KOTA TINGGI, April 7– Malaysia will coordinate humanitarian aid that will be channelled to Myanmar following the strong earthquake that struck the country on March 28th.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said among the forms of assistance requested include the deployment of a field hospital to treat victims affected by the disaster.

He said that Malaysia as the Chairman of ASEAN 2025 will also utilise its role to coordinate regional humanitarian aid in a more organised and effective manner.

“However, we have to rely on the coordination set by the Myanmar side. We cannot act arbitrarily because we are well aware that the situation there is still unstable with ongoing conflicts between the junta and other groups.

"If we do not rely on the decisions of the authorities in Myanmar, there is a concern that we will get caught up in the country's internal conflict," he said in a press conference after attending the Open House by the parliamentary constituency of Kota Tinggi here, today.

He added that the priority is to ensure the safety of all deployed members of the relief team, in addition to guaranteeing the effectiveness of the planned humanitarian mission.