The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon needs to strongly urge the Burmese junta to allow more aid for the victims of Cyclone Nargis during his trip to Burma this week, said a Burmese ethnic leader.

Hundreds of thousands of Nargis Cyclone victims are in a heart rending and desperate situation and the UN and the international community should send more aid into the country as soon as possible, said Karen National Union leader David Thakabaw. 

Although the government will not allow more aid to come into the country, the UN and the international community should not take too much time and fall prey to the regime's dilatory tactics, he said.

Today, the junta has increased the deployment of soldiers on the main road in Rangoon given that Mr Ban Ki-moon will be visiting the country said an NGO worker.

Mr Ban is expected to arrive in Rangoon , Burma 's commercial hub tomorrow. His visit is aimed to boost aid for the victims of Nargis Cyclone and convince the generals to allow in aid workers and experts in disaster management. He will first go to the areas most affected by the cyclone and is scheduled to meet senior government officials.

"My aim in going to Myanmar is to first of all demonstrate my sympathy for the people and government at this time of crisis and challenge, and to see for myself the situation on the ground, particularly in areas most affected by the disaster, unprecedented in Myanmar's history," said the UN secretary general  in a press conference before he leaves for Burma.

According to a NGO worker, who returned from Irrawaddy division, aid has only reached the victims in townships but not those who are in villages. 

Most of the victims in the villages have only received some food for a short term from local donors but not from the government, he said. 

The UN has estimated about 2.4 million people have been affected by the cyclone on May 2 and 3 and the latest government figures state 77,738 people have died and 55,917 are missing.