Myanmar finally lets in big delivery of cyclone aid, but rejects US offer

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
YANGON, Myanmar


Critical aid and experts to go with it were poised in neighboring Thailand and elsewhere Friday to rush into cyclone-devastated Myanmar while its ruling generals continued stalling on fully opening the country to international assistance.
Among those stranded in Thailand were members of the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team. Air Force transport planes and helicopters packed with supplies also sat waiting for a green light.
"We are in a long line of nations who are ready, willing and able to help, but also, of course, in a long line of nations the Burmese don't trust," US Ambassador Eric John told reporters in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, on Thursday.
Myanmar snubbed a US offer to help victims of an earthquake which may have taken more than 100,000 lives.
But it allowed the first major international aid shipment Thursday - four UN planes carrying high-energy biscuits. And on Friday, state-owned television ashowed a cargo plane from Italy with water containers, food and plastic sheets at Yangon international airport.

Today News from Telegraph.co.uk

The military regime has still not given them permission to land, almost a week after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country with 120mph winds.
Criticism of the junta rose as the US warned more than 100,000 people could have died as a result of the storm.
As survivors battled to stay alive with little relief in sight five days after Cyclone Nargis struck, the US embassy in Rangoon issued a new estimate of the scale of the human cost in the disaster.
"The information that we're receiving indicates that there may well be over 100,000 deaths in the delta area," said Shari Villarosa, the US charge d'affaires.
The regime has said that Nargis claimed at least 22,000 lives and left another 40,000 missing, presumed dead. Yet it has yet to prove fully co-operative with the international community and aid agencies desperate to help.
International relief supplies began to trickle into the country on Wednesday, but the regime has not yet begun issuing visas to emergency relief specialists who aid agencies say are essential in running a massive logistical operation in a wrecked landscape.
Thousands of tonnes of supplies still wait in depots abroad, unable to enter the country and help residents of the worst-hit towns and villagers.
And a UN official based in Bangkok, Thailand, said on Thursday that World Food Programme planes carrying nearly 45 tons of high-energy biscuits were still stuck in Dhaka, in Bangladesh, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, because they had not been given permission to land. Trucks carrying aid are also stuck in neighbouring countries.
The UN is hoping a four-man assessment team will be allowed to start work in Burma later today.
Western countries have become increasingly critical of Burma for not allowing aid and agency workers in quickly.
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said on Wednesday night: "It should be a simple matter. It's not a matter of politics. It's a matter of a humanitarian crisis."
Meanwhile, a group of British aid agencies and charities yesterday launched an "urgent" appeal for help and a TV advert asking for donations will be broadcast today.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said the scale of the disaster meant the need for aid was "immediate and vast".
Saturday's cyclone flattened many coastal communities in the Irawaddy delta, a combination of hurrican-force winds and a 12 foot tidal surge overwhelming settlements.
At Kungyangon, a devastated town where 2,000 bodies have been buried, survivors provided horrifying accounts of the disaster and its wake.
A community leader warned of the growing threat to the health of those who five days ago escaped Cyclone Nargis.
"If we don't get help we will die here," he told The Daily Telegraph, asking not to reveal his name for fear of offending the military regime.
"Already diarrhoea is beginning. Most of the people have diarrhoea. We need good food and shelter to survive."
"They have been buried in whatever scraps of dry ground can be found, often two or three bodies to a single grave. The bodies of hundreds of people, missing presumed dead, have not been found."
All the food in one neighbourhood was destroyed as the area, near to the worst-hit Irrawaddy Delta, was engulfed with water. On 19 streets not one house survived unscathed. Most are shattered wrecks. A few remain more or less intact but just as many have disappeared entirely.
The bodies of dead people have been removed here, but the bloated corpses of buffalo are still trapped in the debris nearby, threatening to poison the water supply.
In another town, Labutta, which has virtually no food or fresh water, the flood waters have begun to recede, revealing rotting, bloated bodies, both human and animal, which have left a stench hanging over the town.
A distraught elderly woman in Kungyangon, lost 18 relatives who lived in a nearby coastal village.
Only three children at boarding school survived. "The whole village was destroyed," she wailed as she pawed at their photographs and wept inconsolably.
Her house quickly filled up with neighbours, each desperate to tell their own appalling story, many of them reminiscent of the horrifying scenes witnessed on coastlines across the Indian Ocean in the 2004 tsunami.
A young man lost five siblings when their boat was swept away. A father had his infant son torn from arms as he and his wife fled their collapsing home.
Two days later he found the body 300 yards away. Now he is fixed on survival.
"When I have rice I fill my stomach," he said. "When I have noting to eat I go to the mango trees and eat the fruit scattered on the ground."
Above the clamour of people trying to give their accounts, the distraught old woman asserted herself. "I will tell the story," she said and everyone fell briefly silent.
"At first when it was very windy people started to run," she said. "They were clinging to trees. Around four in the morning people started to drown."
The settlement was trapped between a raging river and a torrent of water coming from the seaward side. Inside the houses it reached six feet deep. It was salt water, and destroyed all the rice in five rice mills here."
Desperation has driven some to crime. The home of a relatively wealthy man in Kungyangon was surrounded by men with swords intent on robbery until neighbours intervened to save him.
"More than £100 was stolen from my house," said a young woman. "Most of the shops have been robbed by hungry people."
The crime wave ended when the army finally arrived in Kungyangon on Tuesday, offering chlorinated water and a kilogram of rice per family. On Wednesday morning residents were also given fish.
It is all many of them have to eat, but they are unimpressed. "They talk with a big mouth about the water they are giving but it is not enough," said one man. "The rice is not enough."
The army presence in the town increased considerably on Wednesday, with more than a dozen dark green trucks parked on the main road.
The soldiers were most visible standing along the roadside , a few of them hacking away at the fallen trees.
But local people cleared the road days ago. It was also local people who cleared away the bodies, and who are accommodating their homeless neighbours as best they can. "People are helping each other," one man said.
Sir John Holmes, the UN's Humanitarian Affairs chief, said the organisation had applied for 100 visas but had only received a handful from the Burmese regime.
He said the international relief effort was "slower than ideal" but cooperation from the junta was "going in the right direction."
International agencies hope to be able to mount a "flash appeal" detailing the precise needs of those affected on Friday.
How you can donate:

A number of charities have launched appeals to help the Burmese in the wake of this weekend's cyclone. You can donate online to the British Red Cross, http://www.redcross.org.uk/ (£5 will provide water purification tablets for 60 people), to Oxfam's emergency fund, http://www.oxfam.co.uk,/ to Christian Aid, http://www.christianaid.org.uk,/ and Save the Children, http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/

Face Tatoo, Chin Tribe from Myanmar

The animists living on the hill-side near Teetain, Khanti, Mintat are well known for their Inked-spotted face. The back ground story goes like this; Chin ladies are the most beautiful among other nationalities, and they were always chosen as concubine by the Burmese's King during Burmese Kingdom. They therefore spotted their beautiful face with ink in order to escape the above affair. These people held the New Year in Myanmar Thitinkyut (October), they pay respect to their Nats (Spirits) by sacrificing Ox, Buffalos and other animals.
Chin Tribe is Located in North West part of Myanmar. Being the hilly region, the weather is always cool and fresh, and gets heavy rain as it is very close with bay of Bengal. The state is hilly region, and seldom to see the plain land, Mt Victoria which is assumes that an old volcano and it is about 10400' in high. In northern, there is Mt Kennedy, which has 8871 ' high, are very famous. There are four kinds of Chin races. They are Tidim, Hakha, Falam, Min-tup Chin. The principal Chin clans of the Tiddim area are the Thado, Kanhow, Sokte, and Siyin. A wide variety of languages and dialects spoken, and the language of one village may be intelligible to a village a few miles away. Because Chin State is hilly and access is difficult, there is a slight difference in languages respectively. A large majority of the people are Chins, Mros (Mago), Khamis and Bamars from significant parts in Southern and western part of Chin State. Their livelihood depends on the agriculture system is step by step the hillside cultivation and breeding. They don’t have their own Literature but invented from Greece Alphabet.

At higher elevations they wear thick, striped cotton blankets draped over the body, and copper and bronze ornaments. Among the Khamui, a sub-tribe that inhabits the lower elevations of southern Chin State, unmarried women wear short skirts and little else. Chin men tend to wear simple Western-style dress. Majority of the people are Christians.

In livestock breeding, some have to aim for meals and some have to aim for sacrificing to spirit. Most people are very interesting in hunting and most are skillful hunter, in one saying, all adult men must be perfected in hunting experience. If you visit to Chin house, you will surely see the bones, shells, and other pieces of wild animals and their traditional weapons. They indicate the braveness, courage and experiences of their hunting .Seeking medicinal orchid, plants, honey , and fishing are their main economy and habit.

Weaving in traditional method are the proud of ladies, they produce quality products of hand make blanket, clothes, and other useful things, In Chin state there are no special market expect in big town of Chin state. If they want to sell their material they put their things to the big cane basket and going around to all villages and sell with cash or exchange methods. In Chin hills some women still have traditionally tattooed faces, though it’s a custom that’s fading fast. In days of yore, the girls who were above 14-15 ages, had to be tattooed to their face. They assume that, by tattooing on face, they can recognize and choose their children, even though their children were lost the ways in deep forest and separated from them.

But some say that, Chin ladies are the most beautiful among other nationalities, and the Burmese's King always chose them as concubine during Burmese Kingdom. They therefore spotted their beautiful face with ink in order to escape the above affair.

These people held the New Year in (October), they pay respect to their Nats (Spirits) by sacrificing Ox, Buffaloes and other animals. The other festival are harvest festivals, Spirits sacrificing festivals concerning with the agriculture, Victory ceremony, Bull fighting festival, the party for congratulating to victors and winners, are the congratulate to victors party are the famous for Chin state. They use to hold their festival with traditional dance.

Mt Victoria is the famous sites for hiker and trekkers. Mt. Victoria (10500 ft) is the southern outpost of Himalayas, isolated and possesses many species birds and plants, offers a great opportunity for bird watching activities. It is quite attractive sceneries with numerous kinds of native birds. Mt.Victoria is in Mind at; in Chin State situated at sea level 4860 ft. The temperature is cool year round and pleasant. Overnight will be in a bungalow with basic but comfortable accommodations. The surroundings of Mind at has semi-cultivated land with some areas of pine forest. Weather is cool and pleasant all year round. Throughout the way in lower elevations we will be walking in secondary vegetation with patches of semi cultivated areas and pine forest. The forest above 7000 ft is a pristine broad leaf evergreen forest with patches of small bamboo. Forest type above 9000 ft is mostly oaks and rhododendrons and some grasses lands. At the Chin village, there is an opportunity to observe way of life in Chin tribe. It is quite attractive sceneries with numerous kinds of native birds.

Padaung:Neck Stretching Tribe from Myanmar

Padaung is one of the ethnic minority groups from Myanmar about 7000 members in their tribe which has been made famous by the brass rings which women in the tribe wear around their necks. Members of the Padaung Tribe call themselves the Kayan; the Kayan are members of a larger ethnic group called the Karen People. The Kayan appear to be Mongolian in origin, and they have their own distinct language and cultural traditions. Many of them follow an animist religion, although some also integrate Buddhist beliefs into their religious practices and some are Christian. Padaung people like to live near the river valleys wherever they can.
The coils are first applied when the girls are about five years old, and the coil is replaced with longer coils as the weight of the brass pushes down the collar bone and compresses the rib cage. This results in the striking appearance of a very long neck. Traditionally, only Padaung girls born on a Wednesday of a full moon were destined to have their necks fitted with the coils.
Only initial discomfort is reported after the coils are set and as the distance from ear lobe to collar bone lengthens to as much as 10 inches to 15 inches in average. In general, a Padaung woman of marriageable age will probably have had her neck extended by about 11inches. Unlike normal accessories, these rings are for life and may only be removed with the direst of results. Adultery among Padaung women has always been punished by the removal of the rings, a fate almost literally, worse than death. This is an unusually cruel punishment as the cervical vertebra has become deformed after years of wearing the rings, and the neck muscles have atrophied. Unless she wishes to risk suffocation the unfortunate wife must pay for the infidelity by spending the rest of her life lying down or try to find some other artificial support for her neck.
There are several mythical ideas, perhaps formed by visiting anthropologists. Some think the coils protect from tiger bites, while some think the coils made the women unattractive to neighbouring tribes, and so protected them against slave trade. The rings also play a social role, with more rings serving as a symbol of status for women.
At first glance, the Padaung appear to belong to a different continent than Asia, their green and purple headdresses, white caftans and shining ornaments suggesting some African tribe or even the Plain Indians of old. Whatever you think of their customs, 'striking' is certainly the word to describe the Padaung of eastern Myanmar. At the moment they appear to welcome the odd visitor, smiling shyly at the cameras, patiently answering the questions that are put to them through the tour guides.

To the Glass Palace

Mandalay
Age :141 years
Temperature :Min 10°C - Max 43.3°C
Location :Latitude 21° 58' N, Longitude 96° 04' E

'by the old Mawlamyine Pagoda, lookin
eastward to the sea
There's Myanmar girl a-settin,
and I know she thinks o'me;
For the wind is in the plam-trees,
an the temple-bells they say;
Come you back, you British soldier;
come you back to Mandalay!
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin'
from Yangon to Mandalay?
On the road to mandalay
Where the flyin'-fish play,
And the dawn comes up like thunder
Outer china'cross the Bay!'


(From ''Mandalay'' by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the poem that gave the world its first inkling of the exotic city)

The principal cultural and economic city of upper Myanmar, and former royal capital, is located in Central Myanmar, 668 km north of Yangon, Mandalay still evokes images of a romantic bygone era. Also known as Ratanabon-nepyi (meaning Gem City), it was built in 1857 by King Mindon. The royal palace and its impressive surrounding moat sits at the foot of the imposing Mandalay Hill.
The city was named after the Mandalay Hill, which is situated at the northeast corner of the present city. The hill has for long been a holy mount and it is believed that Lord Buddha prophesied that a great city, metropolis of Buddhism, would be founded at its foot. It was King Mindon who fulfilled the prophecy.
The rhyming couplet easy to memorize the year of building the royal city is " Okkyit-Kyaw Aye / Mandalay " or " Aung Kyaw Chan Aye / Mandalay " ( i.e, M.E 1221 ). The city's layout of the construction is the same at that of the earlier Kingdom of Amarapura, and from the bird's eye-view, it has the structure of geographical squares and rectangular shapes, with streets and roads crossing one another at right angles. There are four parts dividing the city, namely, Ashe-pyin ( East Part ), Anok-pyin (west Part), Taung-pyin (southern part) and Myauk-pyin (Northern Part), with 54 plots. With the Ground-breaking ceremony, King Mindon laid the foundation of Mandalay on the 6th waning day of Kason, M.E 1221, (A.D 1857). The King simultaneously laid the foundations of seven edifices: the royal city with the battlemented walls, the moat surrounding it, the Maha Lawka Marazein Stupa, the higher ordination hall named the Pahtan-haw Shwe Thein, the Atumashi (the Incomparable) monastery, the Thudhama Zayats or public houses for preaching the Doctrine, and the library for the Buddhist scriptures.

When King Mindon passed away, his son King Thibaw ascended the throne, and in M.E 1247, Myanmar fell under the British colony. It was the old capital ruled by two successive kings the one where the last of Myanmar's monarchs reigned.

After the British had conquered Mandalay in 1886 they turned the royal palaces of Mandalay into their military headquarters and christened the complex Fort Dufferin.

How to get there ?????

Mandalay International Airport is the gateway. Mandalay is only over an hour's flight from Yangon. Myanma Airways, Yangon Airways and Air Mandalay operate daily flights. By road, it takes about 12 hours by Express coaches, and about 14 hours by train.