U.N. seeks $300 mln more cyclone aid for Myanmar

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Thursday for more than $300 million in additional aid for Myanmar to cope with the effects of a cyclone two months ago that left 138,000 people dead or missing.

Although much aid had already been supplied to some 2.4 million people seriously affected, "there are many who still remain in need of basic assistance and urgent support," U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes said.

"The challenges are still great and the relief operation is by no means over," Holmes told U.N. envoys.

Many areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region on May 2-3, had still not received the level of assistance they needed, he said.

In the wake of the cyclone, the United Nations appealed for $201 million. Some $178 million of that has so far been provided, U.N. figures show.

Launching a revised appeal on behalf of 13 U.N. agencies and 23 non-governmental organizations, Holmes said another $280 million was now being requested for the period until next April. Together with the shortfall from the first appeal, that meant a total unmet need of $303.6 million.

The money would be spent on more than 100 projects designed to supply water, sanitation, education, health, food, shelter, agriculture, telecommunications and logistics.

At their summit in Japan this week, Group of Eight leaders called on Myanmar's secretive military government to lift remaining restrictions on the flow of aid and improve access for foreign aid workers, initially shut out of the country.