Brown pledges to help Burma

May 06, 2008

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Gordon Brown

GORDON Brown pledged today that Britain would do everything possible to ease suffering in disaster-hit Burma, as the death toll continued to rise.

At least 15,000 people are believed to have been killed in the devastation wreaked by a massive cyclone.

An international aid effort is under way, with hundreds of thousands thought to be without clean water or shelter.

Some remote areas have yet to be reached by rescuers - meaning the figures could increase even further.

Speaking at a summit of business leaders in central London today, the Prime Minister said: "I believe nearly a million people are now in need of food aid and we will have to help the families of those where people have died.

"I want to pledge on behalf of the British Government that we will work with the whole international community to make sure that food aid is available to the people of Burma."

Cyclone Nargis smashed into Burma on Saturday, bringing winds of up to 120mph. More deaths were caused by a resulting 12-foot wave than the cyclone itself, according to the Burmese authorities.

In the city of Bogalay in the Irrawaddy river delta, 95% of homes are thought to have been destroyed.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the organisation would do "whatever (possible) to provide urgent humanitarian assistance".

Despite initial concerns from the international community, the state's secretive ruling junta has agreed to accept aid - although there are still questions over how much access foreign teams will be allowed.

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Connor Fitzgerald (06/05/2008 at 15:39)

Mr. Brown courting Burma?

I think he should invite a few million Burmese to come to the UK and pay for them to live next door to Anthony in Accrington.

If he does that, at least he will 'court' a few more votes, and good lord, doesn’t he need them!

Ha...........

alvinlwh (06/05/2008 at 16:42)

Just say how much money you are sending over Mr Brown. And just how many schools and hospitals that can be built with the money you are planing to send over.

MsD, Manchester (06/05/2008 at 17:13)

How very noble of him giving our money to a military junta. He is only interested in foreign matters and couldn't care less about growing unrest at home. Carry on Gordon - you are digging your own grave.

carol heale (06/05/2008 at 18:05)

Pledge your own money Generosity Brown, not ours. Charity begins at home.

ace, manchester (06/05/2008 at 19:12)

And yet again this bloody government has to think of yet another stealth tax to pay for all this aid????sick and tired of financing the globe while our own suffer.....

Roger Jones's P45 (formerly MC Spanner) (06/05/2008 at 21:01)

Ace,

Just remind me where our country is suffering to the extent of Tens of Thousands of People killed by a cyclone.

I bet you wouldn't be saying that if 22,000 donkeys were killed in Tenerife.

S P In exile, Tameside (07/05/2008 at 00:08)

I can’t believe this man after making a pledge only at the weekend on TV that he will listen and change, yet again he can find money for aid. It is in this country that we need aid from the high taxation he’s imposed on us for over ten years, not everyone is on an MPs salary, expenses and allowances. There is a saying Gordon give them enough rope and they’ll hang themselves, that is exactly what you will do Gordon.

LL., Manchester (07/05/2008 at 01:34)

It is the truly ignorant who have not seen beyond the borders of their own realities who can say the things they have said about the poorest of the poor in this world.

I am new to the UK, have been through this region (Thailand and Malaysia, not Burma, and other South Asian countries), and can honestly say that there is a gross misunderstanding of the poverty in 'developing' nations as compared to a fully 'developed' one like the UK. People here have choices, and as an educator and N. American here, I can honestly say I am appalled at the self-pitying apathy that exists here to improve one's own situation. I see it on the streets, and in the schools in which I teach. It is no wonder I now read it here on MEN.

Shame on you. We in the very wealthy 'West' owe it to ourselves and the world to give/share the wealth we have, often earned on the backs of the poorest laborers in the world (we are bound by trade and globalism, remember), and we owe it to ourselves to get educated, get to work, and to give.

Grow up.

ace, manchester (07/05/2008 at 09:09)

Roger Jones's P45 (formerly MC Spanner)
Tell that to these military leaders who spend billions each year on arms i dont see many soldiers in these countries looking poor and down trodden? Once the military stop buying arms etc and start to help themselves then maybe i would have some sympathy for these countries but while we help them save money so they can buy even more arms there is no point in keep throwing millions at them.

Roger Jones's P45 (formerly MC Spanner) (07/05/2008 at 10:07)

Ace,

Let the poor people of Burma die then - That will teach them and the government a lesson.

That'll teach not to born British!!!!

Proud Mancunian (07/05/2008 at 10:12)

When we had our earthquakes not 6 months ago. Did Burma send us any relief? I recall a chimney in Lincoln coming off

ace, manchester (07/05/2008 at 10:33)

Roger Jones's P45 (formerly MC Spanner)
We have people in britain still living in squalor after last winters heavy rain and flooding we have people who didnt have enough money to afford insurance who lost everything in their homes unfortunately these people still have to pay bills while they are out of their homes.Only this morning i heard on the radio that a family live in the upstairs of their home after 11 months because they dont have the insurance money to pay for the repairs to their home...wheres their help?

Marc, Duke of Leicester (07/05/2008 at 10:58)

21,000 dead in Burma and yet people like Ace and Alvin are still walking around. criminal...

Proud Mancunian (07/05/2008 at 11:08)

21000 dead. No amount of aid can help those people

Jimc (07/05/2008 at 11:37)

Here we go again, here we are in an economic crisis, where Brown put us. So what does he do give the tax payers money away to another country again.

The man is a sham.

Roger Jones's P45 (formerly MC Spanner) (07/05/2008 at 11:42)

Ace,

You make a good point. I can see the parallel with a family living in the upsatirs part of their house and dead bodies strewn everywhere, rotting and infecting the water supply which will then go on kill thousands more.

Maybe the Burmese people should have taken out Insurance. Lets shut our eyes and they will go away Ace. Britain rules the Waves.

It's a shame we had to rely on America to help us out in World War II. If they had ignored us we would be typing this in German.

ace, manchester (07/05/2008 at 12:30)

Marc, Duke of Leicester
Yes and when britains money runs out who will help us or come to that other countries in the world? nobody.

Philipac, Northenden Manchester (07/05/2008 at 13:12)

This after Brown busted a gut to pour £millions of "aid" into Africa.

I have worked in Africa. Any aid goes into the bank accounts of the Tribal Leaders.

Now Burma. China props-up the military junta with tanks, weaponry, oil, dollars etc.

It is China that should be supplying humanitarian aid. Instead, China sits back and laughs it's socks off at the West doing it for them.

And by the way, do a bit of research yourselves and you'll discover that £millions of aid given following the Tsunami disaster is still sitting in bank accounts!

Black Sabbath (07/05/2008 at 13:54)

"And by the way, do a bit of research yourselves and you'll discover that £millions of aid given following the Tsunami disaster is still sitting in bank accounts!"

It's called middle-class liberal guilt mate - they are well known for it & don't care where the money ends up as long as we are giving to ANYONE but the evil US of A & their corporations!

Proud Mancunian (07/05/2008 at 14:53)

Looking at the towns and villages they live in it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

Did we learn nothing from the 3 little pigs?

alvinlwh (07/05/2008 at 15:27)

"It is the truly ignorant who have not seen beyond the borders of their own realities who can say the things they have said about the poorest of the poor in this world." LL

LL, I was born and grew up in Singapore. Like Burma, part of SE Asia. Enough said.

S P In exile, Tameside (08/05/2008 at 00:32)

LL I don’t think we are ignorant to what has happened in Burma and the catastrophe that has been caused I feel sorry for the people who are living through this. I also understand the amount of poverty that exist in Burma, but at the end of the day the poverty is imposed by the Burmese junta.

You say your from north American a country where taxes are one of the lowest in the world a gallon of petrol or gas is now creeping up to the $4.00 mark that is the equivalent of about £2.00 I wish we in Britain was paying this. The cost of living here is well out of proportion to wages we are one of if not the highest taxed people in Europe, we have a government that has us fighting two wars. (all cost money)

The working man has had enough of paying through the nose for this governments mistakes and spending like Northern Rock £44 Billion, Olympics £9 Billion and still climbing, expansion of London underground £10 billion giving gold away at a cost to the taxpayer £2Billion plus more it all needs paying for and I think people of this country are fed up of being taken for a ride time and time again.

So you see LL it’s not a matter of not wanting to help someone who are more unfortunate than we are, we have our own serious problems like law and order, education, NHS, immigration, council tax plus more, all need funding but we are told the cupboard is bare yet money is being generated for overseas causes.

Even though Gordon has said he will help with aid I see your President G.W. Bush is keeping quite about how much America is helping, so go home and lecture to the good ole USA instead.

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