Let Them Eat Protein-Rich Fish From the Rivers
Four weeks after Cyclone Nargis smacked the coast of Burma, the nation’s leaders revealed why they’ve been so reluctant to allow foreign aid into the country: It seems that the estimated 2.4 million who were left homeless, hungry or wallowing in filth and disease simply don’t need the help. From the Associated Press:
“„Commentary in the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said that while the country welcomed international aid, "Myanmar people are self-reliant and can stand on their own without foreign assistance."
“„The state-run newspaper said that people in the delta could survive on "fresh vegetables that grow wild in the fields and on protein-rich fish from the rivers" if they could not get "bars of chocolate donated by the international community."
They might be true, except that the coastal rivers have been transformed into salt-marshes, and some have been polluted with decaying bodies. (Here’s proof from a friend living on the Thai-Burma border — not for the weak of heart).
