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President George Bush made a rare appeal to Myanmar's military
rulers to accept US relief officials and added $3 million ($NZ3.7
million) in aid to help victims of a cyclone that devastated the
Southeast Asian nation.
"Our message is to the military rulers. Let the United States come
and help you, help the people," Bush said, addressing a military
government he has long tried to isolate.
The death toll from Cyclone Nargis, the deadliest in Asia since
1991, rose to nearly 22,500 with an additional 41,000 missing, even
as Myanmar's leaders continued to refuse entry to US disaster
response teams.
Bush said the United States was ready to provide emergency
assistance, including US Navy ships and aircraft carriers already
in the region capable of deploying Marines and helicopters on
humanitarian missions.
The White House later announced the United States was committing $3
million ($NZ3.7 million) through the US Agency for International
Development to meet the most urgent needs, up from an initial
emergency contribution of $250,000 ($NZ316,571).
"We want to do a lot more," Bush had told reporters in the Oval
Office.
But he risked further antagonizing the junta by coupling his aid
offer with a signing ceremony for legislation awarding its chief
political opponent, detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi,
the Congressional Gold Medal, the top US civilian honour.
The United States and Myanmar have long been estranged. Bush last
week imposed a new round of sanctions on the country's military
rulers to pressure them on human rights and political reform.
Reaching out
With Washington joining other world powers trying to rush in aid
after the weekend cyclone, the State Department said on Monday its
government was refusing to admit US disaster experts to assess
emergency needs. The White House said the teams were on standby in
Bangkok.
"We're prepared to move US naval assets to help find those who lost
their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the
situation," Bush said. "But in order to do so, the military junta
must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country."
The disaster's scale has drawn a rare acceptance of outside help
from Myanmar's generals, who spurned such approaches in the
aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
But it has been harder for Myanmar to open up to the United States
because of strained relations, especially since its violent
crackdown on protests led by Buddhist monks in September.
Bush had further criticism for Myanmar's rulers in awarding the
Gold Medal to Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
"This is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman who speaks for
freedom for all the people of Burma, and who speaks in such a way
that she's a powerful voice in contrast to the junta that currently
rules the country," he said.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections in 1990 but
the junta refused to hand over power and has detained her for most
of the time since then.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said cyclone aid would not be
contingent on Myanmar accepting US disaster teams, and that money
would not go directly to the military government but to
non-governmental organizations.
Asked whether further aid would be forthcoming, she told reporters:
"I think we just need to see...This $3 million will go a long way.
But also if we could get our ships there to be able to help them,
more and more people could be helped."
Those wishing to make a contribution to the cyclone relief effort can do so through various aid agencies. For details CLICK HERE
