Myanmar expat races home to search for missing wife, baby

Dubai: A Myanmar expatriate on Wednesday left the UAE on an urgent bid to look for his wife and 2-year-old daughter who have been missing since Cyclone Nargis struck this southeast Asian nation on Sunday.

The worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, Nargis was accompanied by winds of up to 190km/h. Tidal waves killed more than 22,000 people and left 41,000 missing. It also downed power and communication lines, making communication difficult.

Myanmar does not have an embassy or consulate in the UAE, effectively leaving the small community here isolated from news on their family and friends.

The father, James, said he was "very worried" that his friends have not been able to trace his wife and child in Yangon.

"I don't know about my family. There has been no contact. My wife and child usually stay at my parents' house, but went to my house in South Dagon Township one day before the cyclone and did not return," he said. "I will go to this house and check."

South Dagon Township, a suburb of Yangon, was one of the areas badly-hit by the cyclone. James said his wife could be stranded in the township, unable to make contact, because the infrastructure was damaged. "I think maybe she cannot get out of there," he added.

He did not want the names and pictures of his wife and daughter to be published.

A few other Myanmar expatriates in the UAE are also preparing to leave for home, to search for family members and to assess the damage to their homes.

"A lot of my friends have lost their homes. Now they're trying to get their tickets home," said Nancy Ming-e, whose family in eastern Myanmar have not been affected by the cyc-lone. There is still no news of her cousins in Yangon.

Chris Moe Zaw, a Myanmar expatriate working in the hospitality industry, told Gulf News he was not planning to leave for home anytime soon, although he has not heard anything from his family for about three days.

"I'm still trying to contact my family. If they are OK, then I won't go. I believe I will get contact through the internet or by phone," he said.

"I am not feeling very well. The toll is more than 50,000 (dead or missing) and there is still no contact with my family," he said.

Have your say
Do you know anyone who has been personally affected by the cyclone? Are they here? Have they been able to contact their family and friends?