Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cyclone Nargis
In the aftermath of the 2007 demonstrations, Than Shwe finalised the long-delayed new
constitution, which had been under discussion since 1993, and announced a national ref-
erendum for it on 10 May 2008. But on 2 May Cyclone Nargis - the second-deadliest
cyclone in recorded history - tore across the Ayeyarwady Delta.
Cyclone Nargis' 121mph winds, and the tidal surge that followed, swept away
bamboo-hut villages, leaving more than two million survivors without shelter, food or
drinking water. Damages were estimated at $2.4 billion. Yangon avoided the worst, but
the winds (at 80mph) still overturned power lines and trees, leaving the city without
power for two weeks.
The government was widely condemned for its tepid response to the disaster. Outside
aid groups were held up by a lack of visas and the Myanmar military's refusal to allow
foreign planes to deliver aid. Locals stepped into the breach, heroically organising their
own relief teams. In the meantime, the government kept the referendum more or less on
schedule, outraging many locals and outside observers.
Everything is Broken
by Emma Larkin is an eye-opening account of the regime's re-
sponse to the worst natural disaster to befall Myanmar in modern history.
Constitutional Referendum
Even before the cyclone, activist groups and NLD members had urged the public to vote
'no' at the referendum to change the constitution. They feared that it would enshrine the
power of the generals. Others worried that not voting would only deepen the military
hold on the government and leave no wiggle room for other political parties to contrib-
ute.
Voting took place in two rounds during May 2008, while a reported 2.5 million people
still required food, shelter and medical assistance. The military announced that 98.12%
of those eligible had voted and that 92.48% had approved the new constitution - even
though very few would have even seen the document in advance of the referendum.
With Than Shwe's 'roadmap towards discipline-flourishing democracy' in place, and
yet another reason found to keep his nemesis, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest
(beyond her scheduled release in 2009), Myanmar's first general election in 20 years
went ahead in November 2010.
