German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the UN Security Council to examine ways to press Myanmar to let in foreign aid in the wake of the devastating cyclone Nargis. Merkel said she was "shocked by the terrible images of human suffering coming from Myanmar" and called on the country's neighbours and ASEAN member states to put pressure on the military junta to open up. The international concerns have come amid criticism from many aid groups, including the UN, that Myanmar has barred their staff members from distributing relief aid.
A Myanmar woman at a temporary shelter on the outskirts of YangonImage: AP
