The United Nations' efforts to increase assistance in cyclone-battered areas of Burma are to be stepped up with arrival of the U.N. humanitarian affairs chief, in Rangoon. Burma's military has put the official death toll at 78,000 people with another 56,000 missing. South East Asian foreign ministers meet Monday in Singapore Monday to discuss regional cooperation in responding to the disaster.
随着联合国人道事务负责人约翰.霍姆斯抵达仰光，联合国将进一步向受热带风暴破坏的缅甸增加援助。缅甸军方公布的死亡数字为7万8千人，还有5万6千人失踪。东南亚国家的外长们星期一在新加坡举行会晤，就这场灾难的地区合作问题进行讨论。
The arrival of the United Nation's humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes, Sunday, in Burma, marks further international efforts to pressure the military government to open the country to increased international assistance.
联合国人道事务负责人霍姆斯星期天抵达缅甸，这标志着国际社会将向缅甸军政府进一步施加压力，要求缅甸接受更多的国际援助。
The death toll from cyclone Nargis, that hit the country more than two weeks ago, has soared in recent days.
纳尔吉斯号强热带风暴两个多星期前袭击缅甸，死亡人数在最近几天里飞速上升。
Holmes has been sent to Burma by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to push the military to ease restrictions on foreign assistance personnel. Several naval vessels including those from the United States and Britain are in the Andaman Sea with emergency assistance on board.
联合国秘书长潘基文派遣霍姆斯到缅甸，向缅甸军政府施加压力，要他们减少对外国援助人员的限制。美国和英国等国家装载紧急救援物资的军舰停泊正在安达曼海上。
Restricting foreign assistance has led to strident calls by western governments to pressure the military to allow more foreign aid into the worst affected areas in the Irrawaddy Delta region.
缅甸军政府对外国援助的限制引起西方各国政府的强烈呼吁，他们向缅甸军政府施加压力，要缅甸军政府允许更多的外国援助进入受灾最严重的伊洛瓦底三角洲地区。
Amanda Pitt, a spokeswoman for the United Nations relief efforts, told reporters earlier, Holmes' talks with aid organizations and Burma's military government are aimed at spurring aid to the hardest-hit regions of Burma, also known as Myanmar.
早些时候，联合国救援项目发言人皮特对记者说，霍姆斯与救援组织和缅甸军政府举行会谈的目的是为了把救援物资送到缅甸受灾最严重的地区。
"Clearly what he is hoping to achieve is to try and work with as many partners as possible to consult with everybody on the ground and of course to cooperate with the government of Myanmar to try and just get the response we need up scaled to meet the needs of the people on the ground," she said.
她说：“很显然，他希望能够和尽可能多的合作夥伴一起努力，和在场的每个人协商，当然其中也包括和缅甸军政府进行合作，试图从缅甸军政府那里获得我们所需要的反应，以满足缅甸灾民的需要。”
International assistance and human rights groups are warning delays are increasing health and welfare threats to populations still struggling to recover from the storm amid ongoing seasonal monsoon rains.
国际救援和人权组织警告说，拖延提供救援会使灾民增加健康和福利方面的威胁。这些灾民正在目前季风雨季中努力挣扎，设法从暴风灾难中恢复过来。
The U.K.-based Save the Children Fund warned Sunday thousands of young children in cyclone-hit areas face starvation within weeks unless emergency food supplies reach the areas soon. The United Nations has estimated that up to one million children are in need of urgent assistance.
设在英国的救助儿童会星期天警告说，灾区有成千上万名儿童几个星期内将面临饥饿问题，除非紧急食物援助尽快抵达这些灾区。据联合国估计，有将近一百万儿童需要紧急救援。
"We've all seen from the assessments that have been done and the reports that are coming out that millions of people - up to 2.5 million possibly are in need of aid,” said U.N. spokeswoman Amanda Pitt. “I think it's clear to everybody that's working on the ground there's enormous need and that need is not being met."
皮特说：“我们都从已经进行的估计和不断公布的报告中得知，几百万人、最高可以达到250万人需要援助。我认为，每一个人都清楚，那里的人们需要获得巨大的援助，但是他们的需要没有得到满足。”
South East Asian foreign ministers are due to meet Monday in Singapore to discuss ways to "assist Burma in its relief and recovery efforts". The bloc, the Association of South East Asian Nations - ASEAN - of which Burma is a member, is facing criticism over its delays in acting to support relief efforts.
东南亚国家的外长们将于星期一在新加坡举行会议，讨论“帮助缅甸赈灾和恢复”的问题。缅甸是东盟的一个成员国。东盟因在支持赈灾方面行动迟缓而受到批评。 |