U.S. relief plane to Myanmar authorized

YANGON, Myanmar, May 9 (UPI) -- Myanmar has authorized the landing of a U.S. military plane loaded with supplies, U.S. officials said Friday.

Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said the C-130 has permission to land Monday in Yangon, the city formerly known as Rangoon, The Washington Post reported. But a U.S. disaster assistance team is still waiting in Bangkok for visas.

The World Food Program said it will send two relief aid airplanes Saturday despite the government's seizure of previous aid shipments.

The military junta ruling the country formerly known as Burma seized contents of two WFP flights -- high-energy biscuits that could feed "95,000 hungry people in Myanmar," Nancy Roman, a spokeswoman for the WFP, said. The relief organization suspended its relief operation after the food was confiscated.

The reclusive military has been criticized for its handling of the crisis in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which killed tens of thousands and left millions homeless, the BBC reported.

Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement Friday it was not ready to allow foreign aid workers to enter the country. Government leaders said they would accept aid, but insisted they would handle the distribution.