Thursday May 15, 9:03 AM
Myanmar to seek ASEAN help, won't allow foreigners - paper
SINGAPORE, May 15 (Reuters) - Cyclone-hit Myanmar could
seek assistance from Southeast Asian nations at a meeting in
Singapore but is unlikely to allow foreigners to enter the
country, The Straits Times quoted Singapore's foreign minister
as saying.
"It depends on what they want to pursue, we've...offered
our help and I believe the Myanmar government will come to that
meeting with a list of requests and we try to meet them as best
as we can," the paper quoted George Yeo as telling reporters
after wrapping up a visit to North Korea.
"They've been accepting foreign aid but they have said
repeatedly that they'd prefer not to accept foreign personnel.
We have to respect their wishes because it's their country."
Foreign Ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations will meet
in Singapore on Monday to discuss ways to help Myanmar,
following Cyclone Nargis which is feared to have killed as many
as 100,000.
Yeo said the ministers will meet to hammer out details of
how the regional grouping could help Myanmar.
"We can't really be involved in the distribution work but
where we can be helpful in the restoration of services, maybe
in the building of schools and in providing materials for the
construction of homes, infrastructure, we will try to be as
helpful as we can be," he said.
(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by David Fox)
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