More than three weeks since Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar, the military junta has finally decided to open its door to a larger international relief effort and to allow in aid experts "of all nationalities." More than 130,000 people are believed dead or missing because of the cyclone — compared with the 80,000 dead or missing since the May 12 quake in China's Sichuan Province.
As many as 2.5 million Myanmar people are reported to have been affected by the cyclone. Survivors face homelessness, hunger and danger from infectious disease. The military junta must realize by now that their delayed decision has added to the death and suffering. The situation is so serious that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon flew into Myanmar last week.
Mr. Ban called on the government to let in foreign aid experts because the crisis caused by the cyclone exceeded Myanmar's capacity to deal with it, noting that only 25 percent of people in need of U.N. aid supplies had received them. Although this observation underscored the need for Myanmar to open its doors to all offers of help, the junta over the weekend was still rejecting deliveries of supplies from U.S., British and French military ships.