Four of Thilawa port’s five berths for oceangoing container vessels were empty, but a crane was loading large white sacks into the hold of a freighter. The sacks were filled with rice destined for Bangladesh, according to the drivers of at least 10 transport trucks waiting to deliver several tons more rice to the docks.

The junta has a monopoly on rice exports and said this week that it plans to meet commitments to sell rice, which has reached record high prices on the world market, to countries including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka even though Myanmar’s main rice producing region suffered the worst cyclone damage. The cyclone caused massive destruction in the Irrawaddy River delta, where farmers are now desperate for food.

Yet as rice was loaded onto a freighter for export at Thilawa port, cyclone survivors in nearby villages said authorities had handed out rations of rotting rice, apparently from ruined stocks in the port’s massive warehouse. The storm soaked approximately 40 percent of the stored rice supplies worth millions of dollars, according to the chief driver, who did not want to be named to avoid problems with government officials.

Cyclone Nargis packed winds of 120 to 150 mph, snapping large trees and concrete fence posts, and bending steel electricity poles at a 45-degree angle. About 23,000 people died, according to officials, with tens of thousands still missing. One survivor described the sound of the storm as otherworldly, a hitch-pitched howl mixed with a blood-curdling screech.

The wind pummeled Thilawa port so hard that it toppled one of at least three multi-ton gantry container cranes. The 10-story behemoth lay crippled on its side Friday.

Before the storm, countries including India, Vietnam, China and Cambodia, curbed rice exports this year to ensure adequate supplies for their own people amid a mounting world food crisis.

Kyaw Win, 31, head of the village of Thamalone, swore at the mention of the junta. And as he stood among broken wood planks, weaved bamboo and thatch that were his neighbors’ homes, he began to cry.

The village is only 15 miles from Myanmar’s commercial center, Yangon. It’s easy to reach by road, and close to the country’s best seaport. But the only relief aid came from a private charity, the Free Funeral Service Association.

Headed by movie star and opposition supporter Kyaw Thu, the association normally provides coffins so the poor can get a proper burial. But the weekend storm, the charity’s pickup trucks and volunteer workers have been one of the main lifelines in the disaster zone.

They delivered two kilos, or 4.4 pounds, of rice to many families Wednesday. They promised to return in a few days with more. The villagers say they saw cartons of instant noodles unloaded at a government office, and claim officials kept them for themselves.

The only help the villagers received from the government was half a pound of rotting rice, they said, and the absurdity made them laugh.

Local residents said they were used to the military, which has ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1962. The ruling generals are notorious for lining their pockets by selling gems and timber through state-controlled companies while ordinary people struggle to survive in one of Asia’s poorest countries.

Subscribe to The China Post and save.  Click hereSharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 800 characters max

Receive China Post promos

Respond to this email