Taipei, March 29 (CNA) Several groups with interests in Myanmar told CNA on Saturday that the country is in dire need of help in the wake of a massive earthquake that has resulted in at least 1,000 deaths.
Lee Chin-lan (李金蘭), a volunteer with the Myanmar branch of Taiwanese charity organization Tzu Chi Foundation, told CNA of serious damage in the cities of Mandalay, Sagaing and Naypyidaw, including collapsed buildings and communication disruptions.
Volunteers in Mandalay told Lee, who is currently in Taiwan, that many people are trapped in the collapsed buildings, houses and schools, and that rescuers at the sites are trying to dig people out with their bare hands.
Lee said Myanmar is now entering summer, with daytime temperatures hitting 37 degrees Celsius, so drinking water is urgently needed, as well as medicines, food and blankets.
She said local relief in Myanmar has typically been distributed after being collected by the military junta, so local volunteers are still evaluating how to provide the necessary and timely assistance that disaster victims may need.
There are several hundred Tzu Chi volunteers in Yangon, and they are currently trying to figure out how to move into disaster stricken areas, as two of the main roads connecting to Mandalay have been broken off, she said.
Meanwhile, Jen Tzu-wei (任自薇), the secretary-general of the Myanmar Overseas Chinese Association, told CNA that the association is reaching out to ethnic Chinese communities from Myanmar in Taiwan for help.
Hu Wei-hsin (胡維新), chairperson of the Republic of China and Myanmar Economic and Cultural Exchange Association, told CNA by phone that he has been in contact with Wen Ssu-lang (溫斯朗), the ex-chair of the Myanmar Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce.
Wen told him the Taiwanese businessmen in Yangon are fine and that the organization will monitor the situation there and provide assistance when needed.
