Gail Seneca's Answers

What can the average person do?
The simplest gift the average person can make is to alleviate suffering through a gift of cash. Donate at www.foundationburma.org. The needs are enormous and even the smallest contributions can make a powerful difference in people’s lives. $50 can provide a “family pack” consisting of critical emergency supplies, like food and water. A similar amount can provide a “learning box” for a vulnerable child, with art supplies and books.

The average person can also contribute by raising awareness of the ongoing tragedy in Burma. The more the world is made aware of the daily suffering of the Burmese people, not only due to the cyclone but as a result of decades of oppression, the more likely that one day, the situation will improve.

What is the current situation in Burma in the aftermath of the cyclone?
The UN assessment of July 21 confirmed the need for continued relief assistance. With nearly 2 million people affected, nearly 1 million homes destroyed or damaged, almost all schools, health facilities and monasteries destroyed or damaged, agricultural land flooded and fishing boats destroyed, survivors of the disaster have a tough road ahead to rebuild their lives. Emergency food has been made available to many, but the UN admits to ongoing logistical difficulty in reaching remote villages which remain untouched by relief aid. Rainfall has been continuous since the cyclone and has further complicated access.

Burmese in the affected area were poor before the cyclone hit – employed as farmers, fishers, or casual laborers – and today they are even poorer. The daily struggle for survival is bound to worsen because the rice crop for the year has been destroyed. Unless agricultural rehabilitation occurs and the fishing industry is restored, conditions will become even more grim over time. The UN estimates that 75% of the schools in the delta were destroyed, meaning that children too will struggle to resume their normal lives. And of course, the ongoing trauma from the disaster is likely to be with the people of the delta for a long while.

Are the Burmese receiving aid from the international community?
Aid from Asian neighbors, like Thailand and India, as well as from the UN and from major relief organizations has flowed into Burma, but the relief effort has been exceptionally difficult, fraught with opposition from the military junta which runs the country and a tepid response to relief appeals due to the legitimate concern that relief aid may be diverted by the government.

On July 24, 2008, for example, the UN admitted that roughly 25% of funding to the effort has been “lost” to the Burmese government in the form of foreign exchange controls. A donation to Foundation for the People of Burma (www.foundationburma.org) is a highly effective way to contribute to the recovery effort without the risk of such massive diversion of funds.

Can you recommend good web sites that provide accurate info on what’s going on?
www.Burmanet.org; www.irrawaddy.org; www.foundationburma.org.

Is there a Chinese presence in Burma? We hear that without Chinese support the junta would collapse. True?
The Chinese business, military and diplomatic communities have an extremely large presence in Burma. Certain border towns, for example, feel like extensions of China. Some Burmese cities such as Mandalay have a huge Chinese business presence. The military junta maintains close ties with China and buys arms from China. And China buys Burma’s natural resources (timber, gems, gas) in huge quantities. But China is not Burma’s only customer. Thailand and India have $1billion plus deals with the government for natural gas. China is the current key player in Burma and could exert important pressure on the junta if it pulled out ; but sadly, there are likely to be other countries that would be eager to replace China in the Burmese economy even with the junta in power.

Homepage photo courtesy the Foundation for the People of Burma.

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