Latest news with #Naypyidaw
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Bangladesh recalls ambassador from Myanmar
DHAKA, May 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has recalled its ambassador from Myanmar, a Bangladeshi foreign ministry official said on Thursday, after it acknowledged opening a communications line with a rebel army fighting its neighbour's military junta. Monowar Hossain, who had been serving in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw since mid-2023, was told to return to Dhaka with immediate effect, said the official, describing it as an "administrative decision" without giving further reasons. Relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar have been strained by the Rohingya refugee crisis and border security concerns. A Myanmar junta spokesperson was not available for comment. More than 1.2 million Rohingya are sheltering in Bangladesh, with the U.N. warning that widespread hunger in western Rakhine state could trigger fresh displacement. Over 130,000 people are thought to have crossed in the past year, Bangladesh says. Bangladesh's National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said last week that Dhaka has opened informal communication channels with the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group active in Rakhine, to maintain border stability. Dhaka also remains engaged with the Myanmar junta to pursue a long-term solution to the Rohingya crisis, Rahman said, including potential support for a proposed U.N.-led humanitarian corridor in Rakhine. But Bangladesh's army opposes that. "The army will not be involved in any activity that compromises the country's security," Colonel Shafiqul Islam, a senior Bangladesh army official, told reporters this week, of the aid plan.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
The Road to Mandalay
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar in March 2025, devastating communities across the country. Al Jazeera was the only international broadcaster with a team on the ground to witness the unfolding crisis. What emerged was a story of survival against overwhelming odds. From the capital Naypyidaw to the spiritual heart of Mandalay, our cameras captured the desperate search for survivors and the scale of destruction. At the epicentre, entire neighbourhoods lay in ruins as hundreds of thousands of people found themselves without shelter, clean water or food. Emergency services struggled to cope with the response required. The disaster struck a nation already fractured by civil conflict, where a military government appeared ill-equipped to handle the crisis. Over seven days, Al Jazeera correspondent Tony Cheng documented not just the immediate aftermath, but how this natural catastrophe exposed deeper challenges facing the people of Myanmar during their darkest hour.
South China Morning Post
11-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How Myanmar's devastating earthquake threatens to leave a lasting economic scar
The devastating earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28 caused widespread destruction in the Mandalay and Sagaing regions, as well as Naypyidaw Union Territory. By mid-April, the death toll had exceeded 3,600, with more than 5,000 injuries reported. Advertisement The earthquake destroyed 1,850 buildings in Sagaing and Mandalay and damaged an additional 2,250. However, these figures may not fully capture the earthquake's true impact, as casualties and damage outside areas controlled by the State Administration Council (SAC) are under-reported due to restrictions. The urgent humanitarian situation following the earthquake presents challenges that are likely to persist despite responses from several countries, including neighbouring ones. Beyond the humanitarian crisis, the earthquake threatens to compound Myanmar's economic malaise. Unless the SAC rethinks its economic approach, the earthquake's aftermath may lead to increased poverty and inflation, as well as decreased exports and productive capacity, with impacts that could endure for years. The direct effects of the earthquake are significant. Beyond the tragic loss of life, the economic fallout of the destruction to property, capital and infrastructure is devastating. Mandalay, upper Myanmar's economic hub, is at the centre of the region's supply chain. Its industrial zones and logistical parks are home to thousands of businesses, many of which have sustained considerable damage from the earthquake. The extensive destruction of infrastructure, including roads, bridges, telecommunications and electricity, affect areas under SAC control and under non-state authorities. A historical bridge connecting Sagaing and Mandalay was destroyed and another damaged, limiting traffic to small trucks and blocking access to the river port near Mandalay. A man collects sand from the river near the collapsed Sagaing Bridge in Myanmar, following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Photo: EPA-EFE Such destruction leads to disruptions that affect not just earthquake relief, but also important supply chains, especially in agriculture. Myanmar's 'Dry Zone' in the centre of the country is the leading growing area for pulses, oilseeds, and cereals – such as sesame, pigeon peas and chickpeas – many of which are planted in May. Disruptions in logistics that reduce farmers' access to inputs or increase costs could negatively affect planting and harvest cycles, jeopardising farmers' incomes in an already vulnerable region.
Al Jazeera
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Myanmar earthquake death toll climbs as hope fades for survivors
Rescuers pulled a man alive from the rubble five days after Myanmar's devastating earthquake, as calls grew for the military government to allow more aid in and halt attacks on rebels. The shallow magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Friday flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing at least 2,886 people and leaving thousands homeless. Several leading armed groups fighting the military have suspended hostilities during the quake recovery, but the military government chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, promised to continue 'defensive activities' against 'terrorists'. United Nations agencies, rights groups and foreign governments have urged all sides in Myanmar's civil war to stop fighting and focus on helping those affected by the earthquake, the biggest to hit the country in decades. Hopes of finding more survivors are fading, but there was a moment of joy on Wednesday as a man was pulled alive from the ruins of a hotel in the capital, Naypyidaw.
