'The' Natural Disaster

Seems that recently has happened quite a number of disasters. In a week or two only, there are already around 3 (at least I knew about) local and international major disaster.

1. Typhoon in Sarawak Area

Feel some extremely strong winds a few days, especially yesterdays. Looked over today's newspaper, just knew that was a typhoon invaded in Sarawak area, which Miri affected the most. They called the strong wind @ typhoon as Ramasun or 拉马逊台风 in Chinese.

A huge number of people are homeless and several locations in Miri are in chaos because of this.

This is one of the news that I get in The Star. Click here

2. Myanmar Cyclone / Storm Flood

And then what I recently knew about is the Myanmar cyclone. If recalled it correctly, they named the cyclone - Nargis, which happened in 3rd May. The second cyclone just appeared in Myanmar (again) in a few days ago and it has further jeopardize the people who survived on Nargis and halted the recover of the country.

This is the news that I get in The Star, and several Chinese e-news.

Red Cross estimates up to 128,000 died in Myanmar cyclone
緬甸‧送進政府收容所‧安頓數萬災民

3. Sichuan Earthquake

China is going to organize Olympic 2008 just in less than 100 days. After settled the problem of Tibet - riot about Olympics, and now comes another problem - the earthquake in Sichuan. Sichuan is a landlocked area surrounded with mountains, happens a massive earhquake - 7.9 magnitude and causes around 50000 people in the death toll - and still rising. The whole city has became into ruins and supposed to be say, the Chinese government might have trouble in aiding the inland area as for the doctors also having problem in the medical services (limited medicine, no electricity, location problem...)

You know - 8 was being known as a lucky number for Chinese? But this earthquake happens 88 days before the Olympic in China, which have the ceremony in the 2008-8-8 at 8pm. What does this means?

There are several galleries of photos about the situation in Sichuan. These galleries are in Sin Chew-i though, so it is in Chinese.

Click here to go into the link. Inside here, there should be several categories of photos available at the middle left frame of that website.




At these cases, I can made out with this summary.

Let's opt out with the local disaster as it just happens in a moment ago. Try to compare the disaster that Myanmar and China now. It is clear that China is an industrial and agriculture country, and Myanmar is an agriculture country which serves as one of the major country that produces rice. China is also getting ready to organize the Olympics at this moment. Both countries face such devastating impact, seems that the supply of rice will face the problem soon and how will China prepare for the sport event in the moment?

At this moment, humanism (人道援助) is the important key for both countries, especially on the government. In China, approximately 8 hours after the earthquake happens, Sir Wen Jia Bao (溫家寶, Chinese prime minister / premier) was in the tragedy area to soothe the victims of Sichuan, and commanded the rescue team to commence their jobs. Around 50000 of total of army and police troops also arrived as soon as they can to the area, trying to evacuate the citizens and do the rescue job on the buried grounds. Supplies, rations, tents and some needs were sent to there at the same time along with medical team too.

Of course, there still got a lot of critics too - for example: As in today's technology and science, why does the Chinese government did not send out any warning to let them know? Why they cannot tell when this is going to happen?

Now - have a view at Myanmar. It seems that the government of Myanmar has done nothing that is admirable, if compared to China (China's rapid response and aid, even in political attention, is really worth for the admiralty). If we view on the current condition of Myanmar, after facing such disaster, the victims will facing a lot of problem as insufficient needs and supplies, as well as health hazards. Without shelter and heavy rains due to the monsoon is also a crisis to the Myanmar citizens. This is what I found in The Star, from UN and USA political members and USA ambassador about Myanmar when he mentioned about this crisis (in italics):

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday sharply criticized Myanmar's military junta, whose leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe has refused to take his calls, expressing "deep concern and immense frustration'' at "the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis.'' On Tuesday, Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs, followed up saying: "We fear a second catastrophe unless we're able to put in place quickly a maximum of aid and a major logistical effort comparable with the response to the tsunami.''

U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas was asked Tuesday whether the secretary-general was concerned that China has not yet said what kind of help the U.N. could provide to the earthquake victims.

"I don't think he is that concerned because so far, he doesn't have any reports that aid is not reaching the survivors and that the survivors are not being taken care of,'' she replied. "I think his concern was about the situation in Myanmar, because of the fact that people were not receiving aid.''

'The situation in Burma is very, very different,'' Sawers said, using the former name for Myanmar. "There, the scale of the disaster is a whole lot greater. The risk of water-borne disease, lack of clean sanitation -- all these problems are going to escalate over the days to come.''

He warned that "the death toll can double or more because of the lack of basic health care facilities and clean water and food and shelter -- and with heavy rains expected in southern Burma in the days ahead that can only make things even worse.''

The secretary-general, Sawers, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad all expressed concern at reports that desperately needed food and aid from the U.N. and other organizations that has arrived in Myanmar is being diverted to non-cyclone victims, though no one had independent evidence.

Sawers said the reports underline the need for the Myanmar government to accept that it does not have the capacity to distribute aid to 1.5 million people.

"This is not a slight on Burma,'' he said. "No country of that size could cope with delivering aid to 1.5 million people.''

Besides, Sawers said, "the Burmese army are not a humanitarian organization'' and are not geared up for humanitarian operations, so the government should leave distribution to experts from the U.N. and international organizations who have the skills to get help in before it's too late.'

and

Admittedly, Myanmar has always been a political hotspot. From the EU to Asean, from NGOs to individuals, the world has tried all sorts of things to move the regime on political reforms which the ruling junta has been steadfast in rejecting.

But at times like this, let us pray that politics will be put aside. May good sense prevail, and may the junta acknowledge and accept all aid as sincere efforts from the globalised world.

All the money and supplies already collected will be of no use unless they find their way to where they are needed most. And every second counts.

Over the weekend, I heard a Malaysian official with the Food for the Hungry organisation (on transit in Kuala Lumpur because the visa had not been approved) emotionally appealing for a softening of the hearts of the generals so that they can move in to help.

“Drinking water is now the big issue. Unless the survivors can get ample supply, they will become victims of water-borne diseases like cholera,” he said.

Unless help is given fast, the second wave of deaths could potentially be larger than the first.

Compared to Myanmar, the stories and the images out of China show a nation fully galvanized to help in the search for survivors. The ordinary people further away are donating blood in mobile clinics even as troops and medical personnel rush to the scene. The world, international aid agencies in particular, must be relieved that this is not Myanmar all over again.

China's handling of its disaster contrasts sharply with the way Myanmar's junta has responded to its cyclone crisis. The generals have attached stringent conditions to offers of aid and they are scrambling to draw a veil of secrecy over the disaster, which is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people.

They said so, but they have their point. Myanmar's junta rejects the aid of USA in supplies to the countries. Making out with strict rules and visas just to sending out the supplies to Myanma, yes, Myanmar has start receiving supplies and aids from professionals - but is it a little to late? More even worse, some of the military men in Myanmar claims the supplies that is the juntas aid to the victims, not the aiding country, and the businessmen in Myanmar also rise up the price of water and rations to around 3 times of the normal price. A Chinese news mentioned one of these:

外国援助箱写上将军名字 缅军冒认捐赈济品

Gosh, how horrible. What a shame for the Myanmar generals. Showing out their ego by turning down the aid and compassion of the people in the midst of the tragedy in Myanmar.

And sums up from that, we should be lucky that we live in Malaysia and we have a caring heart. Why don't donate to these victims, either local or international as you can, as there are several services that accepting donations in various ways (in SMS, calling, cash, cheque, items)? Even a cent is also a help to them, even it is not a lot, but still there is the 'least' and the caring heart.

Anyway, just hopefully that this problems and disasters will be overcome as soon as possible. See out who, or what is the real disaster at these cases though.

(Again, no point of insulting on the governments as they are really found on the newspapers and online)

Source of the News:

Kwang Hwa Ri Bao - www.kongwah.com.my
The Stars Online - www.thestar.com.my
Sin Chew Jit Poh - www.sinchew.com.my