International Aid Filters in for Flood-Ravaged Burma Skip to main content

International Aid Filters in for Flood-Ravaged Burma

By | Wednesday, August 5, 2015 |
Aid and supplies reach Mrauk U in Arakan State on Tuesday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy)
Aid and supplies reach Mrauk U in Arakan State on Tuesday. (Photo: Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy)
Pledges of international aid have ramped up as Burma’s government struggles to respond to widespread flooding that authorities say has affected more than 250,000 people nationwide.
On Tuesday, Burma’s Information Minister Ye Htut said the country was appealing for international assistance to meet the crisis which has so far claimed the lives of 69 people, according to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
A press release in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Tuesday called on humanitarian agencies, the UN and donor countries to contact foreign ministry officials to facilitate the supply of humanitarian assistance.
Several countries have thus far pledged emergency relief assistance.
Australia announced on Wednesday it would contribute AUD$2 million towards relief efforts in response to a request from Burma’s government.
“We are working with the Myanmar Government and humanitarian partners to determine how funding will be allocated,” the country’s foreign minister Julie Bishop said in a statement. “A specialist is now assisting with the relief effort and coordinating damage assessments.”
Japan pledged emergency relief supplies worth 18 million yen (approximately US$145,000), according to a statement released through its embassy in Rangoon.
Regional and international leaders, including Burma’s foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin, have gathered in Kuala Lumpur this week for a series of ASEAN and related meetings.
Speaking in the Malaysian capital, both the US and Norwegian foreign ministers reportedly pledged financial assistance to aid Burma’s emergency response to the floods.
“We express our hopes that the impact of this can obviously be dealt with minimal further loss of life and disruption,” US Secretary of State John Kerry told a meeting of ASEAN leaders on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
According to the state-run English language newspaper China Daily, a 10-member Chinese search and rescue team arrived in Rangoon on Tuesday to assist with relief efforts and will soon be deployed in Arakan State.
China has also been providing aid, coordinated through its embassy in Rangoon, to flood-affected people in Sittwe, Arakan State and in Kale, Sagaing Division, the newspaper reported.
Neighboring Thailand, which in recent months has grappled with its worst drought in decades, pledged a donation to Burma of 5 million baht (US$142,000) on Monday.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/international-aid-filters-in-for-flood-ravaged-burma.html
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Ancient Rakhine City of Mrauk-U Proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Irrawaddy YANGON—Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture submitted the final draft of its nomination for Mrauk-U to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO on Monday, four months after the ministry submitted the first draft of its nomination in September 2019. If the application succeeds, Mrauk-U will be the third place in Myanmar to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after the ancient cities of Bagan and Pyu. Mrauk-U is located in northern Rakhine State, around 60 km from the state capital of Sittwe. The ancient city was the seat of Arakanese kings from the 1400s until the late 1700s. At the height of their power, they controlled an area covering large parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Rakhine State and the western part of central Myanmar. Much of the city’s remains are well-preserved and some 380 historic temples are scattered between the lush hills of northern Rakhine. Mrauk-U Heritage Trust chairwoman Daw Khin Than told The Irrawaddy on Tue...
1 comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more