Mission & Justice

15/5/08

The full horror of the Chinese earthquake emerged yesterday as rescuers discovered towns near the epicentre almost wiped out, including one that lost nearly 80per cent of its population. The death toll has climbed well above 20,000, and is rising by the hour as more information comes in from stricken communities. As many as 60,000 people are believed to still be missing in the region near the quake’s epicentre, prompting fears the death toll could rise dramatically.

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15/5/08

The official death toll from Cyclone Nargis which hit Burma on May 3 has been updated to 38,491, with 27,838 people missing, state radio said. The new toll announced today was raised from 34,273 dead and 27,836 missing, issued yesterday. As well as the dead and missing, another 1,403 were injured, state radio said. However, the United Nations has warned the number of dead likely exceeds 100,000, and that many more may die unless vital aid reaches up to two million survivors.

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Paul Maley; 14/5/08

Senior aid officials in Burma have warned that Australia’s first aid shipment to the stricken country, which arrived yesterday, will almost certainly be rebadged as the property of the Burmese Government, with sizeable portions likely to be siphoned off by corrupt officials. Kevin Rudd yesterday launched a fresh attack on the “demonstrably inadequate” response of the Burmese junta to the May 2 cyclone, which has left up to 100,000 people dead and a further 1.5 million homeless. The Prime Minister told parliament an RAAF C-117 Globemaster aircraft had touched down in Rangoon with 31 tonnes of supplies. On board were water purification tablets, medical supplies, tarpaulins and blankets.

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