By Andrew Gray

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people died because Myanmar’s government rejected offers of foreign aid for cyclone victims, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.

The Pentagon chief accused Myanmar’s military rulers of being “deaf and dumb” to international pleas to allow in more foreign aid and relief workers.

Gates contrasted Myanmar’s reluctance to accept aid from the U.S. military after Cyclone Nargis struck four weeks ago with the willingness of Indonesia and Bangladesh to accept assistance after natural disasters in recent years.

“We worked with both nations to alleviate suffering, while fastidiously respecting their sovereignty,” Gates said, referring to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and a fierce cyclone which struck Bangladesh last November.

“With Burma, the situation has been very different — at a cost of tens of thousands of lives,” Gates told an annual gathering of Asian security and defense officials in Singapore

“Many other countries besides the United States have also felt hindered in their efforts,” he said.

Gates’ comments were among the bluntest by any senior U.S. official describing Myanmar’s response to the cyclone.

The U.S. military has flown cargo planes of aid to the capital city Yangon, but has said it could be much more effective if the ruling junta would let nearby U.S. ships and helicopters deliver supplies directly to affected areas.  Continued…