Two Advance Teams Making Inroads into Labutta and Pyapon
6 June 2008

Two Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) Advance Teams arrived at Labutta and Pyapon yesterday. The two Advance Teams have been traveling by boat from their base stations of Labutta and Pyapon Townships to the remote reaches of the Irrawady estuaries. One of the teams spent a night in the boat last night. The two delta townships along Irrawaddy River are among the hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis.

The PONJA Advance Teams, comprising members from the ASEAN countries, the UN and the Myanmar Government, reported positive support from the local officials. They would carry out initial assessment and establish coordination mechanisms with the local officials. Upon their return on Saturday, they will share their findings from the Irrawady Delta with the whole assessment personnel comprising over 200-strong assessment team members. The joint assessment teams, including ASEAN Emergency Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT), will first cover the Yangon Division on 9-10 June and then the entire Nargis-struck areas of the Irrawady Delta starting on 11 June.