Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I wish to share time with Senator Bradford. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Burma following Cyclone Nargis and the inaction of the Burmese government in relieving the catastrophe. The authorities were busy trying to ensure their referendum was passed and they were uncompromising in this regard, stating there was a 99% turnout with a 92% acceptance rate. Under the terms of this so-called constitutional reform, 25% of seats in the parliament will be reserved for members of the military junta, which means, in future, constitutional reform can only proceed with their agreement. The junta is a disaster for the Burmese people who suffer terribly under this dictatorship every day. The latest visible symptom of this is the government's inaction following the cyclone.

The authorities are totally disinterested in helping their people and they are more interested in the control of information than the distribution of food. A BBC news report of Burmese state news coverage of the disaster prominently features members of the junta handing out aid while, according to Associated Press articles, they have renamed the aid to make it appear as if they provided it in the first instance. Burmese television has not carried footage of the disaster. Death tolls or the numbers displaced have not been mentioned. It was only after the Chinese declared a period of mourning for the lives lost in the earthquake there last week that the Burmese authorities declared the same for their country. On the basis of the limited access provided, approximately 130,000 people have died but that number is increasing daily.

Many others have been affected throughout the Irrawaddy delta. Up to 2 million people have been displaced and they have lost their homes while being subject to potential disease. The UN has four essential objectives in ensuring facilities are in place following a natural disaster: access to food, access to shelter, medical support against diseases and access to safe and clean drinking water. All are seriously lacking in the aftermath of this disaster owing to the major obstacle put in place by the military junta. Water supplies have been affected and people are crowding into monasteries to access water which is contaminated because of animal and human carcasses entering the water. Disease, fever, diarrhoea and malaria are spreading at a merciless rate and children are most at risk. Food supplies are at a worrying level. The UN said in the past 14 days the price of rice had increased by 50%, even though prices were very high, which was one of the reasons for riots last year.

A tiny proportion of the food aid that has been delivered has reached the affected people because the military authorities are hoarding the food. In recent days, the government announced it would permit aid from its Asian neighbours but that will not be sufficient. The doors of the regime must be thrown open completely to permit food in from the rest of the world. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have highlighted Burma as one of the worst human rights violators in the world. It does not have a functioning independent judiciary, Internet access is limited, children are engaged in forced labour and human trafficking is also common. The authorities control political dissent by imprisoning their opponents, and everyone will be aware of the case of Aung San Suu Kyi . The EU has put a significant trade embargo in place to ensure the regime is not supported, but this has not stopped a number of companies. One French company continues to trade with Burma but it is before the courts accused of breaking the embargo. As a member state, Ireland must ensure it does not deal with countries engaged in profitable activity in Burma.

We must do everything we can to ensure the Trojan work of the UN is supported. We need to provide all the help we can and we need to ensure we exert all the pressure we can. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I am glad the Minister for Foreign Affairs was present for the debate earlier. It is essential aid gets through as soon as possible.