Burmese Junta Seizes Aid Shipment; U.N. Calls Off Relief Effort

Surprised? The junta wants to distribute relief itself. More than anything it wants to keep outsiders from reaching the population. Baldilocks has the goods:

It's pretty easy to see why Myanmar's government wouldn't want the UN and especially the US coming to the aid of its suffering citizens. The relationship between dictators and their subject population is like that of an abusive marriage. Dictators can't be seen as impotent or powerless under any circumstances and are insanely jealous--they would rather see their people die that allow them to realize that other forms of government are infinitely better equipped to assist them in their time of dire need. And dictators have behaved this way from time immemorial.

More rain is on the way. There is some concern that the disaster will keep rice farmers from planting in time for the growing season. Food shortages later in the year could follow.

Is this the Twenty First Century, or what?

posted by Gabriel Malor at 12:09 PM

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