ASEAN relief system overdue

ASEAN as a grouping must be feeling an awful sense of helplessness over the Myanmar devastation, for being unable to do more to help the cyclone victims.

Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines were quick with their individual dispatches of relief supplies and monetary aid in the first days after the disaster.

Citizens of several of these countries, private charities and the local offices of international relief organizations such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent and the World Vision have also been exemplary in organizing aid and the logistics.