Monday, May 5, 2008, Rabi-ul-Sani 28, 1429    

Myanmar declares disaster zones that smashed houses

Yangon, Myanmar—Several regions in Myanmar were declared disaster zones Sunday after Tropical Cyclone Nargis packing winds up to 190-kilometers-per hour (120-mph) smashed hundreds of houses and knocked out electricity.

The military-run Myaddy television station said Yangon, Irrawaddy, Bago as well as Karen and Mon states were all heavily damaged by Saturday’s cyclone. Witnesses in Yangon said hundreds of houses had roofs blown off and the storm cut electricity as well as phone service in much of the city.

“It’s a bad situation. Almost all the houses are smashed. People are in a terrible situation,” said a United Nations official in Yangon, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to a reporter.

“All the roads are blocked. There is no water. There is no electricity,” she said.

Casualties were expected after Nargis hit Myanmar’s commercial capital at about 5 a.m. local time (2200 GMT) Saturday. But neither the United Nations nor the government has provided a death toll or detailed damage assessment.

Yangon residents ventured out Sunday to buy construction materials to repair their homes. Some people interviewed expressed anger that the military-led government had done little so far to help with the cleanup.

“Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?” said one trishaw driver, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution. “They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity.”

The cyclone comes at a delicate time for Myanmar, which is scheduled to hold a referendum May 10 on the country’s military-backed draft constitution.

A military-managed national convention was held intermittently for 14 years to lay down guidelines for the country’s new constitution.

The junta’s hand-picked delegates included those representing workers. The new constitution is supposed to be followed in 2010 by a general election. Both votes are elements of a ‘roadmap to democracy’ drawn up by the junta, which has been in power for two decades.

Opposition parties have criticized the draft constitution as designed to cement military power and have urged citizens to vote no.

A military-managed national convention was held intermittently for 14 years to lay down guidelines for the country’s new constitution. —AFP