国际救援者仍很难前往风灾严重区

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International relief agencies say Burma's military government has been granting visas to a larger number of foreign relief workers this week. But the agencies complain that once in Burma, the authorities are preventing many from traveling to the Irawaddy Delta areas hit by Cyclone Nargis, which left nearly 134,000 people dead or missing.

国际救援机构说，缅甸军政府这个星期向更多的国际救援人员签发入境签证。但是救援机构抱怨说，进入缅甸后，当局仍然不准他们前往遭受纳尔吉斯风灾严重的伊洛瓦底江三角洲地区。这场风灾导致13万4000人死亡或失踪。

U.N. officials say in the past week since General Than Shwe told visiting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon he would allow foreign aid workers in the country regardless of nationality, the Burmese authorities have been issuing visas. But the officials say few of those relief workers are being permitted to go into the Irawaddy Delta, where the storm leveled entire villages and where an estimated 2.4 million people are in dire need of adequate water, food and medical attention.

联合国官员说，自从缅甸领导人丹瑞将军上星期向到访的联合国秘书长潘基文表示将允许任何国籍的外国救援人员入境以来，缅甸当局一直在签发入境签证。但是，联合国官员说，没有几个入境的救援人员被允许前往伊洛瓦底江三角洲地区。风暴把该地区的村庄全部夷为平地，估计有240万当地居民急需适当的饮用水、食物和医疗。

Among those who have not received visas are members of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Disaster Assistance Response Team, who have been waiting in Bangkok for weeks.

尚未得到入境签证的包括美国国际开发署的救灾应急队成员，他们已在曼谷等候了几个星期。

U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Eric John said the United States is not giving up its efforts to provide aid and expertise when Burma allows it.

美国驻泰国大使埃里克.约翰说，美国不放弃努力，仍然会在得到缅甸许可后提供援助及专业力量。

"So far no word that they can, but also so far no word that they cannot," he said. "That is why we are still pushing ahead, pushing on this with the Burmese and we still think that it is valuable to get them in."

约翰说：“到目前为止还没有得到可以这样做的音讯，但是也没有不能进入缅甸的说法。所以，我们仍在努力与缅甸打交道。我们仍然认为让这些救援人员进入缅甸是很有价值的事情。”

Also standing by are U.S. Navy ships loaded with purified water and other supplies off the Burmese coast in the Andaman Sea. Washington says it intends to keep the ships in place, but the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific Admiral Timothy Keating said this week that would likely be only for matter of days, not weeks.

载有净水等物资的美国海军军舰仍然在缅甸海岸外的安达曼海上候命。华盛顿方面表示打算让这些军舰留在那里等候，但是，美军太平洋舰队司令基廷上将这个星期说，这批军舰可能只能再守候几天，而不是几个星期。

U.S. officials say that while Burma has been allowing more aid to flow in than in weeks past, there is no indication of a change in the Burmese generals' policy of not allowing a larger-scale delivery of aid.

美国官员说，虽然与几星期前相比，缅甸已经允许更多的救援物资进入缅甸，但是没有迹象显示缅甸军人统治者会改变不准大批运送救援物资的方针。

The United States has pledged $23 million for relief efforts and sent in more than 70 relief flights to the main city, Rangoon.

美国已经承诺为救援工作提供2千300万美元，并且向主要城市仰光派出70多架次运送救援物资的飞机。

More than relief supplies, Burma's generals have suggested they need money and have requested $11 billion for reconstruction.

缅甸军政权表示，除了救援物资，他们更需要资金，并要求得到110亿美元的重建经费。

A state-run newspaper in the country criticized the international community for not giving enough toward that effort. The newspaper blasted donor nations for falling short of the $201 million target set by the United Nations in a flash appeal this week.

缅甸一家官方报纸批评国际社会没为缅甸的重建工作提供足够的资金。这份报纸谴责捐赠国没有达到联合国这个星期在紧急呼吁中定下的向缅甸提供两亿零100万美元的目标。