US embassy cable - 05RANGOON31

UNCLAS RANGOON 000031 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, CA TASK FORCE, OPS CENTER 
BANGKOK FOR USAID, FAS 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR, CASC, PREL, PINR, PGOV, AMGT, KFLO, BM 
SUBJECT: TFXO01: (1/6) UN BRIEFS DIPLOMATIC CORPS, ASKS FOR 
USG HELP 
 
REF: RANGOON 22 AND PREVIOUS 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: The UN briefed diplomats on January 6th on 
the results of recently completed assessment missions to 
affected parts of Burma.  These surveys were conducted 
without any GOB interference and did not discover any areas 
of massive damage or death -- though the teams have not yet 
visited all areas hit by the tsunamis.  The UN estimates "at 
most" 15,000 people were "impacted" in one way or another. 
UN agencies are providing emergency and medium-term 
assistance and have asked for USG assistance in providing 
satellite imagery of the Burmese coastal regions.   End 
summary. 
 
UN Tries to Set Record Straight 
 
2. (U) The UN Country Team (UNCT) in Burma and the 
International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) held a 
briefing for diplomats on January 6th to try and further 
dispel rumors of mass devastation and death in the country 
due to the December 26th earthquakes and tsunamis.  Teams 
from the Red Cross, various international NGOs, the World 
Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and ICRC have had unfettered 
access to the impacted regions of Burma -- though they have 
not yet visited all potentially affected villages and 
islands. 
 
3. (SBU) The GOB has not made any official request for aid, 
but is "willing to accept international assistance."  In 
response to this, the PRC government on January 5th donated 
$200,000 directly to the GOB.  UN officials have asked us for 
our assistance in providing satellite imagery of unvisited 
areas to help in their assessments and for planning future 
missions (septel).  Aside from this request, the UNCT has not 
made any appeal to us or other bilateral donors specifically 
for Burma relief.  The UN is folding Burma into the regional 
appeal launched on the 6th in Jakarta.  UN sources told us 
that once further assessments are complete, the UN and IFRC 
may make specific appeals for Burma.  However they would 
probably broaden the requests to include money for general 
development work in areas not directly affected by the 
earthquakes and tsunamis. 
 
Tally is Stable, Though Some Uncertainty Remains 
 
4. (SBU) The IFRC, which is coordinating the international 
community's response in Burma, released on January 5th a 
revised matrix of the extent of the damage in Burma based on 
the various field missions.  This update revised downward the 
number of homeless to 5,272 from 6,250 on December 30th as 
some people have rebuilt their homes or moved in with family 
members.  The WFP, the lead UN agency for the tsunami 
response, estimates at most 15,000 people "impacted" in one 
way or another by the tsunamis. 
 
5. (SBU) The IFRC's estimates of dead, injured, and missing 
remain, for now, 86, 45, and 10 respectively.  However, the 
IFRC passed on unverified reports from Tanintharyi Division 
in southeastern Burma that 25 additional fishermen may have 
been killed and 200 houses destroyed on a yet unvisited 
island northwest of Kawthaung.  It is possible the number of 
missing may also be higher since it is unclear exactly how 
many fishing boats were in coastal Burmese waters at the time 
of the tsunamis. 
 
Americans are OK 
 
6. (U) Embassy Rangoon's Consular Section continues to work 
through remaining welfare/whereabouts inquiries. 
There have still been no reports of American Citizen 
casualties or verified cases of missing Americans.  Travel to 
touristed beach areas on the Bay of Bengal west and northwest 
of Rangoon was not disrupted by the tsunamis.  Local travel 
agents offering package trips to the islands of Tanintharyi 
Division have said they are operating as normal. 
McMullen