MERCY COALITION – MYANMAR NAGRIS UPDATE

The United Nations warned Wednesday that another cyclone could be forming over Myanmar, where up to two million people are still awaiting food and water after Cyclone Nargis.

Amanda Pitt, spokeswoman for the UN's disaster response arm, said that a US Defence Department monitoring centre -- the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) -- was reporting the possibility of another heavy storm over the country.

The pig headed generals of the burma’s military junta are still stonewalling foreign aid workers from entry into the country. With around 62,000 dead or missing and reports from agencies on the ground indicate the number could rise above 200,000, these generals are still not budging.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, said a coalition of mercy from the ASEAN rapid assessment team, will be sent to assist the victims. The junta under pressure from ASEAN has in principle agreed to issue the visa .

The Government of Burma, which is an ASEAN member, has come under fire across the globe for refusing to allow foreign aid experts into the country to distribute badly needed relief supplies following the devastating May 2-3 storm.

Even ASEAN teams have not been welcomed.

Despite condemnation, Myanmar's military government tightened access to the cyclone disaster zone Wednesday, turning back foreigners and rejecting new pleas from Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

After a brief visit to Myanmar for talks with Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Samak said the military government had again ruled out allowing in foreign experts.

"They insisted they can take care of their people and their country. They can manage by themselves," he said.

Foreign reporters said they were turned back at roadblocks on the way to the delta Wednesday, and even citizens had to prove they were visiting friends or relatives.

Reporters who have made it to the delta relate scenes of almost unimaginable misery and despair.

Meanwhile the UN chief Ban Ki Moon is considering sending under-secretary-general of OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Mr. John Holmes with the World Food Program airplane with humanitarian assistance in very near days.