Victims need to stay, official says

Cyclone victims in Myanmar who leave relief camps may not receive the aid they need, making them even more vulnerable to disease and the elements, a U.N. official said after reports of forced evictions by the government.

Anupama Rao Singh, regional director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, who recently visited affected areas, warned Saturday against premature resettlement, even if it’s voluntary. She did not confirm that evictions had taken place.

“Many of the villages remain inundated with water, making it difficult to rebuild,” she said. “There is also a real risk that once they are resettled, they will be invisible to aid workers. Without support and continued service to those affected, there is a risk of a second wave of disease and devastation.”

Human rights groups have lambasted Myanmar’s military rulers, accusing them of kicking cyclone survivors out of shelters and leaving them near their destroyed villages with virtually no supplies.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced people also have been expelled from schools, monasteries and public buildings, Human Rights Watch said in a statement Saturday.

Another group, Refugees International, said authorities appeared to be trying to get villagers back to their land to begin tending their fields and reviving agriculture.

Aid groups said the government was continuing to hinder foreign assistance for cyclone victims, despite a promise to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that it would ease travel restrictions.

An estimated 2.4 million people remain homeless and hungry because of the May 2-3 cyclone, which left at least 134,000 people dead or missing.