Both disasters - the earthquake and the cyclone - are serious but the quake's scale of impact is far greater, as revealed by the numbers.

In the case of Myanmar, those who are injured mostly suffer from skin diseases or related problems. But in China, the victims have fractured bones, to cite just one example.

We can ask a medical professional how long it will take for someone with broken bones to heal, compared with someone suffering from skin diseases.

Another very important factor is that the Myanmar government has been reluctant to accept foreign aid. With its prolonged disagreement with United Nations officials, it is understandable that people's enthusiasm to help would have been diverted to China.

Finally, I think that the UN, major countries in the world, and the international media have all shown their utmost concern about Myanmar. In comparison, their initial efforts towards China were quite lukewarm.

Their attitudes could be due to certain events which took place before the earthquake shook the country. China has a huge population but it also has the benefit of having many overseas Chinese.

Naturally, they will come forward to offer help, without much international influences. The donations are largely from them, I believe. But if you divide the sum donated by the number of people affected, it is tiny.

What is more worrying is that there are still much uncertainties following the China quake, and it is not just a question of money.

They need technical expertise, for example, in reinforcing their dams.

Mr Ambrose Wong Tai Hong

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