First UN Land Convoy Goes to Burma
联合国援助车队进入缅甸

　 
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says it has sent the first UN convoy of aid overland into Burma, and a planeload of shelter supplies has been flown in from Dubai.

联合国难民事务高级专员公署表示，该机构已经派出第一支联合国援助车队通过陆路进入缅甸，一架满载临时庇护所建筑设备的飞机也从迪拜起飞进入缅甸。

The UN refugee agency says the two-truck convoy was carrying more than 20 tons of tents and plastic sheets. It says these goods will be enough for 10,000 people made homeless by the disastrous cyclone that hit Burma. An estimated one million people have had their homes destroyed by Cyclone Nargis.

联合国难民事务高级专员公署说，这支车队由两辆卡车组成，装载了20多吨的帐篷和塑料布。这些物资足够安置1万名受强热带风暴袭击而流离失所的缅甸难民。据估计，“纳尔吉斯号”强热带风暴造成大约100万人无家可归。

UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis tells VOA, the overland journey from Thailand into Burma, also known as Myanmar, was long and difficult.

联合国难民署女发言人帕格尼斯对美国之音记者说，从泰国到缅甸的陆路旅程漫长而艰难。

"This is the first positive step in getting our aid materials into Myanmar," she said. "In one day, we really got stuff going in by air and aid supplies going in from land convoys. So, we know that these two routes are now operating for us and, I think, that is always a relief when you are trying to, for a week to make it happen."

她说：“这是我们的救援物资进入缅甸的积极的第一步。在一天之内，我们真正让我们的物资从空中进入缅甸，救援物资通过陆路车队进入缅甸。因此，我们知道，我们现在可以利用这两条路线。我认为，在争取了一个星期之后，终于获得成功，我们对此感到欣慰。” 

Pagonis says the goods could have been delayed as customs posts on both sides of the border are closed on weekends. But, she says the UNHCR negotiated with government officials in Thailand and Burma to keep the posts open to allow the supplies to enter Burma.

帕格尼斯说，这些货物本来有可能被耽搁，因为上个周末泰国和缅甸两国边境口岸的海关都是关闭的。但是她说，联合国难民事务高级专员公署和泰国与缅甸的政府官员举行了谈判，让边境口岸海关开放，从而让救援物品进入缅甸。

In the end, she says, the operation went off smoothly.

"It took seven minutes to go through procedures," she added. "We arrived when the convoy came with a police escort on the Thai side and crossed about 1:00 o'clock local time, and seven minutes later it was on the other side. So, there was just a brief exchange of formalities. Of course there was a lot of work that went on to make sure that this all did run smoothly. We had a lot of cooperation from border officials on both sides of the Thai and the Myanmar sides. They knew what was happening. Everybody was prepared and it went off without a hitch."

她说：“通关程序大约用了七分钟，我们抵达泰国边境口岸时，车队得到警方的护送，大约在当地时间一点出境。7分钟之后，我们到了另一边。所以，只是简短地交换了手续。当然，为了保证这一切能够平稳运行，已经作了很多工作。泰国和缅甸的边境官员和我们进行了多方合作。他们知道是怎么一回事。每个人都做好了准备，车队没有遇到任何问题，顺利通过。”

The supplies will be handed over to the Disaster Management Committee to be distributed under UNHCR monitoring.

这些救援物资将交给缅甸的灾害管理委员会分发。联合国难民事务高级专员公署将监督物资的分发。

Pagonis says there are no plans for future land convoys. But, in any emergency situation, she says it is useful to have several routes established. She says the airlift of 33 tons of supplies that left Dubai on Saturday is the first of three planned flights.

帕格尼斯说，目前没有计划在未来派遣更多的陆路车队。但是她表示，在紧急情况下，建立几条路线是有用的。她说，星期六从迪拜空运33吨救援物资是计划中的三次空运飞行的第一次。

She says two other flights carrying urgently needed shelter supplies are expected to leave early next week. And other aid shipments will go by sea.

她说，另外两次运送急需的庇护所设备的飞行预计下个星期初离开迪拜。还有一些救援物资将通过海上运输。