VZCZCXRO9286
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH RUEHTRO
DE RUEHGO #0345/01 1300727
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 090727Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7533
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1158
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4702
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8246
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5808
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3674
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1564
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 000345 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR USAID/OFDA, EAP/MLS, S/ES-O-CMS, DS/CC AND 
DS/IP/EAP; PACOM FOR LTC JAMIE MCADEN; BANGKOK FOR RSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID BM
SUBJECT: BURMA: CYCLONE NARGIS SITREP NO. 5 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 342 
     ¶B. RANGOON 335 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU)  EMBASSY OPERATIONS:  Four eligible family members 
are scheduled to depart for Bangkok on May 9.  The remaining 
eight EFMs who want to depart are scheduled to leave on May 
¶13.  The Embassy continued to operate on city power, and we 
continued to receive diesel shipments.  New welfare and 
whereabouts inquiries for Amcits have decreased 
significantly, and the vast majority of inquiries concerning 
registered residents with known addresses have been accounted 
for.  No criminal incidents involving American staff were 
reported. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  FLIGHT REQUESTS:  Embassy submitted a flight 
clearance request for a C-12 flight.  While we have not yet 
received approval, DAO expects that it will.  The flight will 
carry items for the Embassy as well as some humanitarian 
supplies we can deliver to NGOs here.  DAO will also submit a 
clearance request for a C-130 flight on Monday carrying 
humanitarian assistance. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  SITUATION ON THE GROUND:  In preparation for a 
possible C-130 relief flight, we are working to assess the 
chain of custody for relief supplies arriving in Burma and to 
determine how supplies are being distributed in the delta. 
Singapore and Japan have decided to fly in relief supplies on 
commercial aircraft.  We received written notification from 
the MFA that our DART team's visas have been denied.  More 
fuel stations reopened in Rangoon, which resulted in prices 
and lines decreasing across the city.  Food prices in Rangoon 
remained high due to short supplies and high demand, 
particularly for rice, meat, and fish.  Embassy contacts 
estimated Cyclone Nargis damaged approximately 80 percent of 
Rangoon's electricity facilities, but said the government 
continued to slowly resume electricity supply throughout the 
city.  There were no reports of widespread looting or public 
disturbances in or around Rangoon. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  UPDATES:  Embassy Rangoon will close for the 
weekend.  We will send in updates of significant 
developments, including flight clearances, to the Operations 
Center via unclass e-mail. 
 
EMBASSY OPERATIONS 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU)  STAFFING AND OPERATIONS:  As planned, we dismissed 
all but essential FSN staff at 1200 to repair their homes. 
 
¶6. (SBU) CONSULAR:  New welfare and whereabouts inquiries 
have decreased significantly, and the vast majority of 
inquiries concerning registered residents with known 
addresses have been accounted for.  Consular continues to 
remain in contact with Burma Immigration authorities to 
confirm which unaccounted Amcits may have departed or did not 
enter the country through Rangoon airport.  We have also 
given unregistered names of U.S. tourists to Ministry of 
Hotel and Tourism officials in the event they could confirm 
their whereabouts through their own monitoring system of 
foreigners.  Consular staff continues to make rounds in the 
city by car to hotels and guest houses. 
 
¶7. (SBU) AUTHORIZED DEPARTURE AND FLIGHTS:  Post's Authorized 
Departure Task Force met again on May 9.  On May 9, four 
eligible family members (EFMs) from one family will depart 
Rangoon for Bangkok at 1945 hrs on Thai Air flight 306.  On 
May 13, eight more EFMs from four families will depart post 
for Bangkok at 1945 hrs on Thai Air flight 306.  25 EFMs have 
chosen to remain at post for now, including ten EFMs who had 
initially expressed interest in departing.  One family of 
four has elected to PCS later this month rather than leave 
now on authorized departure.  Four EFMs are out of the 
 
RANGOON 00000345  002 OF 003 
 
 
country.  As of May 9, there were 45 EFMs registered at Post. 
 
 
¶8. (SBU)  FUEL AND POWER:  The Embassy continued to operate 
on city power.  We received two more truckloads of diesel 
fuel on May 8.  With that delivery, our diesel storage tanks 
are at 90 percent, and high octane tanks are at 61 percent. 
All Embassy-owned vehicles have full gas tanks. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  WATER: The Embassy continues to have adequate water 
supplies and purification capacity on hand. 
 
¶10. (SBU)  SECURITY:  No criminal incidents involving 
American staff were reported.  RSO continued to liaise with 
their police contacts regarding any potential threats and the 
security situation in Rangoon. 
 
¶11. (SBU)  HEALTHCARE:  Post's medical unit has begun 
reviewing the immunization records of officers and their 
families in order to update immunizations as needed.  Med 
reported that Rangoon General Hospital had adequate 
electricity and water and was fully staffed.  However, 
hospital staff reported they were running low on antibiotics. 
 Shwegondaing Specialist Clinic (SSC), near the Embassy, had 
adequate water, but was running on generator and was also 
running low on antibiotics.  SSC was fully staffed and could 
conduct emergency surgery, but had postponed all elective 
procedures. 
 
¶12. (SBU) OTHER:  Post continued to assess the emergency 
needs of our FSNs and will provide that information to the 
Department in order to coordinate with the ongoing efforts of 
the FSN Relief Fund. 
 
SITUATION ON THE GROUND 
----------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU)  CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE:  UN assessment teams 
estimated the number of dead and missing at between 63,290 
and 101,682.  They estimated the total affected population at 
between 1.2 and 1.9 million (close hold).  The online exile 
newspaper Irrawaddy reported unnamed GOB sources told them as 
many as 600 villages were submerged in the delta region. 
Medical workers in the delta region have reported cases of 
cholera and fear an outbreak as survivors drink from 
contaminated creeks and rivers.  The NLD confirmed that Aung 
San Suu Kyi was at home and unhurt.  Her home did not suffer 
major damage. 
 
¶14. (SBU)  RECOVERY AND RELIEF:  In preparation for the 
possible delivery of USG relief supplies, we are working to 
assess the chain of custody for relief goods arriving in 
Burma and to determine how they are being distributed in the 
delta.  Singapore and Japan have flown in relief supplies on 
commercial aircraft.  The Singaporean Embassy told us they 
have brought supplies in using purchased cargo space on 
regularly-scheduled Silk Air flights.  The Japanese informed 
us they had already sent one shipment on a regularly 
scheduled Thai Air flight on May 7, but were also working 
with the Ministry of Social Welfare to obtain commercial 
flight clearances for chartered aircraft.  Embassy Rangoon 
has begun collecting offers of aid and requests for 
assistance and will forward them to OFDA in Bangkok. 
 
¶15. (SBU) FUEL:  According to an official at the Ministry of 
Gas and Electric, nine out of Rangoon's twenty five CNG 
filling stations were operating on May 9.  Fuel prices remain 
stable and lines continued to decrease across the city 
 
¶16. (SBU) FOOD AND WATER:  Food prices in Rangoon remained 
high due to short supply and high demand.  Rice stocks 
throughout the city were almost depleted, and prices were 
approximately 67 percent higher than before the cyclone. 
Prices of other commodities, such as cooking oil, meat, 
chicken, and fish, continued to increase dramatically due to 
short supply and high demand.  However, fruits and vegetables 
 
RANGOON 00000345  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
from Northern Burma have entered the Rangoon market via the 
recently-reopened railroads, alleviating some pressure on 
food supplies and prices (Reftel A). 
 
¶17. (SBU)  TRANSPORTATION:  At least three more main bus 
lines began running on May 8, although approximately 50 
percent fewer busses were operating on the routes.  Fares 
were still slightly higher than before the cyclone but 
continued to drop. 
 
¶18. (SBU)  ELECTRICITY:  Embassy contacts estimated Cyclone 
Nargis damaged approximately 80 percent of Rangoon's 
electricity facilities, including overhead cables and power 
substations.  The Government continued to work to resume 
electricity supply throughout the city, and had restored 
power to six townships in downtown Rangoon and to parts of 
approximately 12 townships around the city.  Many buildings, 
offices, homes, fuel stations, and hospitals that receive 
power from underground power cables reported that they have 
received city power, although supply was not constant. 
Myanmar Electrical Power Enterprise (MEPE) and Yangoon City 
Electric Power Supply Board (YESB) staff was working to 
repair overhead cables, removing trees and replacing lost or 
damaged power lines.  GOB officials would not say how long it 
will take to restore electricity to all of Rangoon's 33 
townships, but Embassy contacts predicted it would take 
several months (see Septel). 
 
¶19. (SBU)  LAW AND ORDER:  There were no reports of 
widespread looting or public disturbance in or around 
Rangoon. 
 
¶20. (SBU) VISAS:  We received written notification from the 
MFA that our DART team's visas have been denied "due to the 
difficulties for providing logistic support and preoccupation 
with heavy load of emergency relief works in the affected 
areas."  Today's Burmese version of the regime-mouthpiece New 
Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that a chartered relief 
plane from Quatar was turned back because it contained a 
search and rescue and media team.  The article contained a 
statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that said 
Burma is not ready to accept foreign relief teams yet. 
VILLAROSA