VZCZCXRO2675
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH RUEHTRO
DE RUEHGO #0358/01 1340720
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130720Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7565
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1177
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4721
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 8265
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5827
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3699
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1594
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000358 
 
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. 7 
 
REF: RANGOON 352 AND PREVIOUS 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU)  EMBASSY OPERATIONS:  Embassy Rangoon continued to 
operate on city power and had full diesel fuel tanks.  On May 
13, the remaining six EFMs who had requested to depart will 
leave post for Bangkok.  No criminal incidents involving 
American staff or families were reported 
 
¶2. (SBU)  C-130 FLIGHTS:  The first of two scheduled C-130 
relief flights for May 13 arrived at 1045 and departed at 
¶1158.  The second flight is scheduled to arrive at 1400. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  SITUATION ON THE GROUND:  GOB officials told the UN 
that assistance is urgently needed to help farmers in the 
delta plant their next rice crop in order to avoid a food 
shortage (Septel).  NGOs with a presence in the delta told us 
Pathein and Myaungmya were not badly damaged but continued to 
receive large numbers of internally displaced persons from 
the worst hit areas.  The UN and several well-established 
NGOs told us that authorities have not hampered their relief 
activities in areas of the delta in which they already had a 
presence or an existing Memorandum of Understanding.  We 
received no reports of widespread looting or public 
disturbances in or around Rangoon, although RSO noted a 
continued lack of nighttime police presence at several police 
substations in central Rangoon. 
 
EMBASSY OPERATIONS 
------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  STAFFING AND OPERATIONS:  Embassy Rangoon operated 
on its normal 0800-1630 schedule subject to a liberal leave 
policy. 
 
¶5. (SBU) CONSULAR:  Post distributed one OCS Trust account on 
May 12.  We continued to work on pending welfare and 
whereabouts cases. 
 
¶6. (SBU) AUTHORIZED DEPARTURE AND FLIGHTS:  Six EFMs from 
three families will depart today, May 13 at 1945 hrs on Thai 
Air flight 306.  There are no more EFMs who have requested to 
depart.  Post will review the authorized departure on May 15 
and inform the Department of its recommendations. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  FUEL AND POWER:  The Embassy operated on city power 
and had full diesel storage tanks.  We will request 
permission from the GOB to order more fuel.  Facilities is 
conducting inspections and maintenance on residential 
generators to ensure they continue to operate properly. 
 
¶8. (SBU)  WATER: The Embassy continued to have adequate water 
supplies and purification capacity on hand. 
 
¶9. (SBU)  SECURITY:  No criminal incidents involving American 
staff were reported.  RSO will issue a security notice 
instructing American staff to report all in-country movements 
outside of Rangoon city limits. 
 
C-130 FLIGHTS 
------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  Two C-130 flights were scheduled to arrive at 
Rangoon International Airport today.  The first landed at 
1045 and departed at 1158 after unloading its cargo of relief 
supplies.  The second is expected to arrive at 1400 and 
depart shortly thereafter.  The planes will carry water, 
blankets, mosquito netting, tarps, nylon rope, water buckets, 
and plastic sheeting. 
 
¶11. (SBU)  We have received verbal clearance for five more 
C-130 flights scheduled for May 14, and are awaiting written 
confirmation from the GOB. 
 
 
RANGOON 00000358  002 OF 002 
 
 
SITUATION ON THE GROUND 
----------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU)  CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE:  A local NGO with an 
established presence in the delta reported that the cities of 
Pathein and Myaungmya were not badly damaged but continued to 
receive large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) 
from the worst hit areas.  There are four IDP camps in 
Pathein, two run by the GOB and two by local Christian 
churches.  There are 27 camps in Myaungmaya, five of which 
are in monasteries or churches, and the remainder run by the 
government.  They expressed concern about the large number of 
orphans in Pathein, which they estimated at over 500, and 
were working to address this problem. 
 
¶13. (SBU)  RECOVERY AND RELIEF:  The UN told us they now have 
relief flights arriving in Rangoon every day, and that the 
GOB was clearing and releasing supplies immediately.  The GOB 
has granted the UN a blanket endorsement for all incoming UN 
flights provided they receive one day's advance notice by 
phone.  GOB officials told the UN that most relief supplies 
are now being distributed in the delta by boat rather than 
air. 
 
¶14.  (SBU)  The UN and several well-established local and 
international NGOs told us that authorities have not hampered 
their relief activities in areas of the delta in which they 
already had a presence or an existing Memorandum of 
Understanding.  Two NGOs with a presence in the delta 
reported they have had no trouble in procuring needed goods 
from local markets and transporting in goods they cannot get 
locally.  In one case, they pointed out that the Minister of 
Transport has been working to ensure that an NGOs shipment of 
water purification tablets would be off-loaded at the airport 
and sent directly to NGO in the delta.  As a result, they 
told us they have been able to deliver supplies of food, 
medicine, and clothing, and have deployed a medical team and 
search and rescue teams to these areas.  However, they noted 
that conducting relief operations in areas where they did not 
already have a presence before the storm has been more 
difficult.  Additionally, they were concerned that the 
deployment of numerous high-level GOB officials to the 
affected areas could complicate authorities' decision making, 
although they acknowledged this has not yet happened. 
 
¶15. (SBU) FUEL:  Fuel prices in Rangoon remained stable. 
 
¶16. (SBU) FOOD AND WATER:  Food in Rangoon was still 
expensive, especially meat and rice.  Shortages in the delta 
continued. 
 
¶17. (SBU)  ELECTRICITY:  Power was restored to more 
neighborhoods in Rangoon, but much of the city, and most of 
the delta was without city power. 
 
¶18. (SBU)  LAW AND ORDER:  We received no reports of 
widespread looting or public disturbances in or around 
Rangoon.  RSO noted there continued to be a lack of nighttime 
police presence at several police substations in central 
Rangoon.  RSO met with his police liaison on May 12.  The 
official asserted crime remained low, but did not provide any 
substantive information on police staffing, specific 
statistics or potential security threats. 
 
¶19. (SBU)  VISAS:  GOB officials told the UN that all UN 
visas would be granted without specifying when, but said 
visas for NGO relief workers would be decided on a case by 
case basis. 
VILLAROSA