On Friday, a report will be released countering claims from the UN and ASEAN that assistance in the Irrawaddy Delta following Cyclone Nargis was sufficient, and that the situation has improved to the point that aid is no longer needed. In fact, the report documents numerous evidences to the contrary, and includes numerous specific human rights violations perpetrated by the illegitimate government of Burma, including forced labor (to rebuild cyclone-damaged roads and structures), forced relocation, land confiscation, and forced donation (mandatory donations for cyclone relief, often from only one ethnic group, or to an extent that compromised the livelihood of the 'donor').
The surveys, which are the basis of this report, were one of the first projects that I worked on after coming to the border. I helped develop the questionnaire, and train the interviewers who went to the delta to collect the information for the report. I also conducted a number of the included interviewers with relief workers here in Mae Sot.
The report is expected to get a lot of pushback from the international aid community. Its release is timed to coincide with the ASEAN meeting occurring in Thailand this week, providing an immediate opportunity for ASEAN to respond, and hopefully to increase the international spotlight on the report.
Its very hard to say how much impact it will actually have. And interesting to think that my work, and that of my organization, may contribute to an international controversy; that we are effectively accusing the UN of being ineffective, and buying into the fantasy of the junta.
When it is released, I will post a link to it here, and will certainly comment on how it is accepted.
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