New Delhi – With the Burmese military junta finally relenting, albeit without an announcement, an international aid agency said for the first time it has sent its expatriate aid workers into Burma's cyclone devastated area in the Irrawaddy delta.
Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF or Doctors without Border) on Wednesday told Mizzima that the Burmese regime had allowed four of its international staff members to go into the Irrawaddy delta.
"Four of our staff members left for Irrawaddy division," Frank Smithuis, MSF director in Burma told Mizzima.
While not giving details as to where the MSF international staff are heading, Smithuis said the MSF will send four more of its people in the coming days.
The MSF's international aid workers are the first group of people who have been legally allowed to enter the Irrawaddy delta, which has been the hardest hit by the killer cyclone on May 2 and 3, The government of Burma has restricted all foreigners from entering the Irrawaddy delta since the cyclone lashed the country.
With the restriction yet to be lifted officially, the MSF is the only group so far, which is known to have been officially approved by the government to enter the Irrawaddy region.
Burmese aid workers, who after checking of documents are allowed into the Irrawaddy delta, said the government had set up several check points along the road from Rangoon to Irrawaddy division.
"They [the security] would immediately look for foreigners on vehicles, and later ask for documents from the Burmese nationals," an aid worker in Rangoon told Mizzima.
Besides, foreign tourists, who are mainly confined to Rangoon, said the authorities seem to be monitoring their movement to prevent them from crossing over to the delta region.
A foreign tourist in Rangoon said he felt that he was under observation by the hotel managers.
"The manager is keeping track of where I go during the day and he asks questions whenever I plan to go out," the tourist said.
Though the MSF was able to send in a few of its international staff members to the delta region, Smithuis expressed concern that the aid workers might be confined to a particular town or village restricting free movement in the delta region.
"Another four will leave today or tomorrow but we have to see how freely they can move," Smithuis said.
