NAY PYI TAW: Malaysia and Thailand held a meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of Myanmar’s State Administration Council (SAC) on Saturday, during a one-day official visit as part of a joint humanitarian mission to Myanmar following the devastating earthquake on March 28.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and his Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa represented their respective countries in the trilateral meeting held at Sin Phyu Taw Hall in Nay Pyi Taw.
Following the meeting, Mohamad and Maris also met with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Than Shwe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs compound in the capital.
During the session, U Than Shwe showed the visiting ministers parts of the ministry building that had collapsed or been damaged by the natural disaster.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated earlier that the visit reflects Malaysia’s commitment and proactive leadership as ASEAN Chair this year in supporting Myanmar’s post-earthquake recovery efforts.
Mohamad highlighted ASEAN’s coordinated disaster response efforts and Malaysia’s contributions so far, including the deployment of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
On March 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the Malaysian government had pledged RM10 million in initial humanitarian aid for Myanmar in response to the disaster.
On the same day, Malaysia dispatched two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M aircraft carrying SMART personnel and officials from the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) to support search and rescue operations.
The powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake claimed 3,145 lives, injured 4,589, and left 221 missing.
It also caused extensive damage in several areas including Mandalay, Bago, Magway, northeastern Shan State, Sagaing, and Naypyidaw, and impacted neighbouring Thailand.
