Burma: referendum vote despite cyclone

A referendum has taken place in cyclone-stricken Burma on a new constitution despite appeals to postpone the poll.

Opposition movements have denounced it as a way to enshrine the army's control of the country. People near the Thai border have told a BBC correspondent they'd felt compelled to vote 'yes' because of the presence of soldiers around polling stations.

The vote took place in the two-thirds of the country not affected by Cyclone Nargis, which is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people.

The United Nations says the first overland UN aid convoy has arrived in Burma -- although the military leadership there still refuses to allow in foreign relief workers.