Japanese medical team hand over cyclone clinic in Myanmar

Jun 8, 2008, 10:29 GMT

Yangon - A Japanese medical team handed over a clinic and equipment to the Myanmar government Sunday after spending nine days treating more than 1,300 patients in Labutta, a town in the Irrawaddy delta that was hard-hit by Cyclone Nargis.

The 23-member Japan Medical Team (JMT) opened a temporary clinic on May 31 in '3 Mile Camp,' on the outskirts of Labutta Township, where there are at least four temporary camps sheltering up to 12,000 cyclone victims.

The Japanese medical team, led by Doctor Kaname Kanai, treated 1,310 patients while in '3 Mile Camp,' or close to 170 persons per day, a diplomatic source said.

'Much more work is needed, especially for children,' said a source who had contacted the team, who plan to return to Yangon Monday after handing the clinic and medical equipment over to the government in a ceremony Sunday.

The 23-person team were granted short-term visas that expire on Monday, and were restricted to working in '3 Mile Camp.'

Japan was one of several Asian nations granted permission to send medical teams to Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, where Cyclone Nargis hit on May 2-3, leaving behind the worst natural catastrophe suffered by Myanmar in recent history.

According to government estimates the cyclone left at least 133,000 dead or missing. United Nations agencies the storm has created a humanitarian crisis for some 2.4 survivors, who were is desperate need of food, water, shelter and medicines.

In the first weeks following Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar's junta was widely criticized by the international community for limiting the number of foreign experts allowed in to the country, especially the Irrawaddy delta region.

Visa and travel restrictions have been eased following a an aid pledging conference on May 25 in Yangon, but access remains a problem.

Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962, earning itself pariah status among Western democracies for its abysmal human rights record, refusal to implement democratic reforms and to free political opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May, 2003.

The country followed a policy of xenophobic isolationism until 1988, when mass pro-democracy protests forced the government to drop its failed socialist experiment.

The 1988 demonstrations, however, failed to topple the military from power, ending instead with a brutal crack down that left up to 3,000 people dead.