New Delhi – Burma's military government on Friday warned that it will investigate cases of stealing or hoarding aid supplies for cyclone victims and will punish those found guilty.
The warning, published in the state-run newspaper, comes after reports suggest that several government officials, who are assigned to handle aid supplies, have hoarded the supplies and re-sold them in markets in Rangoon.
The New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Friday called on civilians to inform the authorities if anyone "witnesses or knows that the cash assistance and relief supplies donated to the storm victims are kept for self-interest, traded, used for particular persons and organizations, or misappropriated for other purposes."
"We hereby announce that we have made all necessary arrangements to conduct an investigation into the cases to expose the offenders and take punitive action against them in accordance with the law," the announcement said.
A shop owner in Rangoon division's Kun Chan Kone township, which was severely devastated by the cyclone, said a soldier who brought in aid supplies asked him if he wanted to buy zinc roofs to resell.
"I denied him, because I do not want to put up any aid supplies meant for refugees," the shop owner, who came to Rangoon with an aid worker, told Mizzima.
The shop owner, however, was not able to identify the soldier.
The aid worker, who had just returned from Kun Chan Kone Township, said he had not witnessed any reselling of aid supplies in the markets. But he said he heard from others that aid supplies, including high-energy biscuits, tarpaulin, zinc roofs, and tissue boxes, are for sale.
A Mizzima correspondent in Rangoon said he spotted boxes of tissues with the Red Cross label at the Mingalar Market in Rangoon. Photos were posted on the Mizzima website.
However, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said they have not received any reports of such cases and that they would react 'strongly' if aid supplies were resold.
John Sparrow, spokesman for the IFRC in Bangkok said, "Our aid supplies reach the Myanmar Red Cross society, who directly takes them to the Cyclone affected areas."
"We have not received any reports of re-selling our aid supplies," Sparrow added.
