Aid Blocked and Bombs Fall as Myanmar Struggles After Quake

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ANS Mandalay

 

Relief efforts in Myanmar are faltering under the weight of military airstrikes, blocked aid, and worsening conditions, weeks after the country's strongest earthquake in over a century.

 

The 7.7 magnitude quake on 28 March left a trail of devastation across central Myanmar, displacing over 60,000 people and killing thousands. Official figures from the junta cite 3,145 deaths, but independent sources like the Democratic Voice of Burma put the toll even higher—over 4,300 dead, nearly 8,000 injured, and hundreds still missing.

 

Entire communities have been reduced to tent encampments. Schools, monasteries, and villages lie in ruins, with survivors pleading for food, water, medicine, and shelter. “Many families are forced to beg for donations in the streets,” said Natty Tangmeesang, a Thai blogger who visited Sagaing.

 

But efforts to help are being hamstrung not just by the scale of destruction, but by a civil war that’s still raging. Despite a declared ceasefire, Myanmar’s military—known as the State Administration Council (SAC)—continues launching airstrikes in conflict zones, including quake-hit areas.

 

Khin Ohmar, founder of Progressive Voice Myanmar, accused the junta of blocking aid, threatening humanitarian workers, and demanding bribes. “The junta is extorting and obstructing,” she said, while local organisations and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) try to reach those beyond the regime's control.

 

Though the junta made a rare appeal for international help, aid has been slow and insufficient. ASEAN states and countries including the UK, US, China, and South Korea have pledged funds or sent rescue teams. But much of the aid has been held up, and media access remains tightly restricted.

 

“There’s not enough support for transporting aid, setting up mobile clinics, or providing psychological care,” said journalist Soe Myint. Heavy rains have added to the misery, flooding already fragile camps around Mandalay.

 

The military continues to limit access for international journalists, while local media must rely on citizen reporters in areas they cannot safely reach.

 

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is due in Bangkok this week to meet Malaysia’s Prime Minister, who chairs ASEAN, in talks aimed at extending the ceasefire and securing aid routes. But with bombs still falling, hopes for meaningful humanitarian access remain grim.

 

-2025-04-17