The emergencies, 2005-2007Natural disasters While our region is accustomed to a variety of natural disasters, the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 was an emergency of gargantuan magnitude. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar were all affected, with Indonesia bearing the brunt of the disaster. (India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Somalia, Tanzania, Seychelles and Bangladesh also were affected.) The tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the ocean floor that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale. Up to 285,000 people died in total, including 5 per cent of the population of Aceh province. Typhoons and torrential rains commonly trigger floods, landslides, damage, displacement and infrastructure loss in many countries of the region, such as China, Indonesia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines and Viet Nam. Cyclones battered the Pacific Island countries also in 2005 – Cook Islands, Samoa and American Samoa – and compounded existing vulnerabilities related to issues of access, high dependency on imports and stretched country capacity to deal with emergencies. Earthquakes since the massive 2004 disaster continue to disrupt lives. An earthquake measuring 6.2 magnitude on the Richter scale hit 25 km southwest of the city of Yogyakarta, damaging significant cultural and historical sites. As of 13 July, the death toll numbered 5,778. The number seriously injured was 37,883, with 139,859 homes completely destroyed. Yogyakarta is near the Mt. Merapi volcano, which threatened to erupt earlier in the month and forced thousands of people to be evacuated. The lava flow from Mt. Mayon volcano (340 km southeast of Manila) in the Philippines began increasing in mid July and on 4 August the alert level was raised to (with 5 the highest), triggering the evacuation of thousands of people in an 8-km radius danger zone. Mt. Mayon is the most active volcano in the country; the two previous eruptions occurred in 1997 and 2000-2001. Drought and high temperatures in 2005 affected Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam, raising fears that an extended drought could cause long-term damage to agricultural output in the region, as well as increase risks of famine and diseases caused by lack of usable water. Due to a drought in the summer of 2004 and a subsequent harsh winter, Mongolia is struggling with food shortages, as more than 40,000 livestock have died. Chronic food and energy shortages are common in DPR Korea. Outbreaks of diseases have also been observed. Avian influenza is a major concern as the H5N1 virus is endemic in several countries of the region, where it was first detected in 2003. Confirmed human infections caused by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus continue to increase, with around half of all cases fatal. Armed conflict Armed conflict and its aftermath continue to cause disruption, displacement and death throughout the region. The region, however, has also seen one landmark development: In Indonesia, hopes of lasting peace seem secure with the signing of an accord in August 2005 between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement, ending 29 years of civil war that claimed 15,000 lives, many of whom were civilians. The peace deal has facilitated the flow of aid and contributed significantly to the rebuilding of lives of the tsunami survivors. Also in Indonesia, Papua province is still affected by sporadic outbreaks of violence, with attacks carried out by separatist groups. A political crisis in Timor-Leste in May 2006 led to widespread violence, which created an internally displaced population of some 150,000 seeking security in camps around and outside the capital of Dili and leading to a humanitarian emergency. In the Philippines, the peace agreement in Mindanao region between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is yet to be realized. There are reports of an increase in rebel ranks and a lethal mix of militant groups emerging in southern Philippines sharing resources, talents and capabilities, foreshadowing an escalation of violence and attacks. There also has been a resurgence of the Communist New People’s Army throughout the country, with reports of increased use of young people as fighters in rebel activity. In southern Thailand, growing tensions in a region with different socio-cultural and religious values from the rest of the country have led to a violent uprising that has already claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people. Hmong who have been in conflict with the Lao Government have been living in a displaced persons camp in Thailand since July 2005; the population numbered 5,600 as of December 2005, but new arrivals appear each month, including births. They have no legal status to remain in Thailand and are regarded by officials as illegal immigrants. But they cannot return to Lao PDR. They have been allowed to remain temporarily within the confines of the camp. They build shelters no more than 10 meters from the roadside; if they are caught out of the camp, they will be arrested and deported. In Myanmar, conflict continues between the government armed forces and some opposition groups that are not party to any ceasefire agreements. Political tensions and limited humanitarian access to large zones of the country are still a concern for humanitarian assistance, although international sanctions and the economic environment make it more necessary than in comparable countries of the region. In May 2006, for the first time in more than two years, a UN special envoy was allowed access to the country, including a visit with the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Bougainville in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are two examples of Pacific regions where large numbers of young people were caught, or actively involved, in prolonged armed conflicts. After several years of civil war, ten on Bougainville (1990–2001) and five (1998–2003 in the Solomon Islands, both regions have entered a peace process, but the root causes of the conflicts remain largely unaddressed. Impact from emergencies The areas/pockets engulfed or affected by emergencies have seen devastating impacts. In many instances, basic social infrastructure, particularly access to health care, clean water, safe sanitation and education, has been weakened or damaged, threatening the survival and development of children. Family and community structures that care for and protect children have been destroyed, leaving children without their parents or separated, displaced, psychologically affected, vulnerable to disease and death and exposed to the risk of human trafficking, abuse and sexual exploitation. Refugees and IDPs The ongoing conflicts in the region have taken their toll on families. There are an estimated half million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and former refugees in Indonesia, 120,000 in the Philippines and 600,000 in Myanmar. There are currently some 120,000 refugees from Myanmar living in Thailand in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. In addition, Thailand also hosts an estimated 700,000 unregistered economic migrants from Myanmar. In Malaysia, UNHCR statistics indicate that there are an estimated 20,000 asylum seekers and refugees, and the caseload has been rapidly increasing over the past two years. The protection of refugee and displaced children is an important concern for UNICEF in this region, as many governments have not yet ratified the Refugee Convention and do not recognize displaced populations. Other areas of concern remain the recruitment and association of children with armed forces in several countries – in Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. The role adolescents and young people play in communal violence and armed conflict has to be better understood both during conflicts and in post-conflict situations. UNICEF focus in emergencies Taking account of the advantages of the context of the East Asia and Pacific region, where most natural disasters are recurrent and relatively predictable, UNICEF is moving towards more long-term and sustainable approaches to deal with natural disasters, especially recurrent floods, cyclones and drought, paying particular attention to risk, vulnerability and capacity analysis. This will in turn help inform and improve preparedness and effective capacity building of government counterparts and communities. Capacity building, partnership building, advocacy and knowledge management are all important strategies for both natural disasters and conflicts. The effectiveness of this focus will be enhanced by mainstreaming emergency in long-term programming, networking with regional partners and technical support.
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