Brown Condemns 'inhuman' Burma Leaders Over Aid

Gordon Brown today accused the Burmese government of "inhuman" behavior in blocking foreign aid for the victims of Cyclone Nargis that has left almost 80,000 people dead.

In the UK's strongest criticism of Burma's military rulers so far, the prime minister said the junta was turning a natural disaster into a manmade catastrophe.

"This is inhuman. We have an intolerable situation, created by a natural disaster," Brown told the BBC World Service. "It is being made into a manmade catastrophe by the negligence, the neglect and the inhuman treatment of the Burmese people by a regime that is failing to act and to allow the international community to do what it wants to do.

"The responsibility lies with the Burmese regime and they must be held accountable."

The Foreign Office minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, who is currently in south-east Asia, also criticised the junta for blocking foreign aid.

"We are way behind the curve compared to any other international disaster in recent memory," he said. "I cannot recall a relief operation where... the international response has been subjected to such delays."

The junta, which insists on controlling the distribution of aid, has allowed the UN and some other agencies to distribute supplies directly but has prevented foreign aid workers from entering cyclone-hit areas.

Two weeks after Nargis tore a swath through Burma, the official death toll in the tragedy leapt dramatically to 77,738 last night, up from 43,328 a day earlier, with 55,917 still missing.

The grim acknowledgment of the cyclone's destructive power came as the UN's head of humanitarian affairs set off for Burma for talks with the regime's leadership in a desperate effort to persuade the generals to open the door to international aid.

But while Sir John Holmes secured a visa - in contrast to other UN agencies' disaster experts - it was unclear whom he would meet when he arrives tomorrow for three days of talks, though it seemed unlikely he would be granted an audience with Burma's ruler, General Than Shwe.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has been trying to contact Burma's military strongman for days. But Ban's spokeswoman said no one ever picked up the phone.

Burma's state television quoted the prime minister, Thein Sein, as saying the first emergency phase of the cyclone disaster, which the UN estimates killed 128,000, was over and the second phase, the rebuilding operation, was under way.

But the UN said only a little more than 10% of those affected had been reached with aid 14 days into the catastrophe.

"It's clear from what everyone's saying that the aid effort is far from over," said Amanda Pitt, of the UN disaster management agency. "There are still critical needs being reported. People do not have enough clean water, food, shelter or medical supplies. Clearly, needs are not being met. The aid effort is still going on to alleviate the suffering and prevent a second wave of death."

The EU envoy Louis Michel was due to arrive back in Bangkok from Rangoon last night after holding tough negotiations with the regime's ministers responsible for the disaster planning, though he was denied access to the Irrawaddy delta, the worst-hit area.

He remained uncertain if he had made any headway on convincing the regime to budge. "I came to Burma only with the reason to be useful; to assure them of the generosity of the international community, of the good will of the international community," he said.

"I also told them we had only one aim at the moment. It was to help their population and there was no reason to fear the international presence. At times it was a rather frank and tough discussion."

Yesterday, in an apparent olive branch move, the Burmese authorities offered a group of foreign diplomats the opportunity to take a tour today of the delta where most died in the cyclone's storm surge that washed over the low-lying land.

Shari Villarosa, the US charge d'affaires, said the foreign ministry was conducting the trip. But it was unclear what the diplomats would be shown and a similar tour on Thursday in the main city, Rangoon, visited areas where most storm damage had been repaired.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported some cases of cholera in the delta. But despite fears that water contaminated by corpses and the unsanitary conditions of makeshift refugee camps could spark a deadly epidemic, the WHO said incidences were no greater than normal levels in the delta. Still, surveillance teams are closely monitoring the situation.

The International Red Cross warned that the lack of clean water was putting hundreds of thousands of survivors at risk of diseases such as dysentery, as it launched an emergency appeal for £25m for the needs of 500,000 people over the next three years.

"If clean water isn't available, it's going to be the biggest killer in the post-disaster environment," said Thomas Gurtner, the Red Cross head of operations in Geneva.