The Indonesian government, as the current Asean chair, has donated US$1 million to assist flood victims in Thailand.
Heru Wicaksono, the Indonesian consul based in Songkhla, said the disaster relief money has been donated to Thailand through the Thai charge d'affaires in Indonesia, Wuthi Wuthisant.
The Indonesian government has also donated disaster relief money of $500,000 (15.28 million baht) to Vietnam and $400,000 each to Cambodia, Laos, Burma and the Philippines.
Mr Wicaksono said the Indonesian government was looking at setting up an Asean coordination centre to extend humanitarian assistance and to cope better with natural disasters in an integrated manner.
The move is intended to boost the grouping's capacity to help members handle the impact of natural disasters.
Mr Wicaksono said natural disasters in Asean countries have highlighted the importance of enforcing the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, which took effect in December 2009. The agreement established a regional disaster management framework. It contains provisions such as disaster risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, and rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Laos has delivered 192,000 bottles of water to Thailand to help flooded areas that are facing a shortage of drinking water.
No comments:
Post a Comment