India, China rich countries, everyone should pitch in during crisis like Myanmar quake: US Secretary of State

New York: Describing India and China as rich countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said while America is willing to continue to help those affected by the Myanmar earthquake, other countries should also pitch in to provide humanitarian assistance during such crises worldwide.

"Well, we’re not the government of the world. No, we will provide humanitarian assistance just like everybody else does and do it the best we can. But we also have other needs we have to balance that against. We’re not walking away from humanitarian assistance,” Rubio told the media at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Friday.

Rubio was responding to a question about the earthquake and how the US offered help during such incidents by saving lives on the ground through special equipment and experts.

Rubio was asked if that was not happening because of the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“There’s a lot of other rich countries in the world. They should all be pitching in. We’re going to do our part. We already have people there, we’ll have more people there. We’ll help as much as we can. It’s not the easiest place to work. They have a military junta that doesn’t like us and doesn’t necessarily allow us to operate in that country the way we want to. That would have impeded our response no matter what,” he said.

Rubio said the US was willing to continue to help in the humanitarian crisis.

“Other countries need to do so as well. China is a very rich country, and India is a rich country. There are a lot of other countries in the world and everyone should pitch in. I don’t think it’s fair to assume the United States needs to continue to share the burden -- 60 to 70 per cent -- of humanitarian aid around the world. We will be in the business of humanitarian aid but have other priorities as well that are in the national interest of the United States, and we’re going to align all those to be properly balanced."

Within hours of the earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, India -- a first responder in times of crises -- delivered the first tranche of humanitarian aid and disaster relief material, including 15 tonnes of supplies such as tents, blankets, essential medicines, and food, through its National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare used a C-130J aircraft which landed in Yangon early on March 29.

The second tranche, aboard two IAF C-130J aircraft, included 80 NDRF search and rescue specialists, equipment, and relief material.

One aircraft carried 17 tonnes of personal protective equipment, search and communication equipment, and rescue equipment while the other carried five tonnes of humanitarian aid and disaster relief materials such as gensets, hygiene kits, food packets, essential medicines, kitchen sets, and blankets.

These efforts were carried out under “Operation Brahma” launched by India in the wake of the devastating earthquake to provide necessary support, including search and rescue, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and medical assistance.

“Being the first responder in times of crisis in the neighbourhood, Operation Brahma is a whole-of-government endeavour by India to respond to widespread destruction in Myanmar,” a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.

Indian Naval ships Satpura and Savitri from the Eastern Naval Command sailed for Yangon on March 29 carrying 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid and disaster relief material.

These were handed over to the Chief Minister of Yangon on March 31.

Indian Navy Ships Karmuk and LCU 52 from the Andaman and Nicobar Command sailed for Yangon on March 30, carrying 30 tonnes of relief material including humanitarian aid and disaster relief pallets comprising essential clothing, drinking water, food, medicines, and emergency stores.

 On Saturday, 442 metric tonnes of food aid was delivered through a naval ship at Thilawa Port, about 400 kilometres south of Myanmar.

The 442 MT of food aid includes 405 metric tonnes of rice, 30 metric tonnes of cooking oil, 5 metric tonnes of biscuits, and 2 metric tonnes of instant noodles, all supplies intended to meet the immediate food needs of the affected population in Myanmar, a statement by Ministry of External Affairs said when INS Gharial departed from Vishakhapatnam on April 1.

“India stands ready to deploy more material assistance and resources to Myanmar depending on ground-level needs and requirements. India’s ongoing efforts under Operation Brahma reflect its commitment to respond swiftly and in full measure to natural disasters in her neighbourhood. As a first responder, India stands with Myanmar, a key partner of our Neighbourhood First and Act East policy,” the statement said.

Further, the Quad countries of India, Australia, Japan and the US said in a statement earlier that they have so far committed humanitarian assistance estimated at a combined value of over USD 20 million for the Myanmar earthquake.

“Through our funding and bilateral efforts, we are delivering relief supplies and deploying emergency medical teams and supporting humanitarian partners working in Myanmar to provide care for those affected by the earthquake,” it said.