Yangon - Myanmar's state-run media disclosed Wednesday that the government has issued visas to a total of 911 foreign disaster relief workers since Cyclone Nargis hit the country on May 2-3, in apparent effort to counter criticisms of hindering the aid effort.

"Altogether 911 persons have been permitted to enter the country from 5 May to 5 June," said The New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece.

According to the newspaper, visas have been granted to 458 people working for the United Nations and non-governmental organizations, 357 to relief workers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 96 foreigners attending a UN-ASEAN donors meeting held last month.

Myanmar's ruling junta drew international criticism for failing to waive visas requirements for international aid workers in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, that left at least
133,000 people dead or missing and 2.4 million in desperate need of emergency assistance.

A breakthrough of sorts was achieved by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 25 when he met with Myanmar junta chief Senior General Than Shwe and won a promise from the autocrat that he would allow "all" foreign experts to enter the country to assist the aid effort.

Later, the junta clarified that aid workers would be welcome providing they represented registered agencies that offered aid with "no strings attached."

While there has been a marked improvement in access since Than Shwe's commitment, international aid agencies still complain that the process of being given travel permits to the Irrawaddy delta, the region hardest-hit by the cyclone, is time-consuming and unsystematic.

There are also complaints about the short duration of many visas and travel permits. (dpa)