Category: Cyclon Nargis
ASEAN Secretariat Press Release – ASEAN Foreign Ministers Calls for More Funds for Post-Nargis Activities
ASEAN Secretariat, 28 October 2009
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers called for more funds and support for Nargis-affected people during the 15th ASEAN Summit in Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand, 23-25 October 2009. The call was made following the Foreign Ministers’ endorsement of the Tripartite Core Group’s Prioritised Action Plan and the proposal to hold a Post-Nargis Assistance Conference (PONAC) to raise $103 million to address outstanding critical needs in the Nargis-hit areas of Myanmar.
The Prioritised Action Plan undertaken by the humanitarian communities is the result of a prioritization exercise that took place in Yangon and the Delta in August and September 2009. It identifies interventions in Shelter, Livelihoods, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Education and Health – and corresponds to an assessment of delivery capacity from numerous agencies engaged in each of the sectors. It aims to provide 17,800 new houses, 16 cyclone shelters, livelihood programs for 1 million people, water and sanitation facilities for 800,000 people, education facilities to 35,000 students and health services to 900,000 individuals.
The PONAC, scheduled for 25 November 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand, aims to take stock of the progress of post-Nargis assistance over the last 18 months and to mobilise funds to address the outstanding humanitarian needs up to July 2010. It also serves as a forum for regional lessons sharing in disaster management in the wake of the multiple-disasters that struck Southeast Asia in September 2009. “People in the cyclone-affected area are awaiting our action to help them help themselves. Continued support from the donor community is urgently needed to revive their lives after one of the biggest disasters in their country’s history engulfed them. I hope that we will not let them down in their hour of need,” said Dr. William Sabandar, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of ASEAN for post-Nargis Recovery in Myanmar.
The Tripartite Core Group (TCG) was officially established on 31 May 2008. It comprises high-level representatives from the United Nations, Government of the Union of Myanmar and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
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Contact details:
Mai Phuong Tang
Communications Officer
ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force
Coordinating Office in Yangon
Tel: +951 544500 Ext. 428
mai.aseanhtf@gmail.com
‘Eyes of the Storm’ premieres this week on WIDE ANGLE in US
US Broadcast date and time varies. Check your local listings.
When Americans think of Burma – also known as Myanmar – the first person who comes to mind is the iconic opposition leader: the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Just last week the government sentenced her to another 18 months under house arrest for the “crime” of allowing an uninvited visitor into her home. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have demanded Aung San Suu Kyi’s release.
The U.S. recently renewed economic sanctions against the country. But WIDE ANGLE’s film isn’t about superpower sanctions or world famous democracy advocates. Eyes of the Storm is a rare account from inside Burma that tells the story of orphans left to fend for themselves after Cyclone Nargis slammed into the country last year.
On May 2, 2008, the Category 4 cyclone made landfall on Burma’s southern coast. Winds of 130 miles per hour raged all night, and storm surge drowned much of the Irrawaddy Delta in over 12 feet of water.
Whole villages vanished, at least 130,000 people died, and two million were left homeless, making Cyclone Nargis the worst natural disaster in Burma’s history. Among the survivors were thousands of children orphaned or separated from their parents.
Eyes of the Storm follows several orphaned children as they struggle to rebuild their shattered lives after Cyclone Nargis. Among others we meet 10-year-old Ye Pyint who is now a surrogate father to his younger brother and sister; they live in a makeshift hut in what remains of their village. We follow Min, the 16-year-old who is the sole survivor from his family and is now trying to live as a monk in a Buddhist monastery miles away from his devastated home. continue
Eyes of the Storm
Humanitarian Community in Myanmar reaffirm their commitment to bringing positive changes to the lives of the people -press
And some of Aid workers into prison and they NOT released yet!!!!!! famoust of all Ko Zarganar
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Media Release
Humanitarian Community in Myanmar reaffirm their commitment
to bringing positive changes to the lives of the people
Yangon, 19 August 2009 – At its inaugural commemoration of World Humanitarian Day today, the humanitarian aid community in Myanmar gathered together in Yangon, to pay tribute to their colleagues across the world who had lost their lives and had endured hardship and personal sacrifice to help those in need of help. They also paid tribute to the dedication of their colleagues in Myanmar, especially those who for the past 16 months since Cyclone Nargis, have been working hard in post-Nargis relief and recovery efforts.
“Especially in the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, in spite of some of you suffering from personal loss and tragedy, you have been working beyond the call of duty to support the people in greater need in the cyclone-affected areas,” said Mr. Bishow Parajuli, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and the Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
The vital role that civil society plays in responding to humanitarian crises was underscored both by the Executive Director of Myanmar Red Cross Society, U Khin Maung Hla and the Chair of the Myanmar NGO Network, Dr. Myo Thant Tyn, who spoke from experiences of the humanitarian efforts after Cyclone Nargis.
“Unless we involve communities and the groups that form within them in identifying needs, implementing programmes, learning and reflecting about what works well and what does not work, programmes are not likely to succeed. Even worse, they have the potential to cause more harm than good,” he said.
The occasion was also “an opportunity to reiterate the partnership that had been built through the humanitarian efforts in response to Cyclone Nargis – which included good cooperation between the Government, ASEAN, donors the UN, INGOs, local NGOs and the community,” said Mr. Parajuli .
“Let us unite and continue our strong partnership to address these critical needs in the cyclone-affected areas. The affected population is awaiting our action to improve their lives,” said Dr. Niken Gandini, who spoke on behalf of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Secretary-General for post-Nargis Recovery in Myanmar.
Through partnership built on mutual trust, the humanitarian community here in Myanmar has proven its ability to effectively respond and deliver humanitarian assistance in close collaboration and coordination with Government authorities at all levels to the vulnerable people in their time of need.
Such partnership would need to continue to be strengthened, not only in the delta, but also in other parts of the country.
UNIC Yangon
BURMA: Two journalists imprisoned for helping cyclone victims visit international aid groups-
http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2009/3136/
Surin dismissed suggestions that the funding problems were due to the Myanmar junta’s poor human rights record and suppression of democracy. He attributed the lack of funds to the global financial crisis and competing humanitarian disasters around the world.
Cyclone recovery aid needed
PHUKET – THE head of a regional grouping of Southeast Asian nations called om Thursday for governments to do more to help rebuild areas hit by last year’s deadly cyclone in Myanmar, saying only a third of the US$300 million (S$432 million) needed has been raised.
Surin Pitsuwan, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, said Myanmar’s neighbors need to take the lead in financing new schools, homes and other infrastructure projects.
‘The Asean member states themselves pledged they would come forward to help and contribute,’ Mr Surin said at the end of an Asean conference in Thailand.
‘Some have allocated funds and budgets but have not released it.
Now is the time,’ he said. ‘With Asean taking the lead, there will be more international support coming through.’
He dismissed suggestions that the funding problems were due to the Myanmar junta’s poor human rights record and suppression of democracy. He attributed the lack of funds to the global financial crisis and competing humanitarian disasters around the world.
The May 2008 cyclone crashed into Myanmar’s southwestern coast, sweeping away entire farming villages. Some 140,000 were killed or left missing.
A study released this month in the journal Nature Geoscience described it as one of the deadliest storms to hit the Bay of Bengal, producing waves of 16 feet (5 meters) high and a storm surge that reached 30 miles (50 kilometers) inland.
The study found that in the hardest-hit areas, up to 80 per cent of villagers were killed. All survivors interviewed in the Irrawaddy Delta for the study said they ignored warnings about the impending storm due to a lack of awareness about cyclones and evacuation plans.
More than a year after the disaster, survivors are still struggling to rebuild their lives. — AP
Burmese Official Sacked for Nargis-related Corruption
Burma’s military junta has sacked the head of one of the key government departments involved in the Cyclone Nargis relief and recovery effort following allegations that he stole money donated for survivors of the disaster, according to reliable sources in Rangoon.
Than Oo, a former colonel who was serving as the director general of the Ministry of Social Welfare’s Department of Relief and Resettlement, was accused of stealing millions of kyat (several hundreds of thousands of dollars) from international donations intended for Nargis-related projects, the sources said.
Than Oo, a former colonel who was serving as the director general of the Ministry of Social Welfare’s Department of Relief and Resettlement, was accused of stealing millions of kyat (several hundreds of thousands of dollars) from international donations intended for Nargis-related projects, the sources said.
State-run newspapers did not publish any information about the dismissal of the senior official, who was recently arrested and interrogated by the regime’s Bureau of Special Investigation, according to sources in Naypyidaw.
The Department of Relief and Resettlement cooperates closely with international donors providing aid for humanitarian relief and recovery work in the cyclone-stricken Irrawaddy delta.
“The Department of Relief and Resettlement is responsible for accepting funds and donations from international NGOs,” said a Rangoon businessman who runs a local relief organization for Nargis victims.
“The department is supposed distribute the aid to assist people hit by the cyclone. He was probably taken into custody because materials donated by international NGOs went missing,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Burmese junta is holding a secret meeting in its capital, Naypyidaw, where a number of other officials have also reportedly been reshuffled.
Burma’s top military leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has retired or reassigned around a dozen senior officials, according to military sources. However, The Irrawaddy has not been able to confirm the reports with other independent sources.
ASEAN, Donor Countries Seeking Guarantees From Burma on Cyclone Recovery Aid
By Daniel Schearf
Bangkok
10 June 2009
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations says countries donating to Burma’s cyclone recovery efforts are seeking re-assurances of cooperation from Burmese authorities. Donor nations and aid groups are worried Burma may reduce access to the country after the military-ruled government eliminated a mechanism for fast-track visa processing for foreign aid workers.
Representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met with donor countries and international organizations Wednesday in Bangkok.
The group of more than thirty participants discussed aid efforts for Burma’s recovery from last year’s devastating cyclone Nargis. Continue reading “ASEAN, Donor Countries Seeking Guarantees From Burma on Cyclone Recovery Aid”
democracy for burma 
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