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.