UPDATE - Cyclone Mocha 'largely destroyed' shelters for displaced in northern Myanmar, ASEAN finds

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM BANGLADESH, REVISES HEAD, LEAD, THROUGHOUT

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) — Cyclone Mocha, which hit Myanmar last month, "largely destroyed" temporary shelters for the displaced in the northern parts of the country, a bloc of countries in the region said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also announced $1.64 million in humanitarian aid for affected people.

Around 700,000 houses were damaged throughout the country due to Cyclone Mocha, according to the UN Development Program.

ASEAN noted that its Emergency Response and Assessment Team completed the initial evaluation of the affected areas in Myanmar, identifying immediate needs last week.

As more heavy rainfall is expected, increasing the risk of floods and landslides due to seasonal monsoons, ASEAN has scheduled the transportation of more relief supplies on June 16-22 by sea.

The relief items dispatched to Myanmar from a warehouse in Subang, Malaysia, include essential non-food items including shelter equipment and kits, as well as water sanitation and hygiene supplies, at a total value of $1.64 million.

The final batches, comprising of non-food items and water and sanitation hygiene kits, are expected to arrive in Myanmar on June 20 and 27.

The UN Development Program last Friday warned that the current response for Myanmar is "not enough."

ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 member states, including Myanmar, in Southeast Asia. It promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, and sociocultural integration among its members in Asia-Pacific.

It also provides humanitarian assistance, through its Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, to Myanmar, while the special envoy was assigned to undertake visits to Myanmar to "meet with all parties concerned."

Later in the day, Bangladesh's diplomatic mission in Yangon, the country's most populous city, handed 120 tons of relief items over to local authorities.

The shipment, which included dry foods and medicines, was meant for cyclone-hit residents of the country's western Rakhine state.

The relief was delivered on a Bangladeshi navy vessel, the Dhaka said in a Foreign Ministry statement.

*SM Najmus Sakib contributed from Bangladesh