has started helping but very slowly. Soldiers cut the trees, but then leave them in the streets.
Most people in Rangoon rely on government electricity to pump their water. They now must buy bottled water that has jumped in price, or bathe in public areas like parks and water fountains.
We have emailed numerous friends living in Rangoon, but no word yet.
The Loop Around | Hanna Ingber Win on May 7, 2008
[...] we thought we had little information on what’s happening inside Burma since the cyclone hit Saturday. The Internet is now working [...]