US naval forces consider abandoning Myanmar relief efforts
The commander of US naval operations in the Pacific Ocean, Admiral Tim Keating, said on 28 May that US Navy (USN) ships off the coast of Myanmar waiting to deliver aid to cyclone victims might soon depart.
Adm Keating stated during a Department of Defense press briefing that if the Myanmar government refuses to give the USN permission to deliver food, shelter and medical treatment to victims of the 2 May cyclone, the four ships currently on standby will have to abandon their relief efforts.
While the admiral did not offer a specific timeframe for moving the ships out of the area, he stated that he is receiving assessments from non-government organisations, such as the UN, which have entered Myanmar.
"It's a series of calculations that will lead to a recommendation that I have not yet given to the Secretary of Defense, but I will very soon," Adm Keating said.
Image: USS Essex is lead ship of four US vessels currently on standby off the coast of Myanmar (US Navy)
Myanmar (Burma)
US naval forces consider abandoning Myanmar relief efforts
The commander of US naval operations in the Pacific Ocean, Admiral Tim Keating, said on 28 May that US Navy (USN) ships off the coast of Myanmar waiting to deliver aid to cyclone victims might soon depart.
Adm Keating stated during a Department of Defense press briefing that if the Myanmar government refuses to give the USN permission to deliver food, shelter and medical treatment to victims of the 2 May cyclone, the four ships currently on standby will have to abandon their relief efforts.
While the admiral did not offer a specific timeframe for moving the ships out of the area, he stated that he is receiving assessments from non-government organisations, such as the UN, which have entered Myanmar.
"It's a series of calculations that will lead to a recommendation that I have not yet given to the Secretary of Defense, but I will very soon," Adm Keating said.
Image: USS Essex is lead ship of four US vessels currently on standby off the coast of Myanmar (US Navy)
