What if? .....

[sejintenej]

I'm with Nick Clegg on this one - if they don't let the aid in, do airlifts, whatever the Burmese regime says. Surely they wouldn't dare to shoot down a UK/US/UN etc. aeroplane, fearing the reperscussions from it. Although, having said that, the international community, tragically, hasn't ever seemed that bothered about Burma, so maybe it wouldn't react in such a situation.

AIUI they have impounded four UN aircraft and the food etc. which was in them. As to what happens to the crews - who knows? Of course being in Rangoon / Yangon without a visa has to be a serious offence ...........................

[sejintenej]

I see the subject got considerable coverage on last nights 'Question Time', on BBC 1, which, incidently, came from the Dorking Halls.

Funny thing was, when the camera was panning over the audience, I didn't recognise ANYBODY ! Do they bus people in ?

We have a Mass for my son every December in Brentwood Cathedral; it is arranged a year in advance and we, the family, normally have up to 60 people there for it. Hymns on Sunday or whatever took over, the Mass was changed to suit the BBC at the last moment and we couldn't get the family in because of all the peeps from other churches in a wide radius who had "priority".
The BBC decided in advance which people across the country would be remembered in the Mass but a quiet word with the priest and he added to the list slightly when the BBC couldn't do anything about it. It left a bad taste how they could simply dictate.

[gma]

AIUI they have impounded four UN aircraft and the food etc. which was in them. As to what happens to the crews - who knows? Of course being in Rangoon / Yangon without a visa has to be a serious offence ...........................

Latest I know is that US and France (who'd have thought they'd get into political bed together, very Aldous Huxley) are talking about ovrflying and dropping food and health aid with or without permission now that UN helicopters have been impounded. Burmese Generals are insisting that all aid is distributed by their army which is singularly ill-equipped to do so possessing as they do only 4 chinooks.

US have offered demilitarised marine teams who can shift 300 tonnes of aid in one day providing UN provide armed guards - UN sitting on fence making vague suggestions but don't seem to be prepared or able to do anything more effective.

[Ajarn Philip]

They're talking about it, just as they have talked about so many things over the years. The French have a warship (!) en route with tons of rice, and if there's anyone left on the beach by next Wednesday I'm sure they'll be very grateful. The very sad thing is it's almost certainly already too late for most. And we are now talking about 200,000 dead, perhaps more. And without the sort of medical support victims of the tsunami received, there may be even more deaths from sickness/infection.

Sorry, I try so hard not to get cynical about these things, but at the end of the day it's all about politics/money/business/influence/resources and that just pisses me off completely.

[Katharine]

They're talking about it, just as they have talked about so many things over the years. The French have a warship (!) en route with tons of rice, and if there's anyone left on the beach by next Wednesday I'm sure they'll be very grateful. The very sad thing is it's almost certainly already too late for most. And we are now talking about 200,000 dead, perhaps more. And without the sort of medical support victims of the tsunami received, there may be even more deaths from sickness/infection.

Sorry, I try so hard not to get cynical about these things, but at the end of the day it's all about politics/money/business/influence/resources and that just pisses me off completely.

All too true. Dropping supplies may do some good but not nearly so much good as the same amount of supplies handled by the specialists on the ground. I don't know how many times I have shouted at the radio this week (we don't have a TV). Shelterbox (http://www.shelterbox.org.uk) is one of the UK Charities that has got through but that is just shelter not clean water (or purifying tablets such as in an aquabox (http://www.aquabox.org) food or medicine.

[gma]

Animals, Religion, Politics, Girl Children, Child Labour, Economic Flooding, Northy Korea, Dafur, Burma, Tibet.

Earthquake China.

Old Testament anyone?

[Laura M]

We have sent the HMS Westminster to Burma, it will no doubt hover around the coastline awaiting permission to go and help if its ever granted. Lets hope they will be allowed in soon. The British Armed forces are highly trained when it comes to disaster relief however, I guess the junta may feel threatend by another military force entering their territory.

(on a side note I've been on the Westminster it was the first place where I was called Ma'am, the Westminster is also the ship that features in the Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies, its cunningly renamed of course but its the one that gets attacked at the beginning!)

[Ajarn Philip]

They're talking about it, just as they have talked about so many things over the years. The French have a warship (!) en route with tons of rice, and if there's anyone left on the beach by next Wednesday I'm sure they'll be very grateful.

Apparently it's not a warship, whatever that is, it's a just a French navy vessel with lots of food. Should be there next Saturday with a bit of luck and a prevailing wind.

The prime minister of Burma has told the Thai PM, "We have already finished our first phase of emergency relief. We are going onto the second phase, the rebuilding stage." Oh well, that's alright then. Panic over.

How many of his own people did Saddam Hussein kill?

[J.R.]

..... and now the earthquake in China.

Is there any connection with the fact that these two disasters have hit the most oppresive regimes in the world ?

[Laura M]

But both situations are being handled so differently by their respective governments