BURMA:TWO WEEKS after Cyclone Nargis tore a swath through Burma, the official death toll in the tragedy leapt dramatically to 77,738 last night, up from 43,328 a day earlier, with 55,917 still missing.
The grim acknowledgment of the cyclone's destructive power came as the UN's head of humanitarian affairs set off for Burma for talks with the regime's leadership in a desperate effort to persuade the generals to open the door to international aid.
But while John Holmes secured a visa - in contrast to other UN agencies' disaster experts - it was unclear who he would meet when he arrives tomorrow for three days of talks, though it seemed unlikely he would be granted an audience with Burma's ruler, Gen Than Shwe.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has been calling Burma's military leaders for days. But Mr Ban's spokeswoman said no one ever picked up the phone.
Burma's state television quoted prime minister Thein Sein as saying that the first emergency phase of the cyclone disaster, which the UN estimates killed 128,000, was over and the second phase, the rebuilding operation, was under way.
But the UN said only a little more than 10 per cent of those affected had been reached with aid 14 days into the catastrophe.
"It's clear from what everyone's saying that the aid effort is far from over," said Amanda Pitt, of the UN disaster management agency. "There are still critical needs being reported. People do not have enough clean water, food, shelter or medical supplies. Clearly, needs are not being met. The aid effort is still going on to alleviate the suffering and prevent a second wave of death."
The EU envoy Louis Michel was due to arrive back in Bangkok from Rangoon last night after holding tough negotiations with the regime's ministers responsible for disaster planning, although he was denied access to the Irrawaddy delta, the worst-hit area.
He remained uncertain if he had made any headway in convincing the regime to budge. "I came to Burma only with the reason to be useful; to assure them of the generosity of the international community, of the good will of the international community," he said.
"I also told them we had only one aim at the moment. It was to help their population and there was no reason to fear the international presence. At times it was a rather frank and tough discussion."
Yesterday the Burmese authorities offered a group of foreign diplomats the opportunity to tour the delta, where most died in the cyclone's storm surge which washed over the low-lying land, today.
Shari Villarosa, the US charge d'affaires, said the foreign ministry was conducting the trip. But it was unclear what the diplomats would be shown and a similar tour on Thursday in the main city, Rangoon, visited areas where most storm damage had been repaired.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported some cases of cholera in the delta. But despite fears that water contaminated by corpses and the unsanitary conditions of makeshift refugee camps could spark a deadly epidemic, WHO said the incidences were no greater than normal levels in the delta. Still, surveillance teams are closely monitoring the situation.
The International Red Cross warned that the lack of clean water was putting hundreds of thousands of survivors at risk of diseases as it launched an emergency appeal for £25 million (€31 million) for the needs of 500,000 people over the next three years. - (Guardian service)