Nordic countries promised to provide emergency aid to Myanmar, where a cyclone has killed tens of thousands of people, according to reports reaching here Wednesday.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)decided to offer 2.5 million U.S. dollars to the victims of Myanmar in an initial phase.
Swedish International Development Cooperation Minister Gunilla Carlsson said Sweden was prepared to offer "logistical assistance and equipment to purify water" to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Norwegian government has allocated about 2 million U.S. dollars to be used in emergency aid for cyclone-hit Myanmar.
Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim said the situation is extremely difficult for the Myanmar people hit by the recent cyclone, so the Norwegian government decided to provide emergency aid to Myanmar.
Finish Foreign Trade and Development Minister Paavo Vayrynen said 465,000 U.S. dollars were to be channeled to the cyclone victims of Myanmar via the Finnish Red Cross.
The Danish government has pledged to commit some 2 million U.S. dollars for the victims in Myanmar. The Danish funds were to be channeled mainly via the Red Cross and UN. Denmark's ambassador to Thailand was heading Wednesday to Rangoon, the former capital of Myanmar in an effort to assess the needs.
Tropical cyclone Nargis, which developed over the Bay of Bengal, ripped through Myanmar's five divisions and states on Friday, leaving at least 22,500 people dead and more than 41,000 others missing, according to reports from Myanmar.
Source:Xinhua
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