Myanmar: Thousands unable to return home

LABUTTA, 9 July 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of cyclone survivors living in displaced persons camps in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta worry about the prospects of returning to their villages, many of which were devastated by the category four storm. There are 9,000 internally displaced (IDPs) in three camps in Myanmar's southern Labutta township, a significant drop over earlier numbers, when up to 40,000 people were staying in 45 camps of varying sizes. "We've been told we can stay one more month. After that we don't know what we will do," said Phu Gyi, a 33-year-old fisherman from Shwe Kyun Tha village, about three hours by boat from Labutta. He lives in a tent at the government-run "3 mile" IDP camp - a reference to its distance from the town centre. The government is reportedly offering incentives to encourage residents to return,... [read full story]