With the vaunted donor conference completed in Rangoon on Sunday, the world awaits to learn the outcome of both the pledges made and more importantly the regime’s plans for the implementation of the aid effort and the regulations pertaining to the access of foreigners to the delta. Already there are discouraging signs. A French military vessel carrying enough aid to feed 100,000 survivors has been re-routed to Thailand in a time consuming bid to have its cargo distributed through WFP. Such time and money wasting tactics costs lives and shows the junta has a greater concern for the infiltration of foreign elements than it does about saving the lives of its citizens.

There were large numbers being bandied about following the donor conference, but the optimism shown by Ban Ki Moon was not mirrored either by aid groups or by the generals themselves. Certainly there is a large amount of aid and money waiting to be put to use, however aid and donor groups are seeking full access to the Delta region in order to follow through with their promises. The aid is contingent upon full access for the groups who wish to assess the storm damage for themselves.

Meanwhile, in Rangoon, the sham that has become the voting process on the new constitution was concluded over the weekend when the areas that had missed out on the first round of polling due to the cyclone went to the polls. Widespread reporting of voting irregularities, vote rigging and the exclusion of the main opposition group from the referendum has robbed the entire process of legitimacy and looks like entrenching the military’s control over the country. The military’s comments that the referendum is the first step on the road to democracy are laughable considering the way the election has been run, with voters being intimidated, threatened and observed throughout the polling process. Once again, the regime has engaged in steps to appease the international community, without offering the promise of concrete progress.

The electoral process isn’t likely to be the only disappointing development this month, as the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi heads toward the end of her five year house arrest. The likelihood of release seems remote, after last years large gathering of support failed to achieve results. For the democratic process to be widely accepted in Burma, the National League for Democracy needs and deserves representation in the process. It would appear that without its leader, this engagement is unlikely. The regime is likely to use any means possible to divert attention away from its obligation to release Suu Kyi, and this year’s natural disaster is the perfect avenue for that to happen.

more news>>