Inside Myanmar: 'The Government Is Absolutely Hopeless'

YANGON, Myanmar, May 12, 2008 — -- I went to Hlaing Thar Yar, which is on the outskirts of Yangon and near the river.

Many people there have managed to build new huts and houses but some have been unable and remain homeless. The government is trying to give out aid -- a little more than 2 pounds of potatoes, five small candles and some oil, from what I saw at one place.

It is also trying to get people registered so that everyone gets what small help is available. But most of the effort is spent on the registration. Locals are helping out a lot. I know lots of people grouping together and sending out aid. My expat friends are also distributing rice and other things.

I have also gone to a few towns in the Irrawaddy Delta. Most of the bigger towns seem OK but badly damaged because of the fallen trees. There appear to be relatively few deaths.

But there are many villages that have completely disappeared, taking the people with them. They lived out in the open fields where the water came up to their necks or higher and swept them away.

Most people in the delta don't have food or shelter. Some have gone into small camps housed in community centers, churches and monasteries. I donated cash to the camps because they can buy rice at half the price it is being sold in Yangon. Others have chosen to stay near their homes. I didn't personally see it but they said they have no roofs and water is still everywhere.

For now, many people are trying to dry their rice -- it's quite moldy already -- and we have handed out instant noodle packages. People from those villages are waiting on the side of the road in the hope of getting food handed out by locals.

So far, only one place I have visited complained about the issue of hygiene. I am going to go back there again Tuesday with some friends as an organized aid group. I plan to give them cash so they can pool money together to donate more.

From what I can see the government is absolutely hopeless at organizing things like this. Officials (some are OK, especially outside of Yangon) seem to be unsympathetic to the situation. People have to pay money so that they can get electricity. Price gauging is rampant. Gasoline is about $10 outside of Yangon and about $7 in Yangon.