00:00Thailand and Malaysia have proposed a joint recovery framework to help Myanmar rebuild
00:24after the devastating earthquake that struck the country earlier this year,
00:29according to a senior Thai official.
00:33Ducit Manapan, an advisor to the Thai Foreign Minister, told FMT that the proposal involved
00:39the collaboration of the Myanmar government, ASEAN and international organizations under
00:44the coordination of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster
00:49Management.
00:51Thailand and Malaysia, we were the first two countries that initiated the idea of leading
01:05the efforts, the ASEAN efforts, to Myanmar and trying to bring in, mobilize assistance from
01:13other ASEAN countries and from the countries outside ASEAN as well.
01:19However, he said this would require more resources and intensive efforts, both financially and
01:26technically, and that the full process is likely to be long and complex, given the widespread
01:31impact of the earthquake.
01:34Now, you know, about two months past, the so-called first phase of the search and rescue has finished.
01:43We are entering the next phase, which is the recovery phase, which requires more resources
01:51intensive, both financially and technically.
01:56It will be long, it will be long, because the impact from the earthquake is huge.
02:01As ASEAN Chair this year, Malaysia is leading regional humanitarian efforts in Myanmar, while
02:06Thailand, which shares a border with Myanmar, is deeply invested in its recovery due to the
02:11spillover effects of the crisis.
02:14Ducit also revealed that the foreign ministers of Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines were
02:19planning a joint visit to Myanmar to assess the impact of ongoing disaster relief efforts
02:25following the earthquake, adding that the visit would also serve as a chance to engage with
02:30the Myanmar government on challenging political issues.
02:33after, you know, the we provide assistance, we do need to assess or evaluate the situation
02:46before taking another step, which is the recovery step.
02:52The joint visit would provide an opportunity to discuss on some political issues, you know, and we
03:02are hopeful that, you know, ASEAN can have a frank and candid discussion with the leaders of the
03:10Myanmar government on very challenging, you know, issues like, you know, the announced elections and what we can ask Myanmar to do.
03:21to show some gesture before, you know, leading up, leading up to the announced election.
03:30Naratha Raja, FMT.
