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The Asean ’coalition of mercy’ from Aceh to Burma

I Teofisto Guingona
If any nation knows what it is like to be rocked by a natural disaster, it is Indonesia. When the Indian Ocean tsunami hit in December 2004 a series of high tidal waves roared along the east and west coast of Aceh, leaving 132,000 dead or missing and 500,000 homeless.
Within days, Aceh, once off limits to the outside world, was the centre of the world's largest ever humanitarian operation. This makes Indonesia the Asean nation with the most experience in mounting a massive local and international humanitarian response in a complex political environment.
So, at this week's Asean meeting in Singapore, Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda will be the best person in the room to offer advice, assistance and support on the response to Cyclone Nargis to his Burmese counterpart foreign minister NyanWin.
The Aceh response was a con-^ned effort from around the 'vorid, with incredible momentum
and energy. The Indonesian government immediately recognised the scale of the disaster and took a bold decision: it opened Aceh up to aid workers from across the archipelago and the world.
The people of Indonesia, with the support of international aid agencies, led the charge to reach the men. women and children in need. Many nations in the region helped too, for example the Malaysian and Singaporean air forces assisted with helicopters and ships.
Aid arrived from all over the world. Humanitarian agencies such as the Red Cross and Oxfam were quickly on the scene pumping clean water to thousands of people, establishing primary health care facilities and providing other life saving aid.
All of this was done using the skills and technical expertise of many local staff and volunteers, backed-up by the know-how and compassion of the world's leading humanitarian disaster experts.
The Aceh response was far from perfect but it succeeded in a major aim: there was no second wave of deaths through waterborne dis ease. There was commitment from the aid agencies and the government, who made a concerted effort to reach the vulnerable across Aceh.
There are striking parallels with today's humanitarian crisis in Burma. And that's why there is a chance that Burma, like the Indonesian government, can achieve a similar success in saving lives.
The Indonesian government and people feel the plight of the people of Burma who face hunger and disease. Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said last week that Asean could and would play a leading role in the response to Cyclone Nargis through a "coalition of mercy."
The Burmese government has made a welcome announcement that it will accept aid workers from the proposed Asean "coalition of mercy.’’ But it remains unconvinced about the benefit of allowing large numbers of international aid workers into the country.
At the Asean ministerial meeting, Indonesia, with its humanitarian emergency experience, is in a unique position to assist and support the Burmese government with their response to Cyclone Nargis.
Asean has a vital role to play, too, in working with the government of Burma to allow greater access to humanitarian agencies to enter the country and to respond. Granting of visas for humanitarian agency personnel to work with the Asean "coalition of mercy" would help save lives.
The death toll of 100,000 dead is shocking, but nothing can bring those people back. Instead, we must concentrate on the 2.5 million people in Burma who survived but are now thirsty, hungry, sick, homeless and traumatised.
They are at risk of a massive and deadly outbreak of cholera, diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever --a risk that increases everyday.
Indonesia can be at the forefront of Asean's attempts to limit the second wave of death. They should use a mixture of dialogue, persuasion and genuine empathy to persuade the government of Myanmar to take the bold step of opening their territory up to the specialists -•- from tire region and the wider world -- who can. help save lives.
Tho author is former vice prosldonl of the Philippines.
© Asia News Network. All nghts reserved Reprinted by arrangement with Philippine Daily Inquirer