The United Nations today called for a high-level donors' conference on Burma as Western powers kept pressure on the military junta to allow a massive aid effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis.
Nearly two weeks after the storm in the heavily populated Irrawaddy delta rice bowl, which left up to 128,000 people dead, there has been only a trickle of food, medicine and temporary shelter to devastated communities.
Relief workers are struggled to help an estimated 2.5 million people left destitute by the cyclone. Monasteries and schools are sheltering the homeless, and refugees are clamouring to get into the privately run centres rather than government-run camps.
The United Nations has said over half a million people may now be sheltering in temporary settlements, and the body has increased its estimate of the number of people in urgent need of aid to 2.5 million.
The European Union's top aid official has warned that the military government's restrictions on foreign aid workers and equipment were increasing the risk of starvation and disease in Burma.
Louis Michel is in Rangoon for talks with the junta a day after Thailand's prime minister was told Burma could deal with the problem by itself.
"We want to convince the authorities of our good faith. We are there for humanitarian reasons," Mr Michel said. He dismissed suggestions from some countries that they should bring in aid without waiting for the authorities' permission.
Separately the junta announced an overwhelmingly favourable vote for an army-backed constitution in a referendum held after the cyclone despite calls for a delay in light of the disaster.
The junta went ahead with the poll on May 10th in areas not seriously affected by the cyclone, and it said today more than 92 per cent of the ballots cast were in favour of the charter.
The military sees the constitution as a key step in its seven-stage road map to democracy, but critics say it will only entrench army rule.