The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the news that Thailand has given some assistance for the people of Myanmar (Burma) in the aftermath of the cyclone that has devastated the lower part of the country, but strongly feels that far more could be done.
According to the information we have received to date, the initial donation from your country was USD100,000 and nine metric tons of food and medical supplies worth USD284,400 (9 million Thai baht) sent in a C-130 aircraft. We also note that you have expressed your condolences on the part of Thailand for what has happened.
However, apart from the fact that this amount of food and medical assistance is very small in comparison with the size of the disaster, it omits the important role that the people of Thailand could play at this time.
There are many highly talented and skilled persons in your country, both in the government and in public bodies as well as private foundations who could contribute much. In particular, there are many whose experiences and training during and after the Indian Ocean tsunami could be put to great use in response to the cyclone. That your Minister of Foreign Affairs has already rightly pointed to the similarities between this tragedy and that one just a few years ago indicates this fact.
In addition, you have a great deal of equipment in Thailand for this sort of work which is lacking in Myanmar. Reports have it that to date most of the clearance and restoration has been done by ordinary citizens without any sort of specialised support or machinery, as most such things are absent from their country. Lightly injured persons are nursing their wounds at home rather than getting the help they need. However, such machinery and services are available in Thailand, only one hour away from seriously affected areas by plane, and sharing a common border with some of the lesser-affected regions.
Furthermore, the advantage of delivering this sort of assistance is that your government and its representatives will have greater control over its delivery than simply giving money through the embassy of Myanmar or by dropping off some supplies at the airport.
Needless to say, in the event that no effective recovery programmes are put in place in Myanmar there will be direct effects on Thailand. Already the millions of migrant workers coming to your country are as a consequence of a shattered economy and a range of other lingering social and political problems. The recent deaths of 54 people being transported to Phuket for work in the back of a refrigerated transport obtained international headlines and highlighted the desperate conditions in which so many in Myanmar are today forced to live. This cyclone will only greatly exacerbate those conditions. Your work in alleviating them today will ease the burden for your country tomorrow.
Accordingly, we urge you to kindly reconsider your contribution made to date and substantially expand both the amount and type of assistance that you are sending to Myanmar at this critical time for its people, not only in their interests, but in yours too.
Yours sincerely
Basil Fernando
Executive Director
Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong
Cc:
1. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
2. Pol. Maj. Chalerm Yoobumrung, Minister of Interior, Thailand
3. Professor Saneh Chamarik, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, Thailand
