Myanmar junta says aid running smoothly

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government said onThursday its cyclone relief effort was moving along swiftlyeven as foreign powers warned of starvation and disease amongup to 2.5 million people left destitute by the storm.

The European Union's top aid official met governmentministers in Yangon and urged them to allow in foreign aidworkers and essential equipment to prevent more deaths. But histrip did not yield any breakthroughs.

"You know, relations between Myanmar and the internationalcommunity are difficult," Louis Michel told Reuters. "But thatis not my problem."

"The time is not for political discussion. It's time todeliver aid to save lives."

Earlier, the reclusive generals signalled they would notbudge.

"We have already finished our first phase of emergencyrelief. We are going onto the second phase, the rebuildingstage," state television quoted Prime Minister Thein Sein astelling his Thai counterpart this week.

Separately, the junta announced an overwhelming vote infavour of an army-backed constitution in a referendum heldafter the cyclone despite calls for a delay in the light of thedisaster.

Nearly two weeks after the storm tore through the heavilypopulated Irrawaddy delta rice bowl -- leaving up to 128,000people dead -- supplies of food, medicine and temporary shelterhave been sent in dribs and drabs to devastated communities.

In the delta town of Bogalay, where around 10,000 peopleare thought to have died, people complained of forced labourand low supplies of food at state-run refugee centres.

"They have to break stones at the construction sites. Theyare paid K1,000 (50 pence) per day but are not provided anyfood," said Ko Hla Min, who lost nine family members in thestorm.

Along the river in Bogalay rotting corpses remain tangledin the scrub. Villagers fish, wash and bathe in the same river.

The United Nations has said more than half a million peoplemay now be sheltering in temporary settlements.

The United Nations has increased its estimate of the numberof people in urgent need of aid to 2.5 million, and called fora high-level donors' conference to deal with the crisis.

U.N. spokeswoman Michel Montas told reporters on Thursdaythat Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's deputy, U.N. humanitarianaffairs chief John Holmes, would go to Myanmar in the next fiveor six days, where he hoped to persuade the junta to grant U.N.workers more access to the delta region.

"Inconsistent access to the flooded delta region, damage toinfrastructure and communications, and heavy rainfall poseserious logistical challenges, so the level of assistance isstill falling far short of what is required," she said.

"Concern is deepening over the growing risk of outbreaks ofdisease, especially with people migrating outwards from theaffected area in search of basic necessities," Montas said.

Myanmar state television raised its official death toll onThursday to 43,328, while leaving the injured and missingfigures unchanged at 1,403 injured and 27,838 respectively.Independent experts say the figures are probably far higher.

POLITICAL PRESSURE

Despite calls to postpone its constitutional referendumafter the disaster, the junta went ahead on May 10 in areas notseriously affected by the cyclone.

It said on Thursday more than 92 percent of the ballotscast were in favour of the charter.

The military sees the constitution as a key step in itsdemocracy roadmap, but critics say it will only entrench theirrule because it gives the military an automatic 25 percent ofseats in parliament and control of key ministries.

"This referendum was full of cheating and fraud across thecountry," said Nyan Win, a spokesman for the oppositionNational League for Democracy.

A vote in the cyclone-hit areas is set for May 24.

The junta has consistently resisted outside calls forfaster and more transparent moves to democracy, and since thecyclone has rebuffed calls for a full-blown international aideffort.

TIN ROOFS

The United States and other countries continued to fly aidinto Yangon on Thursday despite unconfirmed reports somesupplies were being diverted by the army.

The United States has completed 13 flights with water, foodand other supplies. The U.S. military plans more flights forFriday but has not received clearance from Myanmar yet.

"To the best of our ability, to date, we have not seen anyU.S. assistance that has been diverted," Pentagon spokesmanBryan Whitman said.

France and Britain said they were sending emergencysupplies to Myanmar to help victims of Cyclone Nargis.

In Bogalay relief materials were being held in storagewaiting for distribution and government officials soldtin-sheets for roofs at K4,900 apiece, far above the budget ofmost.

Po Aung, who survived the tidal wave that tore through hisvillage by clinging onto a tree, just wants to go home.

"Those dead are gone. But, we the remaining want to returnto our own place," said the 57-year old, one of 80 survivorsfrom a village of over 500. "We are very sad and disappointedtoo. We just don't know what to do."

(Additional reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan and DarrenSchuettler in Bangkok; Writing by Carmel Crimmins and JerryNorton; Editing by Charles Dick)