Myanmar referendum goes on despite cyclone

YANGON, Myanmar, May 10 (UPI) -- Even as the country lay devastated from a cyclone, Myanmar's military government went ahead Saturday with a referendum on a new national constitution.

Ignoring calls from the United Nations and followers of detained political leader Aung San Suu Kyi to delay the referendum while the country was still reeling from Cyclone Nargis, government backers urged citizens on Saturday to vote "yes" on the measure, which critics say would further strengthen the junta's grip on power.

As the vote was being held, the Myanmar government refused to allow foreign aid workers to enter the country to help distribute food and relief supplies to the thousands of cyclone victims. Those moves have been heavily criticized by the United Nations, which is attempting to organize a large-scale relief effort.

Some estimates put the number of dead and missing at more than 60,000 on Saturday.

CNN reported Mynamar's state television aired messages urging people to approve the referendum and showed pictures of people voting as a song played with the lyrics, "Let's go to cast vote with sincere thoughts for happy days."