Zimbabwe misery same as Burma's

NO ONE would dispute the sentiments expressed in the editorial article 'Come to Burma's aid' (Comment, May 11).

Death, destruction, malnutrition, homelessness and destitution make a horrific catalogue of misery and suffering, compounded by the reluctance of a tyrannical government to allow foreign aid workers access. On top of that, a corrupt election seems to be on the cards.

But isn't this precisely what Zimbabweans – many of them of UK descent – have endured for years under Robert Mugabe? How much food aid have we dropped there?

I agree with prioritising feeding and housing the people in a humanitarian effort, but I'm alarmed by your reference to "bringing them democracy".

That is an irrelevance to the purpose of emergency aid. Further, it smacks of engineered regime change and that can bring worse disasters than natural events, as witnessed in Iraq.

Robert Dow, Tranent