Govt calls for emergency supplies
Submitted by: anonymous , Created at : 2008-05-18 21:45:50 UTC [Write Comment]
By Thet Khaing
THE government said last week it needs financial assistance and emergency supplies from the international community to deal with the devastating aftermath of cyclone Nargis, but was not ready to allow foreign relief teams into Myanmar to aid rictims of the storm.
The United Nations estimates that more than one million people are in argent need of food, drinking water, shelter and medical care in the wake of the storm, which mainly affected Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on May 8 that the international community could best help Myanmar to deal with the situation by providing emergency supplies.
"Myanmar has prioritised receiving emergency relief provisions and is making strenuous efforts to transport those provisions without delay by its own labour to the affected areas," the statement said.
It said the government and local aid agencies were doing their best to help the victims, but authorities had also turned back a plane carrying relief goods from Qatar because rescue and communication teams were onboard.
Meanwhile, four planes sent by the UN World Food Program and loaded with more than 40 tonnes of high-energy biscuits arrived in Yangon on May 8, said a UN statement issued the same day.
UN secretary general Mr Ban Ki-moon said the UN was ready to do whatever was necessary to help victims of the cyclone.
Mr John Holmes, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and an emergency relief coordinator, told reporters in New York on May 8 that a team of two UN relief experts had arrived in Yangon to assess the scale of humanitarian needs.
"There's real danger that an even worse tragedy may unfold if we cannot get the aid that is desperately needed in quickly," Mr Holmes was quoted as saying in the statement.
He said the UN has allocated US$10 million in emergency funding for aid efforts and is planning to draw up a budget to make fresh appeals later this week.
Many governments have pledged to provide financial assistance as well as relief supplies, which began arriving in Yangon on May 6.
As of last Friday, 31 countries had pledged to provide more than US$30 million for relief efforts.
They include the United States which has pledged to provide $3.25 million through its international aid agency USAID, of which $250,000 was granted as emergency funding on May 5.
The US, which maintains economic sanctions against Myanmar - including restrictions on the transfer of US dollars to the country - has also announced a relaxing of restrictions to speed up the flow of funds for humanitarian assistance for cyclone victims.
The US Treasury Department announced on May 7 that it had issued a general license to help speed up money transfers.
"This license will help to clear the way for additional humanitarian aid to make it to the [Myanmar] people swiftly and efficiently," said Mr Adam Szubin, a senior official at the department.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the scale of need was massive.
The federation said it has allocated $190,000 for emergency relief and made an appeal for $6 million to assist 30,000 cyclone victims for six months.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, has established an emergency humanitarian relief fund for cyclone victims.
"The first contribution of $100,000 came from the Nippon Foundation," said a statement sent by the ASEAN secretariat to The Myanmar Times last week.
Myanmar Times Journal, May 12, 2008.