No Calm Before the Storm

According to the US military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the danger of more storms hitting the region in Myanmar most severely damaged by the cyclone that struck on May 3 has not yet passed. Equally disconcerting is the little relief granted to the people of the region since the cyclone wreaked havoc, as the Burmese government is currently restricting large-scale international aid.

The junta—the ruling government in Myanmar—has refused offers from the United States and other nations to send in search-and-rescue teams, food, and other crucial aid. With a death toll estimated at more than 65,000 and thousands more still missing, there is no reason for the junta to refuse help, especially the offers of simple methods of hydration and food such as rice. It is clear that Myanmar does not possess the resources to help its people on its own; as such, the junta should utilize all the means offered by the international community to help the estimated 1.5 million people in Myanmar who need help and are facing death by dehydration, malnourishment, and disease.

This is not the first time the junta has acted reprehensibly. Last September, several hundred monks staged peaceful protests that resulted in the junta committing a number of murders, cutting off internet access, and threatening foreign journalists who were reporting on the protests. The junta clearly acts contrary to the best interest of its citizens. As a long-term goal, the international community should aim for a regime change in Myanmar, seeking a government that will take better care of its citizens and will accept aid when it lacks adequate resources.

The opportunity to save human lives cannot be stalled by politics. The United States and the rest of the global community should deliver aid to the people of Myanmar by whatever means necessary, even if the Burmese government attempts to refuse their help. By working with non-governmental organizations, garnering support from the United Nations, and placing pressure on countries Myanmar trusts such as China, the United States and other nations can save many lives and start rebuilding what has been destroyed.

In the United States, and especially within our insular college community, it is far too easy to lose sight of the larger issues affecting people around the world, and those Harvard students have taken time out from writing papers and studying for exams to spearhead efforts to aid Myanmar should be commended. Students are selling t-shirts whose profits will go to aiding Burmese people, organizing dinners at restaurants with members of Boston’s Burmese community, sending out countless e-mails over house lists encouraging people to donate money, starting a Facebook group that will donate money for every person who joins, and encouraging people to sign a petition to the U.N. Secretary General and China.

All of these actions are indicative of a much larger global movement to help that the junta would do well to accept. It is high time for the international community to be forceful in delivering aid to the millions of people left in devastating conditions as a result of a cyclone and a repressive government.