New Delhi – The United Nations on Thursday made a fresh appeal, urging governments across the globe to donate US $ 300 million more to help Burma recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone Nargis, which left more than 138,000 dead and missing.
Laksmita Noviera spokesperson of the UN Coordination Office Myanmar said the fresh appeal was revised and based on the assessment undertaken by the Tripartite Core Group of the UN, Asean, the Burmese government and NGOs.
"Based on the results of the TCG assessment, we now have a clearer or the big picture of the residual needs," said Noviera.
"We are hoping that the donors will continue to support the humanitarian organizations working in Myanmar [Burma]," she added.
The UN on Thursday launched the second appeal for donation to help victims of Cyclone Nargis that struck Burma on May 2 and 3.
The UN received a total of US $ 201 million after the first appeal and made a revised appeal based on the assessment conducted by the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment teams, said Noviera.
PONJA, which comprised 38 teams, conducted an extensive survey covering over 250 cyclone affected villages in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions. It released an initial report in the end of June. But the full report is to be released on July 20-21.
Burma's military government had requested the international community including the UN to provide US$ 11 billion for emergency relief and reconstruction work in the cyclone affected areas.
However, the Burmese junta, which initially restricted movement of international aid agencies, including the UN, to help cyclone victims, failed to receive the requested amount.
Ironically, the junta in its mouthpiece newspaper, New Light of Myanmar, on Friday attacked several developed countries for spending more on wars but failing to respond to the humanitarian crisis including Burma.
The article in the state-run newspaper said, the US in the Gulf War in 1991, spent 650 million dollars in the first day, 80 billion dollars on the 43-day air-army operation, and about 100 billion dollars in total for the whole war.
In response to US request, Japan contributed 10.7 billion dollars, Germany, 6.6 billion dollars, and Australia, 250 million, the article added.
"Powerful countries have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. How much will they spend on rehabilitation of victims of Cyclone 'Nargis'?" the paper asked.
Despite its accusations, the Burmese regime disallowed US, French and British aid ships from entering its coast. The aid ships, which carried aid supplies including helicopters, withdrew after waiting for nearly a month.
The Burmese military junta welcomed aid supply but not international aid workers until the United Nations Chief Ban Ki-moon persuaded Burma's military Supremo Snr. Gen Than Shwe on May 23 to relent.
Though the United Nations said it needed more funding, the international community's response to its appeal is positive as it has been able to obtain about 75 percent after the first appeal.
"I don't think it is a slow process because the first appeal brought in 75 per cent… I don't think it is a slow process," Noviera said.
