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CANBERRA: Australia has committed an extra US$29 million to Myanmar cyclone relief, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Wednesday.
The pledge almost doubles the funds Australia has provided since Cyclone Nargis slammed into the southeast Asian nation in early May, leaving about 138,000 people dead or missing.
"This assistance will help those in greatest need, in particular women, children and the displaced," Smith said in a statement.
Smith praised UN and ASEAN officials coordinating relief efforts in Myanmar, saying their efforts provided a model for future collaboration in the country.
"(But) while the international community has worked hard to bring aid to cyclone-affected communities in the wake of the disaster, many still need basic assistance," he said.
Myanmar's ruling generals - wary of any outside interference - at first blocked entry to many foreign aid workers and relief shipments, and only relented after a personal visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Monday released a report saying that rebuilding Myanmar's cyclone-devastated south and bringing aid to millions of survivors will cost US$1 billion over the next three years.
- AFP/yb
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