Myanmar President U Thein Sein on May 11 called on leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Speaking at the 24 th ASEAN Summit in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, the President suggested the bloc raise an emergency fund to improve its capability in responding to climate change and minimising natural disasters.

He called on the member states to develop the existing early warning systems and set up a pool of rescue and relief experts, vehicles and equipment in each country that can be deployed swiftly in case of disasters.

His proposal also includes establishing an intra-bloc network of research centres to share knowledge on climate adaptable farm produce, which can enable the countries to promote food security.

Added to this, he suggested the systematic rehabilitation of mangrove forests in ASEAN to reduce greenhouse gases and the impact of storms and floods in low-lying coastal areas.

Myanmar suffered heavy losses in May 2008 when Cyclone Nargis swept the south of the country, killing nearly 140,000 people and adversely affecting 2.4 million others.

Meanwhile, the super typhoon Haiyan claimed at least 5,000 lives in the Philippines in November last year.-VNA