Anger as Burma seizes UN food aid

International aid workers are fuming after Burma's junta impounded two United Nations food aid shipments at Rangoon airport.

The move triggered more outrage at the military government's refusal to accept a major international relief operation.

An angry Tony Banbury, a World Food Programme regional director, said: "We're going to have to shut down our very small airlift operation until we get guarantees from the authorities.

"It should be on trucks headed to the victims. You've seen the conditions they are in. That food is now sitting on a tarmac doing no good."

The two shipments, 38 tonnes of high-energy biscuits, were enough to feed 95,000 people - a tiny fraction of the estimated 1.5 million destitute survivors of Cyclone Nargis, which ripped into the country six days ago. More than 100,000 may have died.

Despite the desperate needs of the survivors, the generals are adamant that only they will distribute the emergency aid that is going in.

In a statement the military leadership said: "Currently Myanmar (Burma) has prioritised receiving emergency relief provisions and making strenuous effort delivering with it with its own labour to the affected areas."

It said it was grateful to the international community for its assistance, which has included 11 chartered planes loaded with aid supplies, but stressed the best way to help was to send material rather than personnel.

At least one relief flight has been turned away because a search and rescue team and media who had not received permission to enter the country were on board.

Other aid agencies have complained that staff visa applications have not been granted by the Burmese authorities.

Monks and government workers have been seen clearing the streets of trees and other debris in Rangoon.

Young monks were sawing down fallen trees while large numbers of government workers wearing bright orange jackets piled leaves and branches into trucks.

Cyclone Nargis is the worst to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people were killed in Bangladesh.

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