Burma (Myanmar), What a Disaster

Alright so I've been slacking a bit on blogging but you guys are going to have to forgive me as I've had no time at all to blog anything let alone have time to sleep. Like I've said before I've been travelling so freaking much that I have no idea what time zone I'm in or what I did in the last city I was in. Anyways I've been meaning to blog about the recent disaster in Burma or Myanmar as it's now known to the rest of the world.

It's been what...about a week and a half or so since Cyclone Nargis hit the country. I've been seeing in the news and in newspapers that villages are wiped out, families are seperated or in the worst of it gone, lives are distroyed. There's no consistent supply of food for the remaining survivors and they have to stay in monastaries, fields...well basically anywhere that they can fit lets just say it like that.

I know that countries around the world want to help out with the relief effort. There are aide workers standing by in nearby Thailand ready and willing to go into the country to help with the cleanup, medical efforts, supplies and so on. Seems like the military in Burma is keeping a tight grip on the situation and not opening up to relief efforts from anyone. They want to handle it themselves. Come on now a big relief effort like that by yourself??? Who are you kidding?

I know that the situation in Burma and the political aspect of it is very sensitive for people. I just don't get the idea of them trying to handle this disaster themselves. There's bodies in the middle of the streets just floating and decomposing giving off stench and possibly harming others that have survived. Everyone needs some kind of help, it's simply impossible to handle this alone. People are starving and you want to confiscate the food supply that is coming in from other countries to help and pass it out yourselves. How many people are starving and how are you going to distribute to everyone? Get it through your heads that these survivors need medical attention, they need food, they need to be HELPED!!!

These are your country people, regardless of how you think that they're not important they are actually what makes the country. If you're in a position of power you should think of the people that you are in power of and their lives not just your political quest for control. Take care of your people, give them hope that you as a country will triumph this horrible catastrophe together. Do not just smash what little hope they have and not allow the help that they need and everyone knows it. It's not like the aide workers are going to go into the country and overthrow your military. Everyone just wants to help contrary to what you may think.

My heart goes out to all the survivors and victims. I guess this is kind of a sore spot for me because I am part Burmese and my grandfather was from there. Come on now who in their right mind wouldn't have compassion for what these people have gone through. Some people have lost children, parents, sisters, brothers and even in some cases their entire family all together. I know if I were in their shoes I would be devastated and would want some kind of help and hope that there will be some kind of future to rebuild and not want to be gone like the rest of my family.

Here is my plea for Burma (Myanmar): Please let the rest of the world help in the recovery effort. Think of your people and not of politics for once. Look at their faces, look at what they've gone through. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want help if you were them? Of course. Would you want to know that you'll have some kind of future? Of course. Put your politics aside and do the right thing for your people. Come together as a country and you'll get through this together.