Latest news with #Myanmar
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Displaced civilians turn reluctant opium farmers in Myanmar
NewsFeed Displaced civilians turn reluctant opium farmers in Myanmar Opium production is booming in Myanmar as displaced civilians reluctantly become poppy farmers to survive the country's civil war.
Associated Press
a day ago
- General
- Associated Press
Many survivors of Myanmar's devastating quake in March still live in leaky tents
BANGKOK (AP) — Two months after a deadly earthquake ravaged much of central and northeastern Myanmar, recovery is just inching along, with huge numbers of people living in temporary shelters while facing the heavy rainfall and strong winds of monsoon season. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake caused significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The confirmed death toll from the disaster has reached 3,740, with 5,104 injured, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday. Bodies are still being found As the task of rebuilding grinds along, the grim work of recovering the dead is continuing. The Myanmar Fire Services Department said on its Facebook page this week that its teams had recovered four bodies from the rubble of the collapsed buildings of the Sky Villa Condominium in Mandalay on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 100 bodies have been recovered from the condominium site and search operations will continue as more bodies are believed to be buried under debris, an official of the Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay), which works with the firefighters, told The Associated Press on Friday. He asked not to be named because he fears arrest for speaking without authorization. Myanmar has a major ongoing humanitarian crisis Humanitarian needs in Myanmar have reached record levels, with 19.9 million people identified as needing assistance, and an additional 2 million in urgent need following the quake, said a report issued on May 23 by OCHA, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Myanmar already plunged into turmoil in 2021, when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which triggered nationwide nonviolent pro-democracy protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to a civil war. 'Myanmar continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, driven by recurrent disasters, persistent conflict, and grave protection risks, with an estimated 3.5 million people displaced across the country,' OCHA said. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, said at a Thursday fund-raising ceremony for disaster relief that more than half a million people from 2,081 villages were affected by the quake, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported Hundreds of roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed and more than 700 hospitals and clinics also suffered varying levels of damage, according to his figures. Many survivors are still in inadequate temporary housing Shelter is a major problem, even as people leave temporary camps to return home. The official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) said about half of the disaster victims who were sheltering in camps have returned to temporary accommodations built on land where their homes once stood. Aung Kyaw, who supervises recovery activities in Hmike Su ward in Mandalay's Amarapura township, told The Associated Press on Friday that more than 150 people from his ward were still living in roadside shelters in tarpaulin tents He said they were suffering due to strong winds and constant rain for days, and urgently need metal roofing. 'I need iron sheets for a roof to build a shelter on my land. I would be satisfied just to be able to safely sleep at my house,' said Aung Kyaw, whose home was destroyed. 'I don't want to badger for anything else. Now we are just sitting in the rain.' He said the people living in temporary shelters will also likely face floods due to heavy monsoon rains in the coming months. In Naypyitaw, the capital, government personnel have moved to modular low-cost prefabricated buildings built around the compound of the central railway station while debris is still being cleared from their damaged state housing. In other damaged residential areas, people have completed clearing the debris on their own, but most of them are still living in tents.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Many survivors of Myanmar's devastating quake in March still live in leaky tents
Two months after a deadly earthquake ravaged much of central and northeastern Myanmar, recovery is just inching along, with huge numbers of people living in temporary shelters while facing the heavy rainfall and strong winds of monsoon season. The 7.7 magnitude March 28 quake caused significant damage to six regions and states, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The confirmed death toll from the disaster has reached 3,740, with 5,104 injured, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday. Bodies are still being found As the task of rebuilding grinds along, the grim work of recovering the dead is continuing. The Myanmar Fire Services Department said on its Facebook page this week that its teams had recovered four bodies from the rubble of the collapsed buildings of the Sky Villa Condominium in Mandalay on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 100 bodies have been recovered from the condominium site and search operations will continue as more bodies are believed to be buried under debris, an official of the Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay), which works with the firefighters, told The Associated Press on Friday. He asked not to be named because he fears arrest for speaking without authorization. Myanmar has a major ongoing humanitarian crisis Humanitarian needs in Myanmar have reached record levels, with 19.9 million people identified as needing assistance, and an additional 2 million in urgent need following the quake, said a report issued on May 23 by OCHA, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Myanmar already plunged into turmoil in 2021, when the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which triggered nationwide nonviolent pro-democracy protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to a civil war. 'Myanmar continues to face significant humanitarian challenges, driven by recurrent disasters, persistent conflict, and grave protection risks, with an estimated 3.5 million people displaced across the country,' OCHA said. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, said at a Thursday fund-raising ceremony for disaster relief that more than half a million people from 2,081 villages were affected by the quake, the Global New Light of Myanmar reported Hundreds of roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed and more than 700 hospitals and clinics also suffered varying levels of damage, according to his figures. Many survivors are still in inadequate temporary housing Shelter is a major problem, even as people leave temporary camps to return home. The official from Myanmar Rescue Federation (Mandalay) said about half of the disaster victims who were sheltering in camps have returned to temporary accommodations built on land where their homes once stood. Aung Kyaw, who supervises recovery activities in Hmike Su ward in Mandalay's Amarapura township, told The Associated Press on Friday that more than 150 people from his ward were still living in roadside shelters in tarpaulin tents He said they were suffering due to strong winds and constant rain for days, and urgently need metal roofing. 'I need iron sheets for a roof to build a shelter on my land. I would be satisfied just to be able to safely sleep at my house,' said Aung Kyaw, whose home was destroyed. 'I don't want to badger for anything else. Now we are just sitting in the rain." He said the people living in temporary shelters will also likely face floods due to heavy monsoon rains in the coming months. In Naypyitaw, the capital, government personnel have moved to modular low-cost prefabricated buildings built around the compound of the central railway station while debris is still being cleared from their damaged state housing. In other damaged residential areas, people have completed clearing the debris on their own, but most of them are still living in tents.
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude strikes Myanmar
Naypyitaw: An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted Myanmar on Friday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.2, On: 30/05/2025 13:13:28 IST, Lat: 20.78 N, Long: 97.00 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar." Earlier on Thursday, an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude struck the region, as per the NCS. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.5, On: 29/05/2025 05:32:05 IST, Lat: 23.14 N, Long: 94.46 E, Depth: 85 Km, Location: Myanmar." Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. This is because the seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have a shorter distance to travel to the surface, resulting in stronger ground shaking and potentially more damage to structures and greater casualties. In the aftermath of the magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 earthquakes that struck central Myanmar on March 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a series of rapidly rising health threats for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas: tuberculosis (TB), HIV, vector- and water-borne diseases. More than 3.5 million people in Myanmar were already displaced before the earthquakes. Tens of thousands are now homeless, according to the WHO South East Asia statement. Although Myanmar is an earthquake-prone country, there has not been proposed an official national seismic hazard map. Myanmar is vulnerable to hazards from moderate and large magnitude earthquakes, including tsunami hazards along its long coastline. The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population. For instance, in 1903, an intense earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 that occurred in Bago also struck Yangon.
Times
2 days ago
- General
- Times
Lord Hermer criticised over trespass charge for ousted Myanmar envoy
The attorney-general has been criticised for authorising criminal charges against Myanmar's former ambassador for refusing to leave his official London residence after being ousted in a 'coup'. Lord Hermer approved the prosecution of Kyaw Zwar Minn for allegedly 'trespassing' at the mansion in Hampstead, north London, where he has remained since being dismissed in April 2021. Kyaw Zwar Minn, 66, was sacked as ambassador after denouncing his nations' military regime and supporting Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who was deposed in a coup. The attorney-general's office has approved a charge of 'trespass on a diplomatic mission' between May 2021 and November last year. Kyaw Zwar Minn, who still lives in the property, is due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on Friday. The maximum sentence, if convicted, is six months in jail or an unlimited fine. Campaigners claim the prosecution will be used as propaganda by Myanmar's military regime as evidence of its international legitimacy and to terrorise opponents. Hermer, a human rights lawyer, will face allegations of hypocrisy. Eight months after Kyaw Zwar Minn was sacked, Hermer's barristers' chambers publicised that he was 'representing victims and survivors of the genocide perpetrated by the Myanmar regime' in a legal action against Facebook for allegedly 'facilitating' the abuse. Chris Gunness, director of the Myanmar Accountability Project, said: 'The British public will be outraged that a Labour attorney-general is allowing precious taxpayer resources to be wasted by a foreign junta using the UK courts to seize diplomatic property in London. 'It is clearly not in our national interest, given that the UK has condemned the coup, slapped sanctions on the coup leaders and supports democracy in Myanmar.' Kyaw Zwar Minn, a former colonel in the Myanmar army, was locked out of the embassy in Mayfair, central London, in April 2021. The ambassador said he had stopped obeying orders after being summoned home following his criticism after the junta seized control of his country. Dominic Rabb, the foreign secretary at the time, said: 'I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage.' Nigel Adams, then Asia minister, hailed Kyaw Zwar Minn's 'courage and patriotism'. Lisa Nandy, then shadow foreign secretary and now culture secretary, said at the time: 'By standing up to the military junta, Kyaw Zwar Minn has shown immense courage and should be offered any appropriate support and protection.' Most democratic nations, including Britain, have not formally recognised the junta. Catherine West, the current minister for the Indo-Pacific, announced fresh sanctions against the military regime in October last year as a result of 'human rights violations taking place across Myanmar, including airstrikes on civilian infrastructure'. The Foreign Office said in 2021 that it received official notification from the military regime that the ambassador's position had been terminated. 'The UK has a longstanding policy of recognising states not governments,' it said. 'We therefore must accept the decision taken by the Myanmar government regarding Kyaw Zwar Minn's position.'
