Fri, May 16, 2008 (2:08 a.m.)

The cyclone that devastated Myanmar this month was a tragedy that has been exacerbated by its government’s atrocious handling of relief efforts.

The military junta in power has refused most of the offers from other countries, including desperately needed food and supplies. Suspicious of foreigners and overly protective of its power, the government has rebuffed most aid agencies and their workers.

Little of what aid has gone into the country has actually made it to the people in need. The junta reportedly has been stealing food and supplies and distributing rotten or poor-quality items instead. As well, bureaucratic tangles and poor organization have left other food and supplies unused.

It is believed that as many as 2.5 million people are in dire need of food, water and shelter, but the Associated Press reported Thursday that only 270,000 of those in need have received aid so far.

More than 40,000 people are dead, according to Myanmar officials, and the United Nations believes the death toll could reach 128,000. While people are starving and dying, the junta is keeping foreigners out to avoid further criticism of its awful human rights record.

When disasters strike, appearances and politics shouldn’t matter, as Myanmar’s neighbor China has apparently learned.

In 1976 a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck a city about 100 miles southeast of Beijing. The death toll was put at 241,000, although many experts say it could have been three times that. The Chinese government refused all foreign aid. However, marking a shift in the government’s philosophy, Chinese officials have accepted international help in the wake of the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan province Monday and left more than 19,000 people dead. The Chinese have even allowed teams of foreign rescuers into the country.

The contrast between these two natural disasters is striking. And sadly, the tragedy in Myanmar will continue to grow by the day because of a government that has put its ideology ahead of the welfare of its people.