Victims of Cyclone Nargis are growing impatient not only with the slow pace of aid into the devastated Irrawaddy delta, but also with the authorities’ failure to curb corruption in the handling of relief supplies.
“I wonder why the Prime Minister is so reluctant to respond to my letter,” said a woman in her fifties, sitting in her home—a flimsy bamboo construction that has not had a proper roof since the cyclone.
The woman, who identified herself as Daw Khin, was referring to a letter she and three other women had sent to Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein three weeks ago, describing how the chief of their village in Hlaing Tharyar Township, on the outskirts of Rangoon, had misappropriated aid intended for needy storm victims.
After weeks of waiting for the authorities to take some action, she and her neighbors said that the village headman was still selling sacks of rice to local traders instead of distributing it to cyclone victims, and still keeping plastic sheeting for himself.
The letter is just one of dozens that have been submitted to government officials by residents of cyclone-affected areas in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions. Most contain complaints of local officials pilfering scant relief resources, and none have received any response or resulted in any action by the government.
In Pyapon, one of the worst-hit areas, trishaw drivers submitted a letter to township authorities in the second week of May, describing how the chairmen of township quarters were selling sacks of rice to local traders.
“We saw them selling the rice with our own eyes. They usually sell the goods at night,” said the trishaw driver who wrote the letter and urged others to sign it.
Despite the boldness of their action, the trishaw drivers remained wary of discussing it openly. As they spoke about their letter, they looked around to make sure there were no members of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association within earshot.
A group of people in Kungyangone, about 50 km from Rangoon, also said they have seen no actions taken against local administrators since they sent a letter to the prime minister accusing quarter authorities of selling packages of food and other supplies from Thailand.
In a remote village in Bogalay Township, an elderly man who wrote a letter of complaint said that the village chairman had taken relief supplies for himself and replaced them with lower quality products.
“The chairman and his relatives are eating noodles from Thailand, but we’re getting Burmese-made noodles,” said the man, whose letter was signed by others in his village.
Last month, the military government announced that it would welcome any letter of complaint and take prompt action against corrupt officials. However, so far, no charges have been laid against any official.
“The junta seems unwilling to handle this problem now. If they do, it would mean acknowledging that there is widespread corruption,” said one observer. “It would make them lose credibility with the international community.”
When asked what they expected to achieve with the letters, most said they were not sure yet how the authorities would respond. But they said they knew they would be in trouble if local authorities found out about the charges they’ve made against them.
“But at least we can show that we are brave enough to reveal what’s really happening down here to the prime minister,” said Daw Khin.
“I wonder why the Prime Minister is so reluctant to respond to my letter,” said a woman in her fifties, sitting in her home—a flimsy bamboo construction that has not had a proper roof since the cyclone.
The woman, who identified herself as Daw Khin, was referring to a letter she and three other women had sent to Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein three weeks ago, describing how the chief of their village in Hlaing Tharyar Township, on the outskirts of Rangoon, had misappropriated aid intended for needy storm victims.
After weeks of waiting for the authorities to take some action, she and her neighbors said that the village headman was still selling sacks of rice to local traders instead of distributing it to cyclone victims, and still keeping plastic sheeting for himself.
The letter is just one of dozens that have been submitted to government officials by residents of cyclone-affected areas in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions. Most contain complaints of local officials pilfering scant relief resources, and none have received any response or resulted in any action by the government.
In Pyapon, one of the worst-hit areas, trishaw drivers submitted a letter to township authorities in the second week of May, describing how the chairmen of township quarters were selling sacks of rice to local traders.
“We saw them selling the rice with our own eyes. They usually sell the goods at night,” said the trishaw driver who wrote the letter and urged others to sign it.
Despite the boldness of their action, the trishaw drivers remained wary of discussing it openly. As they spoke about their letter, they looked around to make sure there were no members of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association within earshot.
A group of people in Kungyangone, about 50 km from Rangoon, also said they have seen no actions taken against local administrators since they sent a letter to the prime minister accusing quarter authorities of selling packages of food and other supplies from Thailand.
In a remote village in Bogalay Township, an elderly man who wrote a letter of complaint said that the village chairman had taken relief supplies for himself and replaced them with lower quality products.
“The chairman and his relatives are eating noodles from Thailand, but we’re getting Burmese-made noodles,” said the man, whose letter was signed by others in his village.
Last month, the military government announced that it would welcome any letter of complaint and take prompt action against corrupt officials. However, so far, no charges have been laid against any official.
“The junta seems unwilling to handle this problem now. If they do, it would mean acknowledging that there is widespread corruption,” said one observer. “It would make them lose credibility with the international community.”
When asked what they expected to achieve with the letters, most said they were not sure yet how the authorities would respond. But they said they knew they would be in trouble if local authorities found out about the charges they’ve made against them.
“But at least we can show that we are brave enough to reveal what’s really happening down here to the prime minister,” said Daw Khin.
