Philippines urged to take lead role in ASEAN against Myanmar

A prominent exiled Myanmar opposition lawmaker Thursday called on the Philippines to take a more prominent role in pushing for genuine democratic changes in the isolated state. Khun Myint Tun, who is a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), said atrocities continued in his homeland and urged the United Nations [...]

Red Cross: Myanmar dead may never be identified

YANGON, Myanmar – Tens of thousands of people killed in last month’s cyclone may never be identified because their bodies have decomposed so badly and many ended up far from home, an aid organization said Sunday. The task of burying an estimated 78,000 bodies has been overshadowed by efforts to assist Cyclone Nargis’ 2.4 million [...]

Myanmar won’t accept aid delivered by US military

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar slowly relented to international pressure to accept more outside help, but state media said Wednesday that the government will not allow US warships and helicopters poised off its shores to deliver aid to cyclone victims. The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said such military assistance “comes with strings attached” and cited [...]

Myanmar begins official mourning for cyclone victims

Myanmar lowered its flags on Tuesday to begin three days of mourning for about 133,000 people dead or missing in the cyclone, as Southeast Asia set to work coordinating a much-needed relief effort. In one of the first demonstrations of public grief since the tropical storm pummelled swathes of this impoverished nation 18 days ago, [...]

Myanmar estimates cyclone losses at $10B

SINGAPORE – Myanmar has estimated that it has sustained losses of $10 billion (€6.49 billion) from the recent Cyclone Nargis. Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo says Myanmar plans to hold a donors’ meeting in Yangon on May 25 to discuss its needs. Yeo made the announcement Monday after a meeting of foreign ministers from the [...]

Red Cross: Cyclone death toll could reach 128,000

(Update) YANGON, Myanmar – The Red Cross estimated that the cyclone death toll in Myanmar could be as high as 128,000 — a much higher figure than the government tally. The UN warned a second wave of deaths will follow unless the military regime lets in more aid quickly. The grim forecast Wednesday came as [...]

U.S. envoy: Myanmar deaths may top 100,000

A girl drinks water from a container as her homeless family eat donated food in the outskirts of Yangon on May 7. Workers pour rice into bags to be loaded on to a truck for distribution in Yangon on May 7. YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) — The death toll from the cyclone that ravaged the Irrawaddy [...]