Myanmar junta urges patriotic 'yes' to referendum
YANGON, May 9 (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta urged citizens on Friday to do their patriotic duty and vote for an army-drafted constitution, without mentioning the 1.5 million people clinging to survival a week after a devastating cyclone.
The constitution is a key step in the junta's seven-point "roadmap to democracy", which is meant to culminate in multi-party elections in 2010 and bring to an end nearly five decades of military rule in the Southeast Asian country.
It has been widely derided by the opposition and Western governments as a blueprint for the generals cementing a grip on the power they first seized in a 1962 coup.
"If you are patriotic and you love your nation you must give an affirmative vote," said one message broadcast on state-run MRTV on Friday.
Accompanying the appeals were performances by popular singers, actors and musicians and slogans such as "the approval of the draft constitution is the responsibility of every citizen, so go to the polling booth and approve the constitution."
The government announced on Tuesday it would go ahead with the vote in parts of the country not affected by Cyclone Nargis, but postponed it by two weeks to May 24 in the hardest-hit Irrawaddy delta.
Diplomats and disaster experts said the death toll is likely to rise to 100,000 people and the United Nations says 1.5 million people have been "severely affected".
Myanmar state-run radio and TV did not give an update on Friday of the official toll, which stood at 22,980 killed with 42,119 missing as of Tuesday.
While the military has appealed for outside help for disaster victims, it has been reluctant to allow a full-scale international relief effort, delaying the approval of visas and landing rights for aircraft carrying urgently needed supplies.
Some critics accuse the junta of stalling because they do not want an influx of foreigners into the countryside during Saturday's referendum.
The constitution gives the military an automatic 25 percent of seats in parliament, control of key ministries and right to suspend the constitution at will. (Writing by Grant McCool; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
