Visa trouble stops UN Aid Workers
07/05/2008 by Liam Clifford
Aid deliveries are being restricted to the devastated area of Burma as travel and visas provide mighty hurdles for UN relief organisations.
The news follows the catastrophic tropical cyclone which devastated Burma at the weekend, leaving behind a trail of destruction and a rising death toll of over 22,000 people.
At present more than 40,000 people are missing, and hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, particularly in the worst-hit area of the Irrawaddy Delta.
Due to what can only be described as a bureaucratic nightmare, international and local relief agencies, medical teams and food convoys are being buoyed by paperwork, preventing them from reaching victims along Burma's coastal areas.
Aid organisations are finding it extremely hard getting visas for their crisis workers heading into the country. There have been a number of desperate appeals to the Burmese government to allow access. A particular force is the UN who is currently pleading for the government to ease the current visa restrictions.
Since the disaster occurred on the 3rd of May only a limited amount of aid has begun trickling through to the deprived country. These ongoing delays and unfortunate timings are continuing to prevent further aid from reaching the region, consequently increasing the death toll and suffering of victims.
With regards to obtaining visas the UN has reported that a large number have been applied for but as of yet they are still waiting to be received. The issue of gaining visas for the reclusive country has always been a challenging one, however in the mist of the current situation it is hoped that Burmese officials will be able to relax the rules in order to allow external help.
A positive sign is that it seems Burmese Foreign Ministry officials have accepted that international aid is essential and have recently indicated to UN. contacts that the nation will permit assistance.
This will however be with conditions as the number of foreigners and supplies which will be allowed inside will become closely monitored by Burma itself. In turn it is thought the freedom which workers will have to move around without permission will be heavily restricted.
It seems that unless visas are fully granted to the many specialist disaster teams, relief experts and UN workers then aid and relief will remain restricted to the many sufferers of this natural disaster.
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