• Burmese
Sunday, July 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Cyclone-Hit Residents of Myanmar’s Rakhine Hunt for Water as UN Asks Junta for Access

AFP by AFP
May 18, 2023
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Cyclone-Hit Residents of Myanmar’s Rakhine Hunt for Water as UN Asks Junta for Access

People wait for rice donated by the UN World Food Program at a monastery in Sittwe on May 17

2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SITTWE, Myanmar—Residents of Myanmar’s cyclone-ravaged Rakhine State capital queued for rice and drinking water on Wednesday as the United Nations negotiated with the internationally isolated junta for access to hard-hit areas.

Cyclone Mocha tore through Myanmar and Bangladesh on Sunday, bringing lashing rain and winds of 195 km per hour (120 mph) that collapsed buildings and turned streets into rivers.

The storm killed at least 81 people across Myanmar, according to statements given by local leaders and officials to AFP journalists and state media tallies.

RelatedPosts

Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

July 12, 2025
293
Anti-Coup Icon Explains Urgent Call for NUG Reform

Anti-Coup Icon Explains Urgent Call for NUG Reform

July 11, 2025
261
Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

July 7, 2025
9.9k

Residents in the Rakhine capital Sittwe queued for small tanks of drinking water after the cyclone stopped production at purification plants that supply potable water in the city of some 150,000 inhabitants.

“We stored some water but after two days there is none left in our home,” said Ko Htun, who was queueing under the noon sun for water being handed out by a civil society organization.

“Rich people can afford to buy water but poor people can’t,” he told AFP.

Aye Hla, another Sittwe resident, queued for rice being given out by the World Food Program at a monastery in the city.

“I haven’t eaten for four days,” the 47-year-old said.

“I don’t have bowls, plates or a home and I don’t even have clothes to change. I’m here to ask for rice as my family is starving.”

Hundreds of bags of rice had been airlifted to Sittwe and a naval vessel carrying rice, communication equipment and other aid was expected to arrive late Wednesday, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.

‘Hold on’

A “humanitarian catastrophe” was unfolding in Myanmar, the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator for the country said on Tuesday.

Negotiations with Myanmar’s military junta for access to cyclone-affected areas were “ongoing”, the UN’s humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, has said.

An OCHA spokesperson did not respond to questions on the discussions or whether access had been granted for UN teams to visit cyclone-affected areas, including camps housing displaced Rohingya.

“Offers from the international community for providing aid have been accepted,” state media said Tuesday.

“But, relief and rehabilitation tasks must be done through existing united strength,” said the Global New Light of Myanmar.

After Cyclone Nargis killed at least 138,000 people in Myanmar in 2008, the then-junta was accused of blocking emergency aid and initially refusing to grant access to humanitarian workers and supplies.

Rakhine State is home to around 600,000 Rohingya, who are regarded by many there as interlopers from Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and freedom of movement.

Camps housing displaced Rohingya around Sittwe were ravaged by the storm, with residents swept away and homes destroyed.

The leader of one camp outside Sittwe said on Wednesday they were still waiting for help from outside.

“No organization nor the government aid arrived to us yet because the bridges on the way to our camp are broken,” he told AFP.

The camp leader said authorities told them they were trying to reach the area and that they should boil any water they can get and drink that.

“We might be able to hold on for two days more,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: campsCyclone MochaFoodHumanitarian AidMilitary JuntaMyanmarNatural DisastersRakhineRefugeesregimeReliefRiceRohingyaSittweUNWater
AFP

AFP

News Agency

Similar Picks:

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s BGF: A Family-Run Criminal Enterprise With Friends Across Asia
Burma

Myanmar’s BGF: A Family-Run Criminal Enterprise With Friends Across Asia

by The Irrawaddy
May 22, 2024
37.6k

A new report by JFM spotlights the organized crime empire of junta-allied Karen warlord Saw Chit Thu and his family,...

Read moreDetails
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption
Burma

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
September 14, 2023
28.7k

The arrest of ‘kickback king’ Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, once seen as a possible successor to Min Aung Hlaing, comes...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians
Burma

Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians

by The Irrawaddy
December 5, 2023
24.4k

He trotted out the military’s old ‘three national causes’ rhetoric in a bid to persuade the public the junta is...

Read moreDetails
Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front
Analysis

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front

by Moe Sett Nyein Chan
January 23, 2024
22k

The military’s demoralized Western Command is feeling the heat as the Arakan Army closes in on towns in northern Rakhine,...

Read moreDetails
Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.3k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Hit Three Resistance Strongholds

Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Hit Three Resistance Strongholds

Global Indices Record Myanmar’s Rapid Decline Under Junta Rule

Global Indices Record Myanmar’s Rapid Decline Under Junta Rule

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

3 days ago
1.1k
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

4 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Kill 25 on Friday

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.