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Update on the Burma-Cyclone Nargis Disaster PDF Print E-mail

SAPA STATEMENT: May 21, 2008

SOLIDARITY FOR ASIAN PEOPLES ADVOCACIES (SAPA)
WORKING GROUP ON THE ASEAN

ASEAN MECHANISM MUST HELP JUNTA OVERCOME FEAROF BEING INVADED BY FOOD AND MEDICINE

On Monday, May 19, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers met in Singapore to discuss how best to assist Burma after the cyclone Nargis disaster. ASEAN established a coordinating mechanism to help facilitate the distribution and utilization of humanitarian aid into Burma, on the basis of which Burmese generals agreed to receive international assistance.

While SAPA welcomes the development, it wants the mechanism to involve the participation of aid agencies and civil society groups from ASEAN and its dialogue partners in aid efforts, particularly in rehabilitation programs.

SAPA further calls on ASEAN to ensure that its newly-established
coordinating mechanism will immediately lead to the free movement of aid
supplies and workers to help all 2.5 million survivors of Cyclone Nargis, as
well as the dismantling of all restrictions on aid. A commonly-agreed
protocol must be established for an ASEAN Task Force, headed by ASEAN
Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, to be empowered as a deliberating and
decision-making body. This must be established as a matter of urgency,
before the 25 May donors meeting, to allow donors to make informed and
realistic proposals.

It is essential that ASEAN helps the regime overcome its paranoia of being
invaded by clean water, plastic sheeting, food and medicines. Decisive steps
on this will signal to the people of Burma that ASEAN is indeed working for
their benefit.

SAPA is concerned that the ASEAN-led mechanism is not misused as a means to
shield the Burmese junta from its obligation to cooperate with the
international community. ASEAN has said that international assistance should
not be politicized, therefore it must ensure that help reaches those in
need, regardless of their political affiliation, ethnicity or religion.
ASEAN must also be prepared to work with all stakeholders to guarantee
accountability and transparency so that aid is not used to coerce or induce
people to join militias or junta-aligned groups.

In the 17 days since Cyclone Nargis devastated one of the most densely
populated and economically significant zones in Burma, the junta has denied
aid to most of the survivors, choosing instead to focus its resources on a
sham referendum. It has refused to accept assistance offered in good faith
by ASEAN dialogue partners, and has even declined to take the phone calls of
the UN Secretary General.

The cyclone-affected communities will not be able to survive any recurrence
of such tactics. The governments of ASEAN and the international community
must not tolerate anymore delays.

Note:

*ASEAN Dialogue Partners are Australia, Canada, China, European Union,
India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russian Federation and the
United States.



*SAPA previously made a statement on Cyclone Nargis on May 16.



SAPA Working Group on the ASEAN, together with:

ALTSEAN Burma

Burma Partnership

Focus on the Global South

Forum-Asia. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

Human Rights Working Group, Indonesia

IID Initiatives for International Dialogue

MFA Migrant Forum in Asia

SEACA South East Asian Committee for Advocacy

SUARAM Suara Rakyat Malaysia

SWAN Shan Womens Action Network

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About SAPA:

Founded in 2006, SAPA or the Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacies is an
open networking platform for civil society advocacies with governments and
inter-governmental organizations in Asia. SAPA works through functional
groups: the Working Group on ASEAN, the Working Group on Migration and
Labor, the Working Group on the UN, the Task Force on Human Rights in ASEAN,
and the Task Force on Migration in ASEAN.

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For more information, please contact:

BURMA PARTNERSHIP: Khin Ohmar + 6681 884 0772


SWAN/ SHAN WOMENS ACTION NETWORK: Charm Tong ,
   +6681 603 6655
 
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