Singapore Donates S$100,000 worth of Aid for People in Rakhine State
Singapore delivered S$100,000 worth of relief supplies for people in conflict-hit Rakhine State. Singapore’s Ambassador to Myanmar Robert Chua handed the supplies to officials at the Office of National Disaster Management Organisation in Yangon on Dec 14.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in October sent S$270,000 worth of humanitarian supplies to Bangladesh for Bengali refugees from Myanmar. The supplies donated by the SAF and Mercy Relief organisation included tents, solar lamps and dignity kits containing shawls, sanitary napkins and soap for women. The relief package also included blankets, food and medical supplies. “The relief supplies will be distributed to all those in need, regardless of ethnicity or religion. We hope that our contribution will help to alleviate the suffering of the people,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a Facebook post.
Global Fund to Grant Myanmar $321 Million Aid
The Global Fund on December 6 announced a $321.44 million of aid to help Myanmar fight three diseases – tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria.
The Global Fund is an international financing organisation that aims to attract and disburse additional resources to prevent and treat HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A delegation of the Global Fund pledged the assistance during a meeting with Dr Myint Htwe, Minister for Health and Sports on December 6. Out of the total grant, $94.04 million will go to TB eradication, $129.96 million being allocated for prevention of HIV/AIDS and $97.44 million for malaria treatment.
Myanmar recorded 11,000 new HIV infections in 2016, and as of the end of June this year, approximately 135,000 people living with HIV were being provided with Lifelong Antiretroviral Therapy (Lifelong ART) care.
Myanmar is making efforts to become malaria-free by 2030. Asia-Pacific Malaria Elimination Network, a network composed of 18 Asia Pacific countries that are pursuing malaria elimination, is sponsoring a campaign for that goal in Myanmar.
India Pledges $25 Million for Refugees Return in Rakhine
India said it will provide Myanmar with $25 million as a development assistance that will go to projects including prefabricated houses in Rakhine state. The finance aims to enable the return of Bengalis who have fled the area, India’s Foreign Ministry said. The amount will be spent over a period of five years, according to Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The matter to provide Rakhaine state with India’s development assistance was discussed in details when Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar’s met with Myanmar leaders in Nay Pyi Taw on December 20.
India and Myanmar inked an agreement on restoration of normalcy and development of Rakhine state on that day
