UN chief warns of second wave of deaths in Asia

UN chief warns of second wave of deaths in Asia

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Jakarta

Asia could be hit by a second wave of deaths, this time from preventable causes, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told an emergency summit on Thursday in Jakarta.

"We will never know the exact magnitude of how many men, women and children have perished in the 11 days since (the tsunami), the real figure is likely to exceed 150,000," Annan said.

"We do know at least half-a-million were injured, that nearly two million need food aid and that many more need water sanitation and health care," he said. "We have a duty to the survivors to stop the tsunami from being followed by a second wave of death this time from preventable causes," he said.

"The goodwill and concern around the world are enormous, so are the challenges facing us. There are daunting logistical constraints but they are not insurmountable," he told the gathering.

At a press conference later in the day Annan said he expects donor countries to promptly honor their aid commitments.

Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had called for an unprecedented response to the Asian tsunami in his opening address to a one-day emergency summit in Jakarta. "What the victims went through beggars the imagination," he said. "This tragedy has been a humbling experience, it proves no nation can survive alone," Susilo told the gathering.

He called on all of the countries present at the meeting to meet the combined cost of the catastrophe. "Our response to this unprecedented catastrophe must be equally unprecedented so that we immediately put an end to the human suffering and misery that came later," he said.

The one-day emergency summit is an attempt to coordinate the massive aid effort for tsunami-hit countries, with more than 20 leaders from donor and affected countries and international organizations attending.

Among the highest profile delegates are Annan, World Bank President James Wolfensohn and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Country leaders at the conference include the prime ministers of Japan, China, Australia and South Korea.

Thailand's Foreign Minister, Surakiart Sathirathai proposed that his country host a regional early warning system to limit the damage in future disasters.

"At the regional level early warning is the key to disaster prevention," he told the meeting. "We are prepared to go ahead on this issue by ourselves if necessary, but we would prefer coordinated action on a regional basis.

Heads of charities and aid agencies from all over the world are also in attendance to discuss ways to ensure that aid is distributed as efficiently as possible.

"One of our hopes (from the conference) is even greater coordination and cooperation that are or will be offering assistance," Dave Toyten, chief executive of international Christian charity World Vision, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).

The conference was proposed by Singapore and was organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional grouping of Cambodia, Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Myanmar's (Burma's) Prime Minister Soe Win said the country had only 59 dead, three missing and 43 injured from the giant wave. "The situation in our country is manageable and we are doing our best to alleviate the plight of our people. We welcome the help and assistance that has been provided," Win told the meeting.

Independent aid groups, however, said the toll in Myanmar may be much higher, but the country's secretive ruling junta refuses to allow foreign relief workers or journalists into the country.