Marylanders with Burmese roots are fearing for loved ones who could be among the estimated 22,000 dead in the storm-devastated nation, but downed power lines and the county?s political situation are slowing news ? and aid ? to a trickle.
Refugees who fled to Maryland from the Southeast Asian nation now called Myanmar ? where, even now, military rulers appear to be slowing humanitarian efforts after powerful Cyclone Nargis struck five days ago ? said they were anxiously waiting to hear from family members. Tuesday, more than 40,000 were still missing, as many as 1 million appeared homeless, and electricity remained cut for almost 6.5 million residents of the nation?s largest city, Yangon.
“There is no power and there is no drinking water ? nobody can get any information,” said Kyaw Myint, owner of Mandalay Restaurant in Silver Spring. “My friend?s father, the state they live in was all wiped out. They are hoping. They don?t know whatelse to do.”
The country?s military regime has appealed for foreign aid, and relief organizations including the Red Cross said they were waiting in “standby” mode as units closer to the country assess the damage.
President Bush called on Myanmar?s junta to allow the United States to move naval assets to help search for the dead and missing. But it is believed that the Myanmar military, which regularly accuses the United States of trying to subvert the regime, is unlikely to allow
U.S. military presence in its territory.
Bo Hla-tint, a member-elect of the country?s Rockville-based democratic opposition in exile, said his wife has been unable to communicate with family in Yangon. Entry from the United States, even to help, will be difficult to achieve, he added.
“It is the military?s own dilemma because they don?t want eyewitnesses,” Hla-tint said. “International humanitarian agencies will come in and media will come in, and they don?t want the world to know what is really going on.”
In Baltimore, Maryann Constantinides said she corresponds by letter with cousins who remained in Burma after she left in 1964. But she stopped writing last year as military tensions worsened, afraid to jeopardize their safety.
Now, she has fears they are among Nargis? victims.
“I have no idea if they are OK,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
