VZCZCXRO5928
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH RUEHTRO
DE RUEHGO #0392/01 1370741
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 160741Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7620
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1204
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4748
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8292
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5854
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3725
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1630
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 000392 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR USAID/OFDA, EAP/MLS, S/ES-O-CMS, DS/CC AND 
DS/IP/EAP; PACOM FOR LTC JAMIE MCADEN; BANGKOK FOR RSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:    
SUBJECT: BURMA: CYCLONE NARGIS SITREP NO. 10 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 387 
 
      B. RANGOON 376 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
 1. (SBU)  EMBASSY OPERATIONS:  Embassy Rangoon operated on 
city power and had full diesel fuel tanks.  Consular received 
no new Amcit welfare and whereabouts inquires and all 
previous inquiries have been resolved.  No criminal incidents 
involving American staff were reported. 
 
 2. (SBU)  U.S. RELIEF FLIGHTS:  We have received flight 
clearances for four C-130 relief flights to arrive at Rangoon 
International Airport on May 16, including two consigned to 
NGOs.  We have submitted flight requests for four more 
flights for May 17, including two consigned to NGOs.  The 
Ministry of Defense told DAO that they would permit 
Thailand-based U.S. helicopters to conduct relief flights 
into Rangoon. 
 
 3. (SBU)  SITUATION ON THE GROUND:  The UN estimated that as 
of May 16, it has reached approximately 500,000 beneficiaries 
out of an estimated 1.5-2.5 million victims.  UN aid flights 
continued to arrive smoothly, with four more expected on May 
 16.  UN Humanitarian Coordinator John Holmes received a 
Burmese visa and will arrive on May 18.  The WHO told us 
cases of cholera had been confirmed in Rangoon and Irrawaddy 
division, but said the incidents of infection were not 
significantly greater than for this same time every year. 
Embassy contacts who recently returned from Labutta township 
in the delta described the situation as dire.  The GOB's 
official newspaper continued to publish detailed accounts of 
the receipt and distribution of relief supplies, and carried 
a front page article threatening prosecution for anyone found 
embezzling diverting relief aid. 
 
EMBASSY OPERATIONS 
------------------ 
 
 4. (SBU)  STAFFING AND OPERATIONS:  Embassy Rangoon operated 
on its normal 0800-1630 schedule subject to a liberal leave 
policy.  Other than those on regularly scheduled leave, a 
full complement of local employees reported for work. 
 
 5. (SBU) CONSULAR:  Amcit, reported in Rangoon 376 as being 
diagnosed with gastroentitis and dehydration at the 
Mawlamyine hospital, informed consular he will not depart 
Burma as originally planned on May 17.  Instead, he intends 
to stay in Mawlamyine to regain strength over the weekend and 
to depart for his monastery in Germany on May 20.  Consular 
continues to assist with his travel arrangements and contact 
with friends and family. 
 
 6. (SBU) AUTHORIZED DEPARTURE:  All EFMs who asked to depart 
are in Bangkok and plan to remain there until at least May 
 25.  The EAC will meet again before that to make a 
recommendation to M either to end post's authorized departure 
or continue it until 30 days have elapsed from authorization. 
 
 7. (SBU)  FUEL AND POWER:  The Embassy operated on city power 
and had full diesel storage tanks.  We received a high octane 
delivery today, May 16. 
 
 8. (SBU)  WATER: The Embassy continued to have adequate water 
supplies and purification capacity on hand. 
 
 9. (SBU)  SECURITY:  No criminal incidents involving American 
staff were reported. 
 
U.S. RELIEF FLIGHTS 
------------------- 
 
 10.  (SBU) We have received flight clearances for four C-130 
relief flights to arrive at Rangoon International Airport on 
May 16, including two consigned to NGOs.  We have submitted 
 
RANGOON 00000392  002 OF 003 
 
 
flight requests for four more flights for May 17, including 
two consigned to NGOs. 
 
 11.  (SBU) The Ministry of Defense told DAO that they would 
permit Thailand-based U.S. helicopters to conduct relief 
flights into Rangoon. 
 
SITUATION ON THE GROUND 
----------------------- 
 
 12. (SBU)  CONDITIONS, CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE:  The WHO told 
us cases of cholera had been confirmed in Rangoon and 
Irrawaddy division, but said the incidents of infection were 
not significantly greater than this time every year.  WHO 
officials noted that because of the amount of time it takes 
to get test results, the Ministry of Health normally treats 
all severe diarrhea as cholera, and continues to do so. 
According to WHO statistics, cholera is endemic in Burma, 
with more than 1,000 cases occurring annually. 
 
 13. (SBU)  An expatriate journalist who recently returned 
from Labutta township in the delta told us that, as of May 
14, at least one established INGO was able to provide medical 
aid in the area.  He said the INGO had numerous local staff 
in the area along with at least three western aid workers who 
had entered the country on business visas after the cyclone. 
Conditions on the ground were dire, he reported, with 
virtually all structures destroyed by the cyclone, and 
thousands of residents and IDPs seeking shelter in the few 
local monasteries and schools that remained.  Another Embassy 
contact who returned from Labutta on May 15 told us many 
cyclone victims had been moved from Labutta to Myaung Mya, 
where the GOB had established more relief camps.  He observed 
international relief supplies being delivered to and 
distributed from a soccer field in town.  Nonetheless, our 
contact described the GOB's relief efforts in Myaung Mya as 
inefficient and in need of improvement. 
 
 14. (SBU)  RECOVERY AND RELIEF:  The UN estimated that as of 
May 16, it has reached approximately 500,000 beneficiaries 
out of an estimated 1.5-2.5 million victims.  The WFP has 
distributed 1,200 metric tons of rice throughout the affected 
areas.  UN aid flights continued to arrive smoothly, with 
four more expected on May 16.  UN officials in Rangoon 
reported that some UN teams of local staff en route to the 
affected areas had been stopped at checkpoints and told to 
obtain travel permits.  However the MFA assured the UN that 
there is no such policy for UN staff and said this would be 
clarified at the GOB's next disaster coordination meeting 
with the military.  UN Humanitarian Coordinator John Holmes 
received a Burmese visa and will arrive on May 18.  He hopes 
to visit relief operations in the field and work with the 
country team to improve the UN's relief efforts. 
 
 15. (SBU)  The five-person ASEAN disaster assessment team has 
not received travel permission to visit the affected areas. 
The team's leader will depart Burma on Sunday in order to 
brief the ASEAN ministerial meeting scheduled for May 19. 
 
 16. (SBU)  The GOB's New Light of Myanmar newspaper continued 
to publish detailed accounts of the receipt and distribution 
of relief supplies, including a partial list of relief 
supplies donated by Asian countries since May 6.  In 
particular, it stated that so far the Burma Air Force has 
transported 330 tons of relief supplies, 17 percent of the 
total 1,816 tons of international supplies the Social Welfare 
Ministry said the GOB has delivered so far (reftel A).  The 
paper also carried a front page article threatening 
prosecution for anyone found embezzling relief aid. 
 
 17. (SBU)  A major retail supermarket chain in Rangoon, City 
Mart, sent an open letter to an exile media website 
contesting recent reports that the chain had sold relief 
supplies at its stores.  The letter pointed out that City 
Mart regularly purchased goods from Thai suppliers and 
speculated that reporters may have mistaken these commercial 
 
RANGOON 00000392  003 OF 003 
 
 
goods for relief supplies.  Other commercial contacts have 
told us that as normal supply lines were disrupted, new 
brands began to appear in local markets which many consumers 
may have confused for relief supplies.  So far, none of our 
local staff or aid contacts have found any evidence of relief 
supplies being sold in commercial markets in Rangoon or 
Irrawaddy division.  We will continue to actively monitor 
this situation. 
 
 18. (SBU) FUEL:  Fuel prices in Rangoon remained stable. 
 
 19. (SBU) FOOD AND WATER:  Food in Rangoon was still 
expensive, especially meat and rice.  Shortages in the delta 
continued. 
 
 20. (SBU)  ELECTRICITY:  The GOB continued to restore power 
to parts of Rangoon, focusing on the eastern, western, and 
northern parts of the city.  According to Embassy contacts, 
the GOB has brought in over 4,000 technicians from around the 
country to help rebuild power lines.  So far, power has been 
restored to 40 percent of townships in Eastern Rangoon, 65 
percent of townships in Western Rangoon , 49 percent of 
townships in Northern Rangoon, and 13 percent of townships in 
Southern Rangoon.  However, our sources expect it may take 
between three and six months before all of Rangoon has power 
restored. 
 
 21. (SBU)  LAW AND ORDER:  We received no reports of 
widespread looting or public disturbances in or around 
Rangoon. 
VILLAROSA