SUBANG: Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan today begins a one-day visit to Myanmar as part of a humanitarian mission following the devastating earthquake that struck the country on March 28.
The humanitarian mission is jointly led by Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa, symbolising close Asean cooperation in humanitarian response and reflecting regional solidarity and support for the people of Myanmar.
Malaysia, as the Asean chair, and Thailand are spearheading this initiative, as agreed upon during the Asean foreign ministers’ special emergency meeting chaired by Mohamad via video conference last Sunday to discuss follow-up actions in response to the disaster affecting both Myanmar and Thailand.
In a statement on Friday, the foreign affairs ministry said while in Nay Pyi Taw, Mohamad and Maris are scheduled to meet with Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing and foreign minister U Than Shwe.
The two ministers will also receive a briefing from the Asean coordinating centre for humanitarian assistance on disaster management regarding ongoing relief and humanitarian operations.
Additionally, Mohamad is expected to highlight Asean’s coordinated disaster response efforts and Malaysia’s contributions to date, including the deployment of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Coinciding with the visit, Malaysia’s second batch of humanitarian aid weighing 15 tonnes will arrive in Nay Pyi Taw. The aid will be delivered as part of Asean’s collective relief efforts.
On March 30, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the Malaysian government would provide RM10 million in humanitarian aid as an initial contribution to Myanmar, which has been severely affected by the natural disaster.
On the same day, Malaysia also deployed two RMAF A400M aircraft carrying members of the SMART team and personnel from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to Myanmar for search and rescue (SAR) operations.
On March 28, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, with Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Nay Pyi Taw among the hardest-hit areas. The tremors also affected neighbouring Thailand.
As of Thursday, the death toll in Myanmar from the earthquake had risen to 3,145, with 4,589 people injured and 221 reported missing.
