Cyclone Narjis Hits Myanmar

On Saturday, May 3, a deadly cyclone slammed into Myanmar. It is estimated that the cyclone has killed over 78,000 people, with 56,000 still unaccounted for and almost 20,000 injured. The cyclone, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the ASEAN region since the tsunami of December 2004, is estimated to have left over two million homeless and has prompted aid organizations to mobilize for a major relief operation.

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan has asked us to share with our members his letter of appeal for contributions to a humanitarian relief fund set up by the ASEAN Secretariat for the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, please click here for Dr. Surin Pistuwan's letter. For Guidelines on the ASEAN Cooperation Fund for Disaster Assistance, click here.

UNITED STATES

The US Government has pledged over $3 million USD in initial assistance to the relief effort as well as three US Navy ships stocked with emergency relief equipment. At this time, the ships are not being allowed to enter the country and unload their supplies. The Myanmar government has allowed a some US relief flights into the country with more expected in the coming weeks. It was reported that, on Friday, May 16, four C-130 relief flights landed in Yangon and the shipments from two of the flights were handed directly to NGOs. On Tuesday, May 20, in his testimony before the House Subcommittee on Asia, Pacific and Global Environment, ASEAN Ambassador Scot Marciel said that since the 16th, the US has been able to deliver the contents of two daily relief flights directly to international NGOs. NGOs have confirmed that these supplies are getting to those who need them, though much more is still needed. To read Ambassador Marciel’s full testimony, please click here.

Until Tuesday May 6, US financial sanctions prevented US aid organizations as well as individuals from donating money directly to organizations within Myanmar without an OFAC license. But, since the cyclone, the US Treasury Department has relaxed the rules in order to aid relief efforts. On May 6th, the US Treasury Department posted a General License allowing US citizens to transfer money in support of non-profit, humanitarian or religious activities in Burma, if they involved US or third-country NGOs or humanitarian organizations. On May 9th, the Treasury Department posted an additional General License, amending the May 6 license and stating that US citizens can fund any organization involved in non-profit work in Burma, regardless of whether or not that organization is a third-country non-for-profit. The May 9th authorization was valid for 120 days and, on July 15th, was extended for another 120 days. It is not clear at this time how long the easement of the law will be in effect.

To read the most recent US Treasury Department Notice, please click here.

ASEAN

On May 19th, the Foreign Ministers from the ten ASEAN countries met to discuss how, as a group, they could best assist the people of Myanmar. As a result of the meeting, the ASEAN foreign ministers decided to establish an ASEAN-led Task Force, led by ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan. This Task Force will be based on mechanisms used during the 2004 tsunami and will work to facilitate distribution and utilization of assistance from the international community. It will concentrate heavily on the deployment of relief workers, especially those with medical experience. The Task Force will work with the UN as well as with a central coordinating body, to be put together by Myanmar. An ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference is expected to be held in Yangon on May 25 and will focus on how to coordinate aid deliveries. We will post the results of this pledging conference, when available.

To read the ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team Mission Report, please click here.
For the statement by the Chairman following the foreign ministers meeting, please click here.

The Government of Myanmar has agreed to allow into the country medical teams from all ASEAN countries and has stated that they will accept the assistance of international and regional agencies as well, though aid from outside of ASEAN will be limited. At this time, the Myanmar government has allowed in to the country more than 30 medical workers from Thailand as well as 50 medical workers from each China and India. Myanmar has said that it will accept 30 doctors from each ASEAN member.

On May 20, Secretary-General Surin, along with two ASEAN officials flew to Yangon to meet with the Burmese leaders. The purpose of this visit was to discuss the plans of the ASEAN Task Force and how it can work with the Myanmar government to best carry out its mission. The ASEAN delegates met with Burma’s Prime Minister Thein Sein and informed him of the decisions made by the task force, stressing the urgency of working together to assist the people of Myanmar.

THE UNITED NATIONS

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is also scheduled to travel to Burma this week to discuss assistance and is scheduled to meet with Senior General Than Shwe. In somewhat of a breakthrough, the Myanmar government has approved the use of UN helicopters to distribute relief throughout the country though they have ruled out assistance from the US Navy.

To read Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s interview on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, please click here.

The UN is working to help the people of Myanmar despite the many hurdles they face. Using local staff, distribution hubs are being created that control the flow of international aid. The World Food Programme has rented a warehouse that stores aid until it can be distributed and they have obtained a fleet of vehicles to move the supplies to the affected locations. Much of the work is being orchestrated from Thailand as visas are still hard to obtain.

For more information on the work being done by the UN, please see the Wall Street Journal article published on May 21 entitled “Getting Creative with Myanmar Aid”.

THE EUROPEAN UNION

European lawmakers making up the European Parliament plans to vote on a resolution that would urge the UN Security Council to consider forcing aid on Myanmar. The European Parliament does not have legal power over the EU’s foreign policies but is influential in shaping opinion within the European union. The UN Security Council is most unlikely to condone such a step.

CYCLONE DAMAGE REPAIR

Another concern that Myanmar is facing is the cost of repairing the damage done by the cyclone. It is unknown how much it will cost to repair the destruction from the storm but the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have estimated that it will cost $243 million just to buy the seeds, fertilizer, tractors and other items needed to restore the farm sector. Infrastructure rebuilding will be another large cost. The World Bank has not indicated that they will support Myanmar financially but have agreed to help in assessing the damage. This technical assistance represents a shift in the World Bank’s stance toward Myanmar as lending to Myanmar has been frozen since the 1980s due to the country’s failure to repay past debts as well as the ruling government’s inability to enact economic and political overhauls.

To read more on the funding issues, please see the Wall Street Journal article entitled “A Regime’s Hidden Cost” published in the May 17-18 weekend edition.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

Myanmar held its constitutional referendum on May 10, just a week after the cyclone hit. According to the government, the May 10th vote garnered a 99% turnout with 92% of the people voting in favor of the new constitution. The vote was delayed in areas affected by the disaster and held on May 24. Again, the government reported both a turnout and approval rating of the constitution in the 90th percentile. Following this vote, the new constitution was adopted. General elections are scheduled for 2010 but, outside of Myanmar, it appears as if no part of this process seems to be democratic. The new constitution virtually assures that the military leaders will remain in control of the government for the foreseeable future.

Statement by and contact information for the US Mission to Myanmar:

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

If you or your company wish to help with the relief effort in Myanmar, the US-ASEAN Business Council suggests that you work through the recommended organizations listed below. These recommended groups have been working in Myanmar for a number of years and therefore already have teams on the ground. If your company has aided in the relief efforts and would like to share a press release or other press statements with us, we would be happy to post this information on our website:

• CARE
• Save the Children
• UN World Food Programme
• UNHCR
• UNICEF
• World Vision

For a list of additional humanitarian organizations assisting with the relief effort in Myanmar, please click here.

These organizations are asking for monetary assistance. In-kind donations are also welcome but transporting goods into the country right now is a slow process and monetary help will be of the most use at this time. Of course, if your company wishes to make an in-kind contribution, you are most welcome but please be sure to contact one of the humanitarian organizations in order to ensure that your donation can be best put to use.

While immediate assistance is desperately needed, repairing the disaster in Myanmar and aiding its victims looks to be a long-term process. If you and/or your company wish to contribute please keep in mind that assistance will be needed down the road as well.