Donors in fresh pledge to Myanmar cyclone survivors: UN

International donors Wednesday pledged more than 88 million dollars to help survivors of Myanmar's devastating Cyclone Nargis 18 months ago, who still have "enormous needs", the UN and ASEAN said.

The pledges, made at a conference on the cyclone recovery process held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations in Bangkok, were to assist the 2.4 million people severely affected by the disaster.

Nargis, which struck in early May 2008, left 138,000 people dead and devastated military-ruled Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta in particular. The cost of repairing the damage was estimated at over four billion dollars.

Wednesday's conference saw a "very, very impressive and successful mobilisation of funds", raising more than 85 percent of a 103 million dollar appeal, ASEAN Secretary General Dr Surin Pitsuwan said after the meeting.

In February a three-year 691-million dollar recovery plan was launched, but Surin told reporters the lower figure of 103 million was for a "scaled-down prioritised action plan" from now until next July.

"The overall need for the whole recovery programme in the delta could be even much more than 691 million," added the UN resident co-ordinator for Myanmar, Bishow Parajuli.

"There are enormous needs," he said, such as the rebuilding of around 500 schools in the region.

"They are making ends meet but there is still a lot to be done".

Myanmar's junta drew international criticism for blocking foreign aid from entering the country in the crucial days after the cyclone devastated the delta.

The ruling generals only relented after a personal visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Surin said donors had raised the possibility of pledging more funds if the political situation improved in Myanmar, where the junta has promised elections for 2010.

But he would not comment on whether pledges might be withdrawn if there were no improvements, preferring to look at "the glass half full".

"There's a new dynamic, there's a new opening, there's a new development inside," he added.

Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under-Secretary General, warned against under-investment in the region.

"You are seeing actually new trends of poverty being created because we have under-invested and we need to prevent the emergence of the new poor," she said.