"The Ayeyarwady Delta and southern Rangoon Division were devastated on 2-3 May by Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than140,000 persons, making it Burma?s worst natural disaster in history. The suffering of the tens of thousands of survivors was immensely compounded by refusals by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military government to immediately allow international teams of humanitarian experts and supplies into the storm-struck areas. A major reason was the priority placed by the SPDC on proceeding with a 10 May national referendum on a new, military-drafted constitution. Claims by the ruling military generals that the referendum received more than a 92% "yes" vote ignored widespread electoral irregularities and abuses that were roundly condemned by the international community. Harsh repression against all forms of trade union activity remained in place, dozens of trade unionists languished in jail, and the ITUC associated Federation of Trade Unions Burma (FTUB) was still considered an illegal organisation..."