NEW DELHI - Cyclone-hit Myanmar has asked neighbour India to send its army medical teams to assist relief operations in the junta-ruled country, an Indian official said Thursday.
An Indian Air Force transport aircraft is set to fly to Yangon on Saturday carrying a team of doctors and medical supplies, said the official who did not want to be identified.
Since Cyclone Nargis struck the southwest delta region on May 2 and 3, leaving up to 66,000 dead or missing, Myanmar's reclusive military rulers have accepted foreign aid but largely rejected international relief workers.
Foreign aid agencies say they are battling to provide vital food, shelter and water through the country's dilapidated infrastructure, but the junta has refused to budge on access, despite mounting international pressure.
So far, two Indian navy ships and five aircraft have delivered food, clothing, medicines and tents to Myanmar.
New Delhi has forged a close relationship with Myanmar's junta in recent years to tackle insurgent groups along their border, opposing calls for economic sanctions against the military-ruled nation.
On why the Myanmar regime opted for Indian army medical teams, the Indian official said, "the response of the Indian army to disasters is time-tested and found to be very reliable, very dependable."
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