ASEAN Secretariat, 26 June 2008

The Secretary-General of ASEAN and Chair of the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, today saw first hand the extent of the damage wrought by Cyclone Nargis on Myanmar.  Dr Surin traveled by helicopter to visit the township of Bogale, Set San village and Kyein Chaung Gyi village in the Irrawady Delta.

In Bogale, he was briefed on the extent of the damage to the township and the recovery efforts underway there.  He also visited a high school and a hospital.  Dr Surin also saw the temporary shelters set up in Set San and Kyein Chaung Gyi to house the victims of Cyclone Nargis as well as the temporary schools set up there.

Dr Surin said, “To see how they suffer is a heartbreak. To observe how they refuse to surrender and their determination to rebuild their lives is certainly an inspiration.”

Dr Surin added, “What ASEAN can do is to help these unfortunate people of the Irrawady Delta get back on their feet quickly.  Township-focused, village-based approaches could be appropriate.  For reconstruction and long-term integrated planning for the entire Delta, that will have to wait for the international community to come together and decide together.”

The visit was held a day after the 3rd meeting of the ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force in Yangon to review the work of the Tripartite Core Group and the
next steps forward following the ASEAN Roundtable on Post Nargis Joint Assessment on 24 June 2008.  Accompanying Dr Surin during today’s visit were the ASEAN media, who had been invited to cover the meetings and field trip.