Tsunami Damages in Burma

TSUNAMI: Did Burma Escape the Consequences? Reported by Democratic Voice of Burma Tsunami Did Burma escape the consequences? Reported by Democratic Voice of Burma Jan 6, 2004 While the world is witnessing the unfolding of traumatizing damages done by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis on Sunday December 26, people around the world are still wondering what kinds of effect would they have on Burma which has over two thousand km long coastline on the India Ocean. The extent of the damage in Burma remains a mystery. How many people died? How many are still missing or left homeless? What was the evacuation process like and what kind of help was given to victims in Burma? DVB received numerous phone calls and requests for information from international media organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), government officials, Burmese in exile and, sadly, also from people living within Burma. To respond to the growing need of urgent information, we have compiled this report based on information obtained from our sources and reporters in the filed – in neighbouring countries as well as in Burma, from interviews with aid workers working in Burma and from international news reports. What people say Both local people in the areas affected and scientists said Burma did not escape the affects of December 26 tsunamis. Based on information provided by various sources, it is confirmed that villages along the southern coast of Burma, Coco Islands in the Andaman Sea and the Irrawaddy Delta were hardest hit by the tsunamis. According to a computer model created by a geophysicist Dr Steven N. Ward from Univer- sity of California at Santa Cruz, southern Burma would have been hit as hard as the neighbouring southern Thailand where over five thousands people have died and a few thousands still registered as missing. (Washington Post, Jan 3) On January 4, US Secretary of State Collin Powell said Burma may not be hit as hard as other countries in the region, based on satellite images. "I don't know what to believe," he 1 TSUNAMI: Did Burma Escape the Consequences? Reported by Democratic Voice of Burma said at the press conference in Thailand. Death toll in Burma We feared that at least more than a thousand people could have died in Burma due to the disaster. The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) said on Jan 5 that the number of death in Burma is not more than 86 and the death toll may not even be reached more than 100. Again, the World Food Program (WFP) on Jan 5 considerably reduced the numbers of their earlier estimate on death toll and said only up to 60 people were killed in Burma. We have spoken with the IFRC representatives and other aid agencies in Rangoon. Their account of death toll in Burma was mostly from Irrawaddy region where access to the area is a lot easier than other regions such as southern Burma and Arakan state. Unlike other countries in Asia, many of the deaths in Burma were not in the costal land areas but islands along the coast where aid workers have very little access and people who were out fishing during the disaster struck, making it difficult to register the number. The confirmed numbers of the fishing boats missing are about 200 and we believed the actual number could be more than double. This report is based on information provided by our contacts inside Burma, internal government dispatches, and witness accounts, interviews with local people, aid workers and media reports from the areas affected. Hardest Hit Areas in Burma Coco Islands The death toll in Coco Islands alone is close to one hundred, according to internal government dispatches seen by our contacts inside Burma. The three Coco islands: Great, Small and Table Coco Islands are situated in the Andaman Sea, about 400 km south-west of Ran- goon and the total inhabitants on the islands are believed to be more than 1000. China has installed electronic and radar facilities on the islands to intercept shipping movements in the Indian Ocean since early 1990s and some Chinese military experts alongside several hundred Burmese navy officers. That may explain why Chinese government sent a letter of condolence to the military government of Burma for the victims of tsunamis before the Burmese government admitted the damages done by tsunamis. Some army radar installa- tions on Coco Islands were reported to be destroyed by the tidal waves. No aid workers are allowed to visit the islands yet except one staff from the IFRC was allowed to speak over the radio phone with a person from Coco Island. Burma navy has several others military bases in the India Ocean. That includes navy base in Remer Island, south of Sittwe in Arakan State, Hainggyi Island in the delta region, Mon- 2 TSUNAMI: Did Burma Escape the Consequences? Reported by Democratic Voice of Burma key point in Rangoon and Zadetkyi Kyun at southern tip of Burma. It is of course not known how much damage it had done to these navy bases but this could be a reason why Burma army wants to play down the extent of the damage done by tsunamis in Burma. Southern Burma The port town, Mergui was not hit hard by the tidal waves as it is protected by hundreds of islands. However, officials at the Fishery Department in Mergui and Tavoy told us that about 2500 fishing boats, large and small, were registered at the department. It is not clear how many of them were damaged or missing, but the local authorities claimed that not a single boat was damaged. We know that is not true but we could not confirm the number of missing boats or deaths due to communication difficulties. About 200 sea-gypsies, the Salon (or) Moken people who live in the sea and islands near Lampi, about 180 km south of Mergui (Myeik or Beik in Burmese) were swept away by the destructive tsunamis, according to an aid worker who had recently returned from the area. There are at least 800 islands in the Mergui archipelago and it remains difficult to find out the exact figure of deaths and damages in this area. The total population of Moken people are about 3000. According to a local authority internal dispatch on Dec 26 seem by DVB, at 7:30 am local time, minor earthquake had struck in Kawthaung for about 2 minutes but there were no damage. At about 11:30 am local time, big tidal wave hit the Aukkyi Village near Kaw- thaung and the whole village was under the water for about 15 minutes. Fifty one houses on the village were destroyed and 50 fishing boats were swept away by the wave. About 200 people were homeless. Other villages nearby Aukkyi were also hit by the tidal wave, the report said. According another local authority dispatch on Jan 1, four bridges including Palao Ton Ton were destroyed in Kawthaung Township and 62 fishing both big and small were missing. The reports did not mention the human causalities or how many people were in need of assistance. International Federation of Red Cross said on Dec 30 that 27 people were killed in Kaw- thaung, on southern tip of Burma alone. A local fisherman told a visiting foreign journalist that he saw about 50 people swept to their deaths from the bridge across the island of Palao Ton Ton, near Kawthaung. It is said that Kawthaung was not badly hit as it was protected by several islands. "Even so, boats out in bay were lifted 30 ft on the main road by the force of the water," wrote the journalist Damien McElroy in the British newspaper Daily Telegraph’s website. A local intelligence officer based in Ranong, Thailand, opposite Kawthaung, who has ex- tensive knowledge about the area told DVB that he has spoken with several surviv- als. Based on their accounts, three main islands between Kawthaung and Mergui - Zadet- 3 TSUNAMI: Did Burma Escape the Consequences? Reported by Democratic Voice of Burma kyi, Kyun Pila and Lampi were badly hit by the tsunamis on Dec 26. Several thousands people live on the three islands and hundreds of people from the islands were swept away by the tidal wave. Around this area, there are another 80 small islands but the government forbidden people to live on the islands since early 1990s for fear of deforestation and arm smuggling. Local people in the areas told us that after some period, people returned to islands and the number of population have grown to thousands. However, death toll from these islands were not be accounted as the government consider no one live there. Irrawaddy division Dr Tin Min Htut, the local opposition leader from Pantanaw Township in Irrawaddy division told DVB that the disaster struck during the high fishing season for local villagers meaning many fishermen could be killed by the tsunamis. Local Burmese authorities re- fused to say the number of fishing boats missing in the areas but several local people at Laputa, Bogale, Mawlamyine Kyun, Paypon and Bassein in the delta region of Irrawaddy Division told DVB that about 100 fishing boats have been missing since the tsunamis struck the areas on Dec 26. Hundreds of people could have died or missing since that “disastrous” Sunday. An AFP journalist reporting from Kha Pyat Thaung village in the delta region said some 600 people were swept into the sea by the tsunamis, leaving at least 17 dead and scores of families with nothing but shattered lives.

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