Author Description

On 2-3 May 2008 Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar, causing almost 140,000 deaths and leaving 2 million in the Ayeyawaddy delta homeless. As Myanmar's initial delay in responding to the humanitarian crisis was evident, ASEAN emerged as mediator and convenor, coordinating international and regional efforts. This led to a tripartite cooperation mechanism among the Government of Myanmar, the United Nations and ASEAN. Through June-December 2008, Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Moe Thuzar documented ASEAN's role in helping Myanmar respond to Nargis.