When a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Mandalay, Myanmar on the afternoon of 28 March 2025, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) swept into action. The AHA Centre In-Country Liaison Team (ICLT), led by the Executive Director Mr. Lee Yam Ming, was immediately deployed to Myanmar within 24 hours to support and strengthen the national-led response of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) Myanmar.
Throughout the emergency operations, the ICLT and the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) worked tirelessly to deliver timely and effective regional support. Their collaboration with DDM Myanmar ensured the seamless coordination of ASEAN’s collective response—bridging the operations on the ground and the AHA Centre’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Jakarta. From humanitarian logistics and information management to emergency telecommunications support, and civil-military coordination, the team played an essential role in enabling an efficient regional response.
The ICLT’s role is vital in times of crisis by facilitating real-time information exchange, maintaining strong ground liaison functions, and aligning regional action plans with the local context in close consultation with the National Disaster Management Organisations (NDMOs) of affected Member States.
