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Comprehensive Assessment of Cyclone Nargis Impact Provides Clearer Picture of Relief and Recovery Needs.
Political Prisoner Dies in Burma Prison.
Karen Refugees Forced to Return.
message from Dassk's residence.
Recent Burma news (21-07-08).

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Comprehensive Assessment of Cyclone Nargis Impact Provides Clearer Picture of Relief and Recovery Needs
Joint ASEAN-UN Press Release
Singapore, 21 July 2008

Today, the Government of the Union of Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN) released the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) report.  This assessment – commissioned as part of the tri-partite cooperation between the Government of the Union of Myanmar, ASEAN and the United Nations – provides the first comprehensive picture and objective analysis of the devastating impact on the people in the Ayeyarwady Delta and Yangon affected by Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar on 02 and 03 May and killed over 84,530 people, with a further 53,836 still reported missing.

Cyclone Nargis was the most devastating natural disaster in Myanmar’s history, and the assessment of damage and losses confirms a similar scale of impact to that of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, especially at the household and community level.  The cyclone and resulting storm surge destroyed about 450,000 homes and damaged 350,000 others.  75 per cent of health facilities in the affected areas were destroyed or severely damaged, together with around 4,000 schools.  The cyclone wiped out the livelihoods of families overnight, flooding over 600,000 hectares of agricultural land, killing up to 50 per cent of draught animals, destroying fishing boats and sweeping away food stocks and agricultural implements. This has left households extremely vulnerable – in mid-June, 55 per cent reported having only one day of food stocks or less, and have relied in part on the steady flow of relief supplies. The total economic losses amount to about 2.7% of the projected 2008 GDP, with the effects of the cyclone concentrated on a region important for agriculture and fishing in Myanmar. 

National, regional and international responders have been working since early May to urgently bring assistance to the affected communities, especially the most vulnerable groups, in the face of continuing logistical and operational challenges.

The PONJA Report provides a broad and objective framework of the scale, scope and priority areas where assistance is needed to help the people of the Delta recover from this traumatic and devastating event.  Recovery needs, which are estimated at just over a total of US$1 billion over the next 3 years, include the most urgent priorities of significant food, agriculture, housing, basic services and support to communities for restoring their livelihoods and rebuilding assets.  The relief and early recovery activities presented in the revised Appeal issued on 10 July by the UN are designed to meet these urgent priorities in the coming months until April 2009, for which some USD 303.6 million is being requested. 

“While significant progress has been made to date, we are still in the relief phase of this aid operation,” said John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs. “Nearly three months after Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, the Government and its humanitarian partners are continuing to assist the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable communities,” Holmes emphasised. "That said, funding for parallel early recovery activities also is needed to urgently restore sustainable livelihoods, ensure access to basic services, and help revitalize communities”.

Significant efforts and cost are projected for housing, education, restoring livelihoods and religious buildings over the next three years.  According to consultations with communities during the assessment process, schools and religious centres are the most urgent rebuilding priorities, while assistance for repairs and grants for livelihoods are the highest priority for immediate assistance. Over 90 per cent of these needs are at the community level and can be addressed through community-based approaches. The indicative estimate of recovery needs and costs is preliminary and will need to be updated over time, reflecting the experience of other natural disasters in the region which demonstrate the importance of refining assessments and recovery plans at a sectoral level. 

This is the first time that ASEAN has played such a leading role in responding to a natural disaster affecting one of its Member States. ASEAN facilitated and coordinated international assistance to the survivors of the cyclone as well as the conduct of this assessment. At their special meeting on 19 May, ASEAN Foreign Ministers established  the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force for the Victims of Cyclone Nargis, headed by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, which works closely with the United Nations and the Myanmar Government to coordinate international assistance.  Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr Surin Pitsuwan said, “By linking hands with the UN, the international NGOs, and the rest of the world, ASEAN has shown how international humanitarian cooperation can work to help bring relief and assistance to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.  At the same time, ASEAN is putting into action its pledge to build a caring and sharing community.”

Dr Surin added, “This PONJA Report is but one of the many steps needed to help the Nargis victims recover from the devastation.  The road to recovery will be long and more post-PONJA activities will be needed to help the affected communities get back on their feet again.  The international community has expressed their support that ASEAN continues its presence in Myanmar for the relief and early recovery phase in the next 12 months.”

The Tripartite Core Group, a working level mechanism, brings together ASEAN, the Myanmar Government, and the United Nations to provide guidance and address issues related to the response effort. This joint assessment and strong coordination mechanism will provide the foundation for the enormous efforts still required to help the affected population recover from the cyclone.

As well as providing the basis for the way forward, the PONJA assessment also identifies a number of principles that should guide relief and recovery efforts, including building local capacity, monitoring delivery, quality and impact of aid, and involving communities at all stages of the relief and recovery process. Applying these principles as part of a continued inclusive process between the Myanmar Government, the international community and local communities will be essential to meet the needs of the cyclone-affected population and to help build the resilience of Myanmar communities to prepare for and face future disasters.

The full PONJA report is available online at:

www.asean.org/ 21765.pdf and http://yangon. unic.org

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Political Prisoner Dies in Burma Prison
By WAI MOE
Monday, July 21, 2008

Mandalay prison. (Photo: www.geogr.uni-goettingen.de/kus/pics/myan6.htm)

The 137th political prisoner died on July 18 due to a lack of health care in a Burmese prison, a Burmese human rights group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) said in a press release on Sunday.

Khin Maung Tint (also known as Ya Pyi), 49, died in Mandalay Prison in Mandalay, the second largest city in Burma.

He was arrested and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his pro-democracy activities in 1998, according the AAPP press release.

“The latest death reflects a kind of systematic execution of political prisoners that is going on in Burma’s prisons,” said Tate Naing, secretary of the AAPP. “Who can survive without adequate healthcare in Burma’s terrible prison conditions?”

The AAPP said Khin Maung Tint’s death was the second this year. Another activist, Win Tin, 30, died in Tharrawaddy Prison in Pegu Division in March.

Tate Naing told The Irrawaddy on Monday that Khin Maung Tint had suffered from tuberculosis for about two years.

“Because inadequate healthcare is normal in Burma’s prisons, he [Khin Maung Tint] didn’t get sufficient treatment by the authorities. That why Burma has lost another political prisoner,” he said.

About 80 out of 2,000 political prisoners are in ill health and require more medical care, said Tate Naing. Some are in critical condition.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to Burma’s prisons since November 2005. Since that time, health services have deteriorated, say human rights groups.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article5.php?art_id=13451

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Karen Refugees Forced to Return
By SAW YAN NAING
Monday, July 21, 2008

Human Rights Watch has criticized Thailand authorities for returning more than 50 Karen refugees to a conflict zone in Karen State in eastern Burma.
 
Last week, local Thai paramilitary troops forced the Karen refugees—mostly women and children—to leave two refugee camps, Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Ma Luang in northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province, and return to Burma, where they had fled Burmese military offensives in early 2008, according to sources.

Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, based in New York, said in a statement released on July 18, “The Thai government has ignored its obligations to protect refugees fleeing violence in Burma.”

Thai soldiers accompany Karen refugees from the Mae La Oon Refugee Camp near Mae Hong Son as they are forcibly returned to Burma. (Photo: Karen Women Organization)

“Sending these people back to conflict zones dominated by the Burmese army is disgraceful. Forcing civilians back into an active war zone may be an easy answer for Thailand, but it’s brutal—a completely inhumane and unacceptable solution,” he said.

Tu Tu, a coordinator of a branch of the Karen Refugee Committee office in Mae Hong Son, told The Irrawaddy on Monday the refugees were sent back by local Thai forces on July 17 to Ei Tu Hta refugee camp in Burma on the border with Mae Hong Son District.

 “There are many difficulties for them [refugees], such as building new houses because there is not enough material,” said Tu Tu. “Food is also limited. We provided two weeks rations. Some were separated from their children.”

Some ill refugees and students were allowed to remain in the refugee camp to receive medical treatment and to study, said Tu Tu.

The Ei Tu Hta camp, built about two years ago, is located along the Salween River and has grown to nearly 4,300 civilians who have fled attacks and abuses by the Burmese army. The overcrowded camp receives limited international and local assistance and food. The camp faces the risk of attack because of its proximity to Burmese army encampments, said Human Rights Watch.

Karen refugees have fled from war conflict zones such as Taungoo, Nyaunglebin districts in Pegu Division and Papun District in Karen State, where clashes between Burmese troops and Karen rebels occur almost daily.

Maj Hla Ngwe of the Karen National Union (KNU) information department said about 50 Burmese battalions are now being deployed at the area.

 “There is fighting everyday in Karen State,” he said. “If there was no war in Karen State, then nobody would come and stay under their control [the Thai authorities].

At least 40 clashes occurred between the Burmese army and KNU soldiers in Karen State in June, said Hla Ngwe.

An estimated 25,000 refugees, mostly ethnic Karen, live in Mae La Oon and Mae Ra Ma Luang camps in Thailand, according to the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium. More than 100,000 Burmese refugees in total live in Thailand in seven refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border.

Despite its failure to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention, Adams said Thailand is bound by the principle of non-refoulement, a prohibition in international law from returning a refugee to any country where they are likely to be persecuted or place their life at risk. 

Human Rights Watch also urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the European Union, the United States and other countries to pressure the Thai government to cease the forced return of refugees and continue to provide sanctuary to people fleeing fighting or persecution in Burma.

“The root causes of why people flee Burma haven’t changed, but states such as Thailand continue to turn a blind eye to serious abuses while continuing to do business with the Burmese government,” Adams said. “Thailand should raise concern about the Burmese human rights violations that cause forced displacement as well as responding humanely to its victims seeking asylum at their borders and in their territories.”

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=13450

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message from Dassk's residence

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Recent Burma news (21-07-08)

Singapore says Myanmar may release Suu Kyi
Today, July 21, 2008, 3 hours ago
leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be freed from house arrest in six months. George Yeo says this was suggested during a dinner meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on S...

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Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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ASEAN urged to strengthen response mechanisms in Myanmar
Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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Today, July 21, 2008, 4 hours ago
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Today, July 21, 2008, 7 hours ago
Singapore’s foreign minister says his Burmese counterpart has indicated that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be freed from house arrest in six months. George Yeo says this was suggested during...

Burmese laureate could be freed
Today, July 21, 2008, 8 hours ago
Burma was reported last night to have given the strongest hint yet that detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could soon be released.The regime’s foreign minister, Nyan Win, told a meeting of hi...

North Korea, Myanmar to dominate Asia
Today, July 21, 2008, 8 hours ago
Asia’s annual security dialogue with the United States and Europe kicked-off yesterday, weighed down by the recalcitrant regimes in North Korea and Myanmar, as well as spiraling food prices and disast...

Suu Kyi release likely in 6 months, hints Myanmar
Today, July 21, 2008, 11 hours ago
Photo: AFP Supporters of pro-democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi mark Martyr’s Day in Yangon on Saturday. Martyr’s Day commemorates the assassination of Ms. Suu Kyi’.. .

Burma FM Says Suu Kyi Could Be Released in Six Months - Kyodo
Today, July 21, 2008, 15 hours ago
Posted on: Sunday, 20 July 2008, 12:00 CDT Text of report in English by Japan’s largest news agency Kyodo Singapore, July 20 Kyodo - Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win said here Sunday at an informal ...

ASEAN calls for release of Suu Kyi
Today, July 21, 2008, 15 hours ago
Foreign ministers of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sunday called on Myanmar's ruling junta to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees.

Myanmar foreign minister says Suu Kyi could be released in 6 months+
Today, July 21, 2008, 18 hours ago
SINGAPORE, July 20 (AP) - (Kyodo): Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win said here Sunday at an informal working dinner for ASEAN foreign ministers that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could be fre...

UN to end Myanmar aid flights on Aug. 10
Today, July 21, 2008, 18 hours ago
Myanmar next month could hurt relief efforts already struggling to reach millions of survivors with adequate food and water, humanitarian groups said Friday.The U.N. plans to stop aid flights between

Asian security talks to tackle N Korea, Myanmar
Yesterday, July 20, 2008, 8:56:12 PM
SINGAPORE: Regional rogues North Korea and Myanmar will top the billing at Asia’s main security forum this week, but the inflation crisis and disaster response have emerged as critical new concerns.Th. ..

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