Asia-Pacific News

Myanmar allows Thai medical team to work in cyclone-hit delta

May 21, 2008, 6:58 GMT

Yangon - A team of Thai health experts has been granted rare permission to provide medical treatment to cyclone victims in Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, while many Western experts have been denied access to the devastated region, media reports said Wednesday. 'The Thai medical team, together with Myanmar health staff, has provided medial treatments and health care services to the storm victims at the relief camps in Labutta Tuesday,' said The New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece. Thailand, Myanmar's neighbour, dispatched a team of 30 health experts to the country on Saturday to help an estimated 2.4 million people affected by Cyclone Nargis, which swept over Myanmar's central coastal region on May 2-3, leaving 133,650 people dead or missing, according to government estimates. Originally, the Thai health workers were to be limited to working in Yangon, according to Thai sources. Besides Thailand, several other Asian nations deemed allies of Myanmar's military junta, sent about 100 health workers to the storm-devastated country over the weekend. A team of 50 health workers from China and 23 from Laos arrived in the country on Sunday, according to state media reports. Myanmar's reclusive regime has come under sharp criticism for hampering an international relief programme for its own people by throwing up unnecessary restrictions on logistical arrangements and foreign personnel. While other countries suffering similar natural disasters have waived all visa requirements for foreign experts and aid workers, Myanmar has granted only a limited number of visas to aid workers over the past 19 days, and for those granted it has restricted most foreigners from travelling to the Irrawaddy Delta. Much of the relief work to date has been carried out by Myanmar nationals, led by military personnel. Exceptions have apparently been made for certain nationalities, such as the Thai health workers.

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