Myanmar slams aid, says survivors can eat frogs

  • 31/05/2008

  • Times Of India (New Delhi)

Yangon: Myanmar's ruling junta lashed out at foreign aid donors on Friday, saying cyclone victims did not need supplies of "chocolate bars' and could instead survive by eating frogs and fish. The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, also warned foreign relief workers could snoop inside homes, and condemned donors for linking aid money to full access to the hardest-hit regions in the Irrawaddy delta. The tirade came as the junta tightened its political grip on the country, extending democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest and announcing that its new constitution has been enacted. The regime says the charter will pave the way for democratic elections in two years, but dissidents say it will enshrine military rule in a country ruled by generals since 1962. Despite the harsh statements in official media, aid agencies say they have had some success in receiving visas and securing access to the delta. An assessment team from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is set to arrive in Yangon to determine how best to help the survivors in desperate need of food, shelter and medicine. AFP