US warships to leave Myanmar after aid refused
US warships will soon leave waters near Myanmar after the ruling military junta refused permission for the delivery of aid supplies to the cyclone-stricken Irrawaddy delta, a top US commander said on Wednesday.
Admiral Timothy Keating said the USS Essex group will sail away from the former Burma on Thursday but leave several heavy-lift helicopters in neighbouring Thailand to assist in the relief effort. "Should the Burmese rulers have a change of heart and request our full assistance for their suffering we are prepared to help," Keating, commander of US forces in the Pacific, said in a statement. (Reuters)
