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A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has occurred with its focus under central Myanmar. The situation is extremely serious, as not even the exact extent of the damage can be known due to that nation’s prolonged civil war.
The Myanmar military should accept the support of the international community and put all its strength into relief efforts.
Many people remain buried alive in Mandalay, a city close to the earthquake’s focus. There is a shortage of heavy equipment, and people are reportedly removing debris with their bare hands in search of survivors. It is truly heart-wrenching. Several Japanese nationals living in the country were also injured in the jolt.
The Myanmar military announced that more than 1,600 people, at a minimum, have died in the earthquake, including people killed in the collapse of buildings. However, many areas in the country are not under military control, leading some to believe that the death toll could rise to over 10,000.
Even in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, about 1,000 kilometers from the earthquake’s focus, there have been numerous injuries and deaths due such damage as the collapse of a high-rise building that was under construction.
The Myanmar military staged a coup in 2021 and ousted the democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, a civil war has continued with the military fighting pro-democracy forces and ethnic minority armed groups.
More than 3.5 million people have been forced out of their homes and are living in poor conditions due to the fighting. There are strong fears that the dire humanitarian situation will deteriorate even further due to the earthquake.
The pro-democracy forces have announced a two-week pause in offensive military operations to prioritize relief efforts in the disaster-stricken areas. The military and the ethnic minority armed groups should also announce a temporary halt in their fighting and focus on assessing the damage and conducting search and rescue operations.
Since the coup, Myanmar has been under sanctions from the United States and European countries and isolated from the international community.
In response to the recent earthquake, the Myanmar military’s commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing, has requested assistance from the international community. He likely judged that the country would not be able to handle the disaster, as its governing functions have been weakened by the civil war and sanctions.
The United Nations announced that it will provide $5 million (about ¥750 million) in aid for disaster relief efforts.
There has also been a string of offers of support from many countries. China has announced that it will dispatch a rescue and medical team to Myanmar and provide emergency aid of 100 million yuan (about ¥2.1 billion). Russia sent a rescue team of about 120 people to Myanmar.
Japan is said to be planning to send relief supplies first. Even though Japan does not recognize the military government, it should not hesitate to provide assistance. Making use of the knowledge gained from its experience of many earthquakes, Japan must expedite its contributions to civilian areas such as by sending disaster relief teams and providing medical support.
