ARTICLE- Asia HAS to come together to overcome the disasters

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Krabi, Thailand. The Thai province most affected by the Tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. Its taken Thailand a while to recover from the disaster, to come to terms with the people they have lost, and to regain its positoin as the number one tourist destination in Southeast Asia.

Signs for Evacuation Routes line the beachfront at Ao Nang, Railay and Phi Phi, the worst affected area, clearly posted to get to higher ground. The estimated death toll in Thailand is just over 8,000. The disaster as a whole is thought to have claimed 230,210 lives. Now, three and a half years later, and in the space of just two weeks, Asia has been literally rocked again.

Two weeks ago a category four cyclone hit Burma (Myanmar). The worst in the country's history, the AFP news agency have said that the current official death toll is 43,318 with 27,838 missing. More than 2.5 million people are in need of aid, some living without any shelter in driving rain, with the threat of another cyclone looming over the country. The country is DESPERATELY in need of aid. But due to the country's military regime, the aid is either not being accepted, or not getting through. Though foreign journalists are not able to report from Burma, there are reports that the military are taking the foreign aid and replacing them with locally produced, less substantial products.

Then, on Monday, just one week later, China was hit by its worst earthquake in 20 years. China's Sichaun province in the south was left devestated by a earthquake reaching 7.9 on the Richter Scale. After months of criticism against China's human rights record, and the build up to the Beijing Olympics in August, a disaster that has affected so many leaves the former irrelevant for now. The statistics-50,000 people may have died as a result, and so far 22,069 deaths have been confirmed. 10 Million are thought to have been affected by the earthquake, in need to relief and aid, and without shelter. The difference here is that aid is being efficiently tackled, although the poor states of the roads following the quake are making it difficult for the military and police to get the help through.

Today, four days on, survivors are still being found. The remarkable images of a five-year-old boy, looking weak and bruised and strapped to a stretcher were released this morning.
Prime Minister Hu Jintao has arrived in Mianyang, and at least the political response is positive. Speaking this morning Jintao said "We must make every effort, race against time and overcome all difficulties to achieve the final victory of the relief efforts". The Chinese are proud, and loyal to their country. The disaster will have touched the majority of the country's huge 1.3 billion population.

The Thai people visibly understand and feel for their Asian counterparts. They've been here before. Thailand has contributed in the aid effort for their Burmese neighbours. Its time surely for Asia to come together, the world to come together, time for the political regime in Burma to swallow their pride, and to overcome the suffering.

It's a long way to go for things to be 'back to normal' but if this happens, as Thailand has proved, both China and Burma can look to the future, but the past will haunt them for generations.

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