Cyclone survivors say life only gets harder

Hardships become harder with junta
Inside the temple, volunteers called out names as they distributed bundles of donated clothing to families sleeping on rattan mats under plastic sheets strung from the leaky roof. Behind them, a large Buddha statue was draped with a tarpaulin to protect it from the rain.

"We have received no help from the government," said Kawvida. "The survivors have been relying on food and other things provided by private donors."

But some volunteers, especially those affiliated with opposition political groups, have reported being harassed by police or having their vehicles impounded.

Daw Kyi Kyi said she was driving back to Yangon Sunday night after donating slippers, rice and other food to cyclone victims at a monastery in Dedaye, about 40 miles southwest of the city, when three policemen ordered her to drive to a military compound.

"We were told by authorities that we were detained because we created commotion along the route as we delivered relief goods to victims from cars," the 65-year-old woman said.

She was freed the next morning, but only after authorities took her driver's license and car registration and charged her with a traffic violation. She said she saw 40 other cars impounded in the compound.

"We didn't drop food on the road, and we didn't violate any traffic regulations," said another volunteer, Nyi Nyi Zaw. "I cannot understand why we were herded into a compound and held there for several hours. This is absurd and very unpleasant."

In some cases, worried volunteers have abandoned plans to deliver aid. "We collected 80 bags of rice for the cyclone victims in Kunchangone, but we aborted the plan after hearing news of cars being impounded," said a volunteer, Moe Moe.

That means survivors like 93-year-old Khin Mya, whose only shelter was a red flowered umbrella and a plastic bag, will go without.

"I get very worried every evening because I have to find a place to sleep — maybe under a tree, or if I can share a hut with someone," the bone-thin woman said. "I must come to the road to receive food from donors or else I will starve."

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