Myanmar

Asean to coordinate foreign aid

Article published on the 2008-05-19 Latest update 2008-05-19 15:35 TU

The French ship Mistral,  off the coast of Myanmar with enough to feed 100,000 people for two weeks
(Photo: AFP)

Myanmar's military government has agreed that the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) will coordinate foreign aid efforts, after international uproar over its reluctance to accept help from outside. UN relief coordinator John Holmes visited the disaster area, after delivering a letter from Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who has tried unsuccessfully to talk to government chief Than Shwe on the phone three times.

After an emergency Asean summit today, host-nation Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo issued a statement announcing the establishment of an "Asean-led coordinating mechanism" and adding that medical teams from south-east nations will leave for Myanmar immediately.

"There's a level of trust, I think, given that Asean hasn't excommunicated Myanmar as the West has, which does not exist in Myanmar's relations with the West," says Martin Jacques, a London-based visiting research fellow at the National University of Singapore.

Myanmar, which estimates the damage from Cyclone Nargis at over six billion euros, has also proposed that representatives of 29 nations visit the devastated Irrawaddy delta.

With an estimated 133,000 people dead or missing, aid organisations fear that many survivors face food shortages and disease because the military has refused to let foreign teams distribute relief goods and provide emergency services.

A French ship, the Mistral, has been off the Myanmar coast for several days.  

The French General Staff says that it could provide food for 100,000 people to eat for a fortnight and shelter for 60,000 directly to the stricken area. But so far it has not received permission to do so.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and South African Bishop Desmond Tutu have suggested that the Myanmar govenrment could be guilty of crimes against humanity for its handling of the catastrophe.

Myanmar state television announced that a 50-strong Chinese medical team arrived in the country today.

Ban Ki-Moon is due to visit the country later this week.