10,865 updates found
Toggle text

TSF assistance to the UN assessment teams in Burma

Teams from TSF arrived in Burma on Friday last week in the aftermath of typhoon Mahasen at the request of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); they will be deployed as of tomorrow morning in the State of Rakhine to assist the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination teams (UNDAC).

In the first days of the disaster response, TSF experts will assess damage to telecoms infrastructure and provide telecommunications support to the evaluation teams using the specialized equipment that the NGO brings with it.

Toggle text

World + 37 others
Global Emergency Overview Snapshot 13 - 21 May 2013

The Global Overview collates information from a range of sources and displays it in a manner that allows for quick comparison of different humanitarian crises.

Toggle text

Myanmar + 1 other
Cyclone Mahasen update

Report
CARE

Following assessments, CARE emergency teams in Myanmar and Bangladesh found that Cyclone Mahasen caused little damage as it passed over coastal Bangladesh and spared Myanmar almost entirely.

“Thankfully, Cyclone Mahasen has not had the impact that we feared in Myanmar, but the Government’s and all stakeholders’ efforts and preparedness to respond have been laudable," said Brian Agland, CARE Country Director in Myanmar.

Toggle text

Myanmar Progresses Towards Armed Forces Without Children

New York, 20 May 2013 – Myanmar is making progress towards the realization of its commitment to end the recruitment and use of children in its armed forces.

“The signature of an action plan in June 2012 was a major breakthrough and I commend the Government of Myanmar for taking important steps to better protect children,“ said Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Toggle text

Myanmar president calls for end to communal violence

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - Myanmar President Thein Sein urged Monday an end to intercommunal violence and discrimination after hearing a call from US President Barack Obama to put a stop to anti-Muslim attacks.

In a speech after his landmark White House meeting, the leader of the former pariah nation said he wanted a "more inclusive national identity" but did not directly mention the plight of the beleaguered Rohingya community.

Agence France-Presse:

©AFP: The information provided in this product is for personal use only. None of it may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express permission of Agence France-Presse.

Toggle text

Humanitarian Coordinator highlights close collaboration during Tropical Storm Mahasen

(Yangon, 20 May 2013) Tropical Storm Mahasen weakened and dissipated on 17 May, with Rakhine State spared any serious impact, according to the latest assessments undertaken by humanitarian agencies. “The Government responded decisively and proactively to the threat of the storm, taking steps to address the needs of the most vulnerable and provide safety for those most at risk, in collaboration with humanitarian agencies,” the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Ashok Nigam, said. The majority of over 100,000 people that were moved to safer places have returned voluntarily.

Toggle text

Myanmar + 8 others
Asia-Pacific Region 14 - 20 May, 2013, Natural Disasters and Other Events being monitored by the OCHA Regional Office for the Asia-Pacific

  1. Bangladesh - Tropical Storm Mahasen struck southern districts on 16 May. The Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) is ongoing and preliminary findings are due to be presented tomorrow (21 May). 17 people have reportedly lost their lives, JNA results will provide a better understand of the impact of the cyclone on shelter and livelihoods.
    Source: PDC, OCHA Flash Update No. 7

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.

Toggle text

World + 12 others
Asia Pacific Food Situation Update - May 2013

(Extract)

Wheat and rice prices mostly fall around the region

Strong production generally kept domestic prices around the region stable or drove them slightly down for wheat, wheat flour and rice, except in India and Myanmar where government procurement programmes pushed prices higher. Overall, however, prices were mostly higher than at the same time last year, according to FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS).

Toggle text

After cyclone, Myanmar camps face monsoon threat

Myanmar's victims of sectarian strife were spared the full force of Cyclone Mahasen, but many are now returning to flimsy tents in flood-prone camps with the rainy season just weeks away.

Agence France-Presse:

©AFP: The information provided in this product is for personal use only. None of it may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express permission of Agence France-Presse.

Toggle text

Reforming telecommunications in Burma - Human rights and responsible investment in mobile and the internet

Burma: Telecoms Risk Complicity in Surveillance, Censorship

Mobile, Internet Companies Need Rights Safeguards as They Enter Market

Human Rights Watch:



© Copyright, Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA

Toggle text

New Doubts About Pace of Reforms

Obama Should Press Visiting Burmese President to Keep Past Rights Pledges

(Washington, DC, May 17, 2013) – The United States should use the upcoming visit by Burma’s president to ask tough questions about the slowing pace of human rights reforms and insist on implementation of past commitments, Human Rights Watch said today. President Barack Obama is hosting a visit to Washington, DC, by Burma’s president Thein Sein on May 20-21, 2013.

Human Rights Watch:



© Copyright, Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA

Toggle text

Bangladesh + 1 other
UN OCHA Flash Update 7, Cyclone Mahasen, Bangladesh and Myanmar

After making landfall in Bangladesh and moving forward to the northeast away from Myanmar, Tropical Cyclone Mahasen weakened and dissipated on 17 May. Relevant storm tracking sites stopped tracking the weather system once it moved over northern Bangladesh early on 17 May.

As of midday today, the Government of Bangladesh had reported six deaths, and a limited number of people in flood affected districts were injured. While assessments are ongoing, in light of the potential damage anticipated over the last five days, reported damage to houses has been limited.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit http://unocha.org/.

Toggle text

Bangladesh + 1 other
Cyclone Mahasen: how Burma and Bangladesh prepared – in pictures

Report
Guardian

As cyclone Mahasen headed towards Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, local authorities and aid agencies such as World Vision helped to minimise the dangers for people in vulnerable, low-lying areas. The Rohinga Muslim community, many living in camps in Burma's Rakhine state, were particularly at risk. Aid workers helped to evacuate 1 million people to shelters during the storm, which weakened without causing major devastation

Toggle text

Cyclone Mahasen updates

Report
MERCY Malaysia

MERCY Malaysia Head of Relief Operation, Hew Cheong Yew is currently in the Rakhine region, assessing the needs of the distressed community, as well as providing basic medical aid

According Hew, he is now working together with the local government as well as other NGOs in the area to serve those who have been relocated due to Cyclone Mahasen to schools and monasteries which are currently being used as evacuation centers

Toggle text

Thousands of Evacuees Return to IDP Camps, After Cyclone Misses Arakan

Report
Irrawaddy

SITTWE, Arakan State—Many evacuated Rohingya and Buddhist Arakanese began returning to their camps on Friday, after Cyclone Mahasen had missed Burma a day earlier. Although many Rohingyas were glad to have avoided the storm, some complained that life at the camp sites would continue to be extremely difficult.

By Friday afternoon, most evacuated Rohingyas in northern Arakan State had returned to their old camp sites, said James Munn, a public information officer at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).