AP
May 17, 2008
YANGON, Myanmar - The cyclone's official death toll has nearly doubled to almost 78,000 and another 56,000 people remain missing two weeks after the devastating storm, state television reported yesterday.
The United Nations, meanwhile, reported that severe restrictions by Myanmar's military junta have left aid agencies largely in the dark about the extent of the suffering of the storm's survivors.
John Holmes, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, is scheduled to visit Myanmar tomorrow in an attempt to convince junta leaders to grant more access to UN relief workers and massively scale up aid efforts, said Amanda Pitt, a UN spokeswoman in Bangkok, Thailand.
With international pressure mounting, the military regime has invited foreign diplomats to tour the hard-hit Irrawaddy delta today, providing their first opportunity to personally view the devastation.
