Myanmar, Thailand cooperate in weather forecasting

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Myanmar and Thailand are cooperating technically in promoting Myanmar's weather forecasting and rehabilitation work in cyclone-hit areas, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday.

The cooperation is being carried out between Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) and Thailand's International Development Cooperation Agency, National Institute of Emergency Medicine Service System and Weather Forecast Bureau.

Promotion of capacity building of Myanmar's DMH, national multi-hazard early warning system and the rehabilitation work on cyclone-affected areas related to agriculture, health, social and education sectors, disaster preparedness plan and joint work procedure are covered by the cooperation project, the report said.


In July last year, two months after cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, Thailand started to seek ways of establishing in Myanmar an early warning network system against cyclone.

A Thai delegation, led by Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Mun Patanotai, visited the country then, meeting with its Myanmar counterpart and the ASEAN-Myanmar-United Nations Tripartite Core Group.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has set up an emergency telecommunication center (ETC) in Yangon to help for quick communication access in disaster relief and restoration works.

Deadly cyclone Nargis hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2 and 3 last year, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the official announcement.

Source:Xinhua