Than Shwe had replaced Yangon in the previous year, and permitted Gambari to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi. However, Than Shwe refused to meet Gambari when he visited Burma in November 2007 and again on 10 March 2008. In early May 2008, Than Shwe refused many foreign aid workers from entering the country in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis (May 2, 2008). This led to many criticisms from the UN as well as the international community. In early July 2009, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited Burma and held talks with General Than Shwe. The military junta rejected UN
Cyclone Giri Cyclone Nargis which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region as a low-end Category 4 equivalent in May 2008. However, according to the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies, substantial weakening had taken place within the hours before landfall; they estimated that Cyclone Giri struck the coastline with winds of 175 km/h (110 mph ). Once overland, the cyclone rapidly decayed as convection dissipated. Despite having estimated winds of 150 km/h (90 mph ), the JTWC issued their final advisory on Giri just six hours after landfall. By early October 23, only scattered bursts of convection remained around the