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BANGKOK - Southeast Asian foreign ministers will consider sending the head of the regional ASEAN bloc to cyclone-hit Myanmar, Thailand's foreign minister said Sunday.
The proposal will be discussed at a meeting in Singapore on Monday, with the 10-state Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) under pressure to get member Myanmar to widen the cyclone disaster relief effort.
Fast Facts
Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said one option would be to send the bloc's secretary general, Surin Pitsuwan, and that the meeting would also look at what the group could do to handle natural disasters in future.
"We will talk about whether ASEAN secretary general Dr Surin will visit Myanmar to assess the damage," Noppadon said.
Cyclone Nargis ripped through southwest Myanmar overnight May 2, leaving more than 133,000 people dead or missing at the official count.
ASEAN member states, including Singapore and Thailand, have individually sent aid to Myanmar, whose ruling generals have accepted relief goods but have refused to allow most foreign disaster experts in to supervise the aid effort.
The bloc, which has a long tradition of non-interference in the affairs of its member states, has frequently been criticised for going easy on the military government that rules Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. - AFP/ir
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