Official media the New Light of Myanmar Tuesday quoted state leaders as saying that the first phase of the country's post-disaster restoration work -- rescue and relief, has finished up to a certain extent.
It is now entering into a second phase which calls for placing emphasis on improving and raising socio-economic lives of cyclone victims and implementation of measures of resettlement and reconstruction, the media stated.
Since the cyclone that hit Myanmar on last May 2-3, Myanmar government has organized forces in relief and resettlement tasks. Social and international strength have also been playing an important role simultaneously.
Reports reaching here from aid groups said it is difficult to effectively resolve the problem of the livelihood of about 2.4 million cyclone victims in a short duration by depending on a certain force alone.
The World Food Program (WFP) said it has provided sufficient food to 575,000 people and is also planning to do so for 663,000 people in the hard-hit areas in the Ayeyawaddy delta.
The Myanmar authorities said the hardest-hit sector was agriculture. The delta region in Ayeyawaddy division stood as Myanmar's "rice bowl".
According to official death toll, the tropical storm not only claimed the lives of 77,738 people, leaving 55,917 missing, 19,359injured and 5.5 million people affected, but also caused destruction with 980,000 hectares of paddy which accounted for 10 percent of Myanmar's paddy cultivated area or a loss of 1.9 million tons of rice.
The disaster also killed 173,000 heads of draught cattle, causing much difficulties for the farmers to resume cultivation.
Myanmar Prime Minister, at an ASEAN-UN international pledging conference held in Yangon, called for the supply of such agricultural implements as fertilizer, fuel and powered tillers which are in badly need to restore cultivation in disaster-hit areas.
Since May 6, a few days after the cyclone, there have been a number of international flights airlifting aid supplies touched down at the Yangon International Airport almost everyday.
Myanmar government officials stressed on different occasions that the country accepts only aid that is not politicized.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had also called on the international community to provide more aid free from politics to Myanmar and facilitation for the move.
Up to present, medics from Thailand, India, Laos, China, Bangladesh, Singapore, the Philippines, France, Japan and Indonesia have successively came to Myanmar to render medical services to cyclone victims after disaster.
U.N. agencies in Myanmar has also begun with its relief action coordinating with Myanmar to seek prompt access to extensive disaster-hit areas to care for all victims.
Observers here said Myanmar is striving hard relentlessly ahead of huge disaster but still need more assistance in reconstruction after disaster.
Source:Xinhua
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