Burma's cyclone | Some observations

The deadly cyclone, Nargis, swept through Burma last weekend and tens of thousands are missing; tens of thousands (probably many more) have died. A million people are homeless.

The worst hit area is the large Irrawaddy Delta (below, in dark blue). This is Burma's rice breadbasket. Burma's old capital, Rangoon, is also flooded.

I've noticed General Than Shwe, Burma's junta leader, and the rest of the military leadership have by and large stayed out of public view. (They're probably holed-up in the new capital, Naypyidaw, which may not have been affected by the cyclone.)

Mrs. Obregon and I have traveled extensively along the Burma/Thai frontier and served in the refugee camps that dot the frontier. *Sigh* I wish President Bush would dispatch us --we know our way around that area and have developed our own contacts with the KNLA and KNU (Karen National Liberation Army, and its political arm, Karen National Union.)This is the fundamental problem: Burma is a police state, their army and police are strictly designed for security functions. That's it. Disaster relief is left to the communities themselves, and, to brave NGO's (non-governmental organizations, like for instance, Regions Beyond-USA, World Aid, or Jubilee Christian Center, and the like).

The missionary inside us fears malaria, dengue fever, and hepatitis outbreaks that could be spread by mosquitoes, dirty water, and very, very poor sanitation conditions.

Burma's military junta needs to take off their military caps, humble themselves, accept Western expertise and begin to think like stewards of their country to make plans to help their masses of displaced people, and control outbreaks of disease.