Private donations for cyclone victims decline

Local relief workers in Burma say that they are coming to the end of their resources in terms of providing assistance for cyclone survivors. The relief groups estimate that they will run out of funds and supplies sometime this month. Local aid workers and civilians have been gathering donations of food and supplies for victims since the storm hit in early May, but say that some people have donated two and three times and now have nothing left to give.

From: Associated Press
http://irrawaddy.org/highlight.php?art_id=12650

Multilateral Team Heads for Cyclone Zone; 18 Survivors Arrested

A large team of experts comprised of Burmese government officials, members of UN agencies and ASEAN toured the Irrawaddy Delta yesterday. The team went by boat and by air to cover the region in an attempt to form a large scale assessment of what is needed in the coming weeks. The team will be looking to provide an assessment based on food, clean water and temporary shelter needs, as well as what it may cost to rebuild schools and rehabilitate the agriculturally based economy.

The positive news of the beginning of the assessment work was balanced by the detention of 18 women and children, who were stopped on their way to UN offices in Rangoon to appeal for help. The group came from Dagon Township, on the outskirts of Rangoon and remains in detention.

From: Democratic Voice of Burma
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1410

International relief supplies reach Bogalay

Finally, after five weeks of waiting, the residents of Bogolay were able to see the WFP in action, as helicopters arrived in the Township for the first time. The UN and WFP had not previously been able to deliver aid into the area due to restrictions from the government.

From: Democratic Voice of Burma
http://english.dvb.no/news.php?id=1409

Local officials charged with stealing aid supplies

Two local officials from Laputta have been arrested by police and charged with stealing foreign aid. The officials had deposited the materials in a lake behind their Peace and Development Council office. The officials had stashed 100 zinc kitchen utensils, 12 packages of canned food, seven buckets of cooking oil and four tarpaulin sheets at the lake, but the items were discovered when the lake was drained due to it containing contaminated water.

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