Sittwe, May (19)
The military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, visited the storm-hit Sittwe, but no effective aid has yet been provided, and cash donations have not been spent transparently, storm-affected victims and observers told Than Lwin Times.
The military council has designated 17 townships in Rakhine State, including Sittwe, and four townships in Chin State as disaster areas, which were most affected by the storm, under Article 11 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, and is seeking cash contributions.
Until now, it is not known exactly when the donations collected by the military council will be received, and there has been no proper disclosure of financial information to the public, an analyst said.
The storm-affected people are in immediate need of shelter, food, medicine, and rice seeds for economic recovery, and there is an urgent need for effective support from the military council to repair agricultural lands damaged by saltwater.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 5.4 million people in Rakhine State and northwestern Myanmar were affected by cyclone Mocha and needed emergency relief.
Veteran politician U Pe Than pointed out that despite receiving warnings from weather forecasters about the approaching storm, the military council failed to make proper preparations.
At least 800,000 people or more are in need of emergency food supplies due to the severe damage caused by the storm, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
The severe cyclone forced more than 100,000 people from Sittwe to flee to Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, and Mrauk-U townships.
According to a local, people in the townships of Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Kyauktaw have rebuilt their houses destroyed by the storm on their own without any assistance from the military council.
He added, “”It’s not just Sittwe that is affected by the storm …the entire northern region of Rakhine state. The villages near the sea were completely destroyed, and they really need help”.
According to the military regime, the estimated losses caused by cyclone Mocha in Rakhine and Chin States, and Sagaing, Mandalay, and Magway Regions resulted in 2,557 million Kyat.
The military council’s assistance is just a show, said domestic and international analysts, while the National Unity Government (NUG) says that it will contribute US $ 1 million to the emergency response.
News – Than Lwin Times
Photo: CJ
Thanlwintimes