Myanmar marks cyclone anniversary

Still suffering: Men walking by yet-to-be-completed houses for survivors of the May 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. One year on, aid agencies estimate half a million people still remain without adequate shelter. Picture: AFP
THA KYAR HIN O, MYANMAR
Monday, May 4, 2009

EMOTIONAL survivors gathered in Myanmar yesterday to remember the 138,000 people left dead or missing by Cyclone Nargis, despite authorities largely ignoring the storm's first anniversary.

No official ceremonies were planned and state media made little mention of the deadly storm, which laid waste to swathes of the country last May 2-3 and drew worldwide criticism for the response of Myanmar's military rulers.

Only the Myanmar-language daily newspaper Myanma Ahlin made any reference to the 2.4 million people affected by the cyclone, with photographs of the new houses authorities have built for some of the survivors.

Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar with wind speeds reaching 240km an hour and storm surges up to four metres high, sweeping away thousands of homes, flooding rice fields with salt water and ravaging schools and hospitals.

A year later aid agencies say half a million people remain without adequate homes, while at least 250,000 people will require food handouts until the end of 2009 at the earliest.

But many survivors were more concerned with the dead as they marked the cyclone's anniversary yesterday, with those who could afford it paying about 100,000 kyats ($149) in donations for a monk-led ceremony at home.

Win Khaing, 22, from the southern village of Tha Kyar Hin O, hosted his own private memorial before visiting the unveiling of a new cyclone shelter in his village.

"We did a memorial for my mum and two-year-old niece by donating to Buddhist monks this morning. I think they are in peace now," he said.

Most people in this predominantly Buddhist country believe that donations to monasteries can lead to a more peaceful afterlife for the dead.

But many of those still reliant on handouts of aid said they could not afford to pay for their own ceremony.

"I want to hold a memorial for my parents. But I can't help as we are also relying on donations," said 38-year-old Aye Tint, from Shwe Magyikan village near Tha Kyar Hin O.

Aye Tint lost both her parents and two sisters to the cyclone, while nearly 60 residents from her village were killed.

Myanmar's military government faced international criticism for its response to the storm.AFP