Contact: Ateqah Khaki, Riptide Communications, 212-260-5000

BURMA EXPERTS CALL ON U.S. AND BURMESE OFFICIALS TO DELIEVER IMMEDIATE AID TO AFFECTED COMMUNITIES

HUMAN RIGHTS AND LEGAL EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON CYCLONE TRAGEDY

Washington, DC and Bangkok, Thailand, May 7, 2008 – Experts with EarthRights International (ERI) are available to comment on the situation in Burma in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and the pressure on the ruling military regime to open up the country to allow foreign aid to reach the estimated million people who are believed to be homeless.

Since 1995, EarthRights International has worked in Burma to monitor and raise awareness about the impacts of the military regime’s policies and activities on local populations and the environment.  ERI works with grassroots Burmese organizations and affected communities to gather valuable, rare information about the state of the military regime’s war on its peoples.

The following spokespeople with EarthRights International are available to comment:

IN ASIA:        Naing Htoo, Program Coordinator, Burma Project
IN THE US:   Marco Simons, Legal Director
                        Paul Donowitz, Campaigns Coordinator

Today, EarthRights International released the following statement about the current situation in Burma:

When Will the People of Burma Catch a Break? 
What may turn out to be the worst natural disaster in Burma’s history struck this past week, when Cyclone Nargis reigned devastation on the former capital, Rangoon as well as the Irrawaddy River Delta and parts of Pegu Division, Karen State, and Mon State. Initial reports of a few hundred deaths have risen to over 20,000, and unconfirmed information from inside Burma indicates that number will increase dramatically as access to cut-off areas is slowly restored.  Over a million have been left without shelter, food and other necessities, and reports of bodies being dumped into rivers and whole towns wiped out underscore the severity and desperate conditions facing those affected.

While the ruling military regime in Burma has been criticized over its handling of the crisis - from insufficient warnings of the on-coming storm to a slow and inadequate response - the world community must focus on those currently suffering in Burma.  The reclusive State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has indicated it will accept international assistance, but visa restrictions continue to slow the delivery of aid, with the United Nations humanitarian affairs coordinator, Rashid Khalikov appealing on Wednesday to the SPDC to drop burdensome visa requirements.

The Burmese people are being caught in a frustrating international standoff that is delaying the crucial delivery of aid - the reclusive military government is suspicious of the international community’s political agenda - and the international community is wary of the SPDC’s commitment to help its own people based on its track record. The global community correctly remains concerned that the military government will divert aid to assist the military and their supporters, especially because those affected are predominantly Karen and other ethnic groups that the SPDC has been oppressing for years. This history further underscores the need for delivery of aid by experienced disaster agencies.

As a result of this mutual distrust, over a million Burmese continue to suffer the devastating after-effects of the storm while urgently needed assistance waits ready to be delivered. The SPDC should immediately allow aid organizations unfettered access to the devastated communities and repeal all restrictions that are delaying assessment and response efforts, including visa and customs procedures for relief supplies and personnel.  Although logistical challenges present major hurdles to the delivery of much-needed aid – roads are damaged and blocked, whole fleets of boats have been destroyed, infrastructure in many areas has been reduced to rubble – we call on the SPDC to allow disaster experts, who specialize in delivering supplies, providing potable water, emergency shelters and health care, to do their jobs.

At this time, when the army can for once do something to ease a desperate situation, criticism of the Burmese regime’s track record on human rights is counterproductive. Statements like those of First Lady Laura Bush, no matter how well-intentioned, are not helpful. In a brief televised statement on Monday, Mrs. Bush moved to confirm the Burmese junta’s fears that international aid is another method of political influence by lecturing the military on its failures and seemingly conditioning further direct US aid on the admittance of U.S. assessment teams. While The First Lady is correct in her assessment of the human rights situation in the country and the military government’s oppressive nature, the focus right now must be on delivery of aid. 

As a human rights organization, we call on the US government to put aside the lectures and immediately prepare to deliver aid to those who are in desperate need.  We call on the SPDC to grant immediate visas and access to humanitarian organizations to help in the delivery of aid, and we implore the global community to assist these efforts with donations and support for the people of Burma affected by this awful disaster. 

A major challenge for both aid agencies and those wishing to support the affected people of Burma is to ensure that funds donated reach those in most need. EarthRights International has a list of agencies we believe are and will be able to deliver such assistance on our website at www.earthrights.org.

Last month, ERI released a report about ongoing human rights abuses occurring along the Yadana natural gas pipeline in Southern Burma, detailing Chevron Corporation financing of the military junta. 

EarthRights International (ERI) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment.  Focusing on earth rights, we work at the intersection of human rights and the environment.  We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training for grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns that seek to end earth rights abuses and promote and protect earth rights. For more information, please visit: www.earthrights.org