WFP closes Bangkok relief air bridge for Burma

by Zarni

Saturday, 23 August 2008 21:08

Chiang Mai - With the last of aid flight flying into Burma on Friday, the United Nations World Food Programme said, it is closing Thailand's Don Mueang airbase as an air bridge for aid supplies into the Cyclone-hit nation. "We will no longer need to base in Bangkok as most of the supplies can be brought in by air cargo plane directly to Yangon [Rangoon] or it can come by ships to the port of Yangon [Rangoon]," Paul Risley, WFP's spokesperson in Bangkok, told Mizzima on telephone. Don Mueang Airport has been used as a logistic hub to speed up the transfer of humanitarian assistants to the victims in time since cyclone Nargis hit Burma in early May. According to WFP's reports, nearly four million kilograms of cargo were delivered through the Don Mueang air hub to Burma, including shelter material, medical supplies, mosquito nets and water purification equipment. Risley added that WFP has delivered almost 28,000 tons of relief supplies to more than 700,000 people in the cyclone hit areas. WFP also withdraw its eight helicopters out of ten. "Two are enough for carrying the relief materials to the delta region. On the other hand, we will use trucks and boats to move them," Risley. But a Christian pastor, who has been involved in distributing relief aid to victims, said, more than three months after the cyclone hit, victims are still struggling to recover and food remains the most important needs for them. "There are many more villages that need support, though, most have received initial support, the amount for them is too little to sustain them," the pastor, who visited Bogale and Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy delta said. He added that with many domestic donors and volunteers stopping their activities, victims are left much to themselves to recover. "But there are still a few more international agencies operating in the region," he said. "But I think that is not enough," the pastor added. < Prev   Next >