The death toll from Burma’s Cyclone Nargis continues to rise. The military junta’s official toll is at 38,000, with another 28,000 missing. The Red Cross says the toll is far higher, with between 68,000 and 128,000 dead. On Wednesday, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said up to 2.5 million people are in desperate need of aid.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes: “We can’t simply force people to accept what we’d like them to do, and that’s essentially the problem we’re grappling with, and it’s also the reason why we’re trying to work particularly closely with ASEAN and other neighbors, who may have better bilateral influence on Myanmar and better bilateral links with Myanmar than any particular multilateral organization, to increase the pressure on them to accept what is clearly needed and everybody agrees is needed, which is greater willingness to accept international help.”

The Burmese junta continues to come under criticism for delaying and hoarding international aid.