Cyclone Giri - Two Years On - Burma Action Ireland

Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
Were there incidents where aid resources were impounded with denied access for relief workers
Were any aid resources embezzled instead of distributed
What were the consequences of a three month halt to harvests 9 and other agricultural income
What were the reasons for the difficulties people faced when attempting to get sufficient food,
water and shelter, and level of government involvement in those causes
Why is there limited or no reporting on Giri, as compared with Nargis
Why was the failure to postpone the election, which was held 16 days after Giri struck, not a
breach of the law
Did the Military continue campaign canvassing in the affected areas during the emergency response
This report relies on an independent assessment of the disaster response and related to the survivors and
situation on the ground. Some interviews of the village leaders and local donors have been recorded in
both video and audio format so as to preserve the impact of their voices.
Arakan State: The Great Unknown
For the people in this forgotten corner of Burma, it is important, as amnesty International concluded, to
“refocus international attention on ensuring that the needs of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities are included
in any discussion of the country’s human rights situation.” 10
In comparison to most other states of Burma, Arakan State is generally unknown in the international
community. This report is an attempt to raise the international profile of the situation in Arakan State
before, during and after Cyclone Giri.
Limited Development Aid to Arakan
There have been very few voices raised in support of Giri victims which results in limited aid due to
under awareness of the situation. Similarly, it is generally unknown that Arakan is the state within
Burma that is most prone to natural disasters, while the nation as a whole ranks as the 10 th country in the
world most vulnerable to extreme weather-related events, according to the Climate Change Vulnerability
Index. 11 Compounding those facts is that while Arakan is the 2 nd least developed state in the Union, after
Chin State, with many of the worst development indicators of all the 14 states/regions 12 , there is a great
lack of development assistance directed towards Arakan State.
Figures for the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and INGOs working in Least Developed Countries
(LDC) indicate a large disparity between recipients on opposite ends of the aid spectrum. Afghanistan
receives the highest ODA per capita in Asia, at $186, while Burma is one of the lowest worldwide, at $7,
with the average being $47 per capita.
Of $350m spent between 2007-2009 INGO expenditure South Arakan State was the only place in
Burma to receive $0 per capita (see Table 1.1). The sudden increase in 2010 spending was also
present in the aftermath of Nargis in 2009 where per capita spending in Irrawaddy Delta jumped to
a little over $100, while in the remainder of Burma held at $2.50 per capita. 13
(Source: World Bank)
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