Chinese relief materials arrive at Myanmar biggest city

YANGON—A special big aircraft carrying about 500,000 U.S. dollars’ relief materials from China arrived at the Yangon International Airport Friday morning as the country’s second-batch of such aid materials airlifted to Myanmar.
The another 60-ton relief supplies, laden by Boeing 747-400 aircraft, mainly include medicine, tent, food and drinking water purifier. The aid constitutes part of the fresh emergency aid of 30 million Chinese renminbi yuan.
Myanmar Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Brigadier-General Kyaw Myint told Xinhua at the scene that Myanmar thanks China again for the fresh aid, saying that these relief supplies, along with those arriving from several other countries and regions, are being hurriedly transported to the cyclone-hit regions. The same special Chinese aircraft had earlier brought 60-tons of relief supplies as the first batch worth of 500,000 dollars to Yangon on Wednesday as part of a one million dollars’ emergency relief aid to cyclone-devastated Myanmar. The one million dollars also include emergency money aid of 500,000 dollars.
The first batch of relief supplies was made up of compressed food, tents and blankets among others. More relief materials from China will arrive at the Yangon airport Saturday, the Chinese official sources said. The deadly tropical cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bayof Bengal, severely hit last weekend five divisions and states — Yangon, Bago, Ayeyawaddy, Kayin and Mon, covering such coastal towns in southwestern Ayeyawaddy division as Haing Gyi Island, Pathein, Myaungmya, Laputta, Mawlamyinegyun, Kyaiklat, Phyarpon and Bogalay, and the biggest city of Yangon and sustaining the heaviest ever casualties and infrastructural damage.
According to an updated death toll released up to Thursday afternoon, A total of 22,997 people have died in the tropical cyclone storm Nargis that swept the five divisions and states. Altogether 42,119 people remained missing, leaving 14,003 injured. Earlier, A Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that China will closely follow the disaster relief work in Myanmar and provide assistance.
Spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press conference that China believed that Myanmar’s government and people could overcome the losses caused by the cyclone disaster and resume normal life as soon as possible. He said China has decided to offer 1 million U.S. dollars worth of aid, including relief materials worth 500,000 U.S. dollars, to help Myanmar with its disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Aid is scheduled to begin arriving in Yangon, Myanmar city, on Wednesday, according to a statement on the website of the Ministry of Commerce. The initial materials include tents, bedding and biscuits. “China and Myanmar are friendly neighbors. We will continue to pay close attention to the relief work in Myanmar and provide assistance,” said Qin.
President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi have sent messages of sympathy to Myanmar’s leaders and foreign minister respectively, to express deep condolences. According to Qin, the Chinese government also paid close attention to the situation of the Chinese nationals in Myanmar.

—Xinhua