Myra, a very good friend of both mine and my husband’s is carpooling with us this week since she and my husband are attending a review class at the hospital they’re working at.  She’s Filipina and married to Mhin, who’s Burmese and also works with them.   (So it’s really a no-brainer why my husband has a constant ration of good Burmese food whenever they get to eat together during their breaks.)

So Myra was telling us this morning that her mother-in-law, who lives with them, has been calling relatives in Burma (now known as Myanmar) since Sunday but has not heard from any of them.   For those a little out of touch, a tropical cyclone (Nargis) has hit Myanmar last Friday and thousands upon thousands have died and are missing.  The latest count has it at 22,000 people dead with 41,000 still missing.  This makes the storm the deadliest natural disaster in Southeast Asia since the 2004 tsunami.   Rangoon, the country’s capital, was badly struck but the southern parts were hit the hardest.  

It’s really heartbreaking that Grandma, and even Grandpa, couldn’t get to their relatives.  I don’t know what I would do if something like that happened to the Philippines and I have no way to know how my family back home are doing.   I can just imagine the thoughts racing through their minds, imagining the worst of scenarios but praying that it won’t happen.  Planning out 10,001 things just in case something bad does occur.

A part of our conversation about Myanmar was that despite the tragedy, Myanmar refuses to accept any aid from the US.  We’re thinking, could it be a form of pride since the US has imposed a trade and investment ban on them because of the numerous human rights violations in record that they’ve committed?  Or is the Burmese government afraid of whatever “strings” are attached if they accept US’ aid?  (As of 3 hours ago, Myanmar will now welcome aid supplies and UN volunteer workers to assist them.  The news wasn’t clear if the aid includes those coming from the US.)

I remember Myra and Mhin telling us stories about Mhin’s family back in Burma.  Like,  families in Burma do not have similar last names.  They do this because if one gets caught by the military junta for any reasion, the soldiers will have a hard time tracing the other members of the captive’s family.  So Mhin, his mom, dad, brother all have different last names.  It will only be in the US, where they’ve seek refuge, that they would be able now to have a recorded lineage.  And even here, they’re still very careful. 

When Mhin’s parents want to visit their relatives back home, they don’t go straight to Burma.  Instead they go to Thailand and meet up with their relatives there.  It has been said that the military are charging Burmese ex-patriots “cash payments” of about $200US per month of absence when they return to Burma with a threat of house arrest if they couldn’t pay.   The government also controls their media, not to mention practices very strict censorship.  Even their internet access is controlled. 

In the aftermath of the cyclone tragedy, NASA satellite images are showing that the entire coastal plain of Burma is now under water.  I guess if the roads are non-existent and the phone lines are down, there really is no way for Grandma and Grandpa to contact their relatives back home.  And if Burma is like the Philippines, it might take days before electricity and the phones would be back in service.  Prices of commodities have also gone up and even clean water is barely existent. 

I really hope that Grandma and Grandpa would be able to contact their relatives soon enough, at least, for their sake and their peace of mind.  And I’m also praying that their relatives are safe and that not much harm has been done to them.

(Photo from the BBC News)