Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein has outlined a latest measure on resettling cyclone survivors, state-run newspaper the New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday.
If the victims want to stay back in relief camps, the government will render basic needs for them to a certain degree for some time, Thein Sein was quoted as saying.
Those victims, who want to return to their native regions, will be sent back with one-week rations and temporary tents will be built for them in the regions with further arrangements to be made for them to build permanent houses, Thein Sein said during a tour to Myaungmya and Pyinsalu in the cyclone-hit Ayeyawaddy delta Saturday.
In addition, for their long-term livelihood, arrangements will be made for those who are engaged in agriculture to supply power tillers and paddy strains and for fishermen fishing equipment, Thein Sein said.
Myanmar has claimed that the first phase of post-disaster restoration work -- rescue and relief, has finished up to a certain extent and it is now into a second phase of resettlement and reconstruction.
Under the post-disaster restoration plan, 30 Myanmar private companies have been engaged in the restoration work in cyclone-hit regions, undertaking resettlement work in 17 affected townships.
Meanwhile, hard-hit townships such as Laputta, Ngaputtaw, Mawlamyinegyun, Bogalay and Dedaye in the Ayeyawaddy delta and Kungyangon in Yangon division have started ploughing monsoon paddy after paddy strains and draught-cattle-substitute powered tillers were provided to local farmers.
Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon suffered the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.
Myanmar estimated the damages and losses caused by the storm at 10.67 billion U.S. dollars with 5.5 million people affected. The storm has killed 77,738 people and left 55,917 missing and 19,359 injured, according to official statistics.
(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2008)
