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The Independent
03-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Myanmar junta declares three-week ceasefire after firing on Chinese earthquake aid convoy
Myanmar 's military junta has declared a ceasefire in its ongoing civil war with ethnic rebel groups until 22 April, a day after it confirmed that soldiers had fired at a Chinese convoy carrying aid for victims of last week's devastating earthquake. The surprise announcement came late on Wednesday. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing had previously rejected ceasefire proposals by rebel groups to allow humanitarian aid to reach earthquake-hit regions of the country. The military said it would halt fighting for 20 days as a show of compassion for people affected by Friday's quake, state broadcaster MRTV reported. The commander-in-chief's office, however, said the military would 'take necessary countermeasures' if rebel groups sought to damage communication lines, mobilise forces or take new territory. The ceasefire – the first since a fierce civil war threw the country into turmoil four years ago – would provide a brief respite to civilians, mostly Muslim ethnic minorities, caught in the crosshairs. Since the military took power in a February 2021 coup, it has faced fierce resistance from a mix of newly formed opposition groups and long-established ethnic armed factions. Its grip on the country has weakened over the past year, with its control shrinking to less than 30 per cent of the territory, though it still holds the largest cities. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake collapsed thousands of buildings, cracked open roads and bridges, killed over 3,000 people and injured nearly 4,500. It also left hundreds of people missing. The true extent of the devastation remains unknown. Resistance factions and rights groups in the country have raised concerns about the junta blocking aid to areas held by the rebels, with many rebel groups reporting fresh military strikes soon after the earthquake. The Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday its rescue and relief workers in Myanmar were safe after a Chinese convoy delivering aid was attacked by soldiers the previous night. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, a rebel group in northern Myanmar, claimed that the soldiers used machine guns to fire at the convoy at Ummati village in Naung Cho township in Mandalay. Military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun confirmed that the soldiers had fired 'warning shots' but claimed the convoy had failed to heed instructions to stop. He also claimed the convoy had not notified authorities of its route ahead of time despite going into a conflict zone. The urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to regions struck by the earthquake has become critical as rescue workers continue to search through the rubble. On Tuesday, rescuers pulled out two men alive from the ruins of a hotel in the capital, a third from a guesthouse in another city, and a fourth in Mandalay. But most teams were finding only bodies. Many areas remain without power, telephone or mobile connections and are difficult to reach by road. In Singu township, about 40 miles north of Mandalay, 27 gold miners were killed in a building collapse, the independent media outlet Democratic Voice of Burma reported. Ceasefires had been announced earlier this week by the People's Defense Force, which is the armed wing of the shadow opposition National Unity Government, and the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a trio of ethnic minority guerrilla armies. Morgan Michaels, an analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies, said the military was under pressure to follow suit. "It would require very deft and active diplomacy to transform a humanitarian pause into something more lasting,' he said. 'And that's not guaranteed.' The junta leader is likely to fly to Thailand for a regional summit on Thursday, garnering bad publicity for taking the trip despite his country struggling to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake. It will be his first visit to a country that is not an ally — China, Russia and Belarus — since he attended another regional meeting in Indonesia in 2021.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Myanmar military announces temporary ceasefire
Myanmar's military has announced a temporary ceasefire to speed up relief and reconstruction efforts following last week's devastating earthquake. In a statement, the ruling junta's State Administration Council said the deal would be in effect from 2 April to 22 April. Earlier this week, rebel groups fighting the military unilaterally declared a ceasefire to support relief efforts - the military had refused to do the same until Wednesday's announcement. At least 2,886 people are now known to have been killed after the magnitude- 7.7 earthquake struck last Friday. Hundreds of people are still missing. The earthquake was also felt hundreds of miles away in neighbouring countries like Thailand, where the death toll currently stands at 21. Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country. On Tuesday night, Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State. The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the earthquake. No injuries have been reported. The junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so. China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts". Myanmar's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's earthquake. The actual death toll is believed to be much higher than the official figures provided by the junta. Multiple international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions. A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement. "When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said. "At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho." China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson said. He added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar government. The TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to Mandalay. After retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a statement. The man mourning 170 loved ones lost in Myanmar's earthquake Mandalay was the 'city of gold' - now it reeks of death
South China Morning Post
02-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China urges Myanmar to protect rescuers after military fires shots at aid convoy
China has urged Myanmar to ensure the safety of its rescue personnel after the Southeast Asian country's military fired warning shots at a Chinese aid convoy during earthquake relief efforts. Advertisement The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its personnel and supplies were 'all safe' after Myanmar's military fired warning shots at a nine-vehicle Red Cross Society of China convoy on Tuesday. Myanmar's junta has accused the relief team of entering a conflict zone without prior approval. 'In the face of a major disaster, human lives are at stake. The top priority is to carry out comprehensive earthquake relief. China sincerely hopes that all ethnic groups and factions in Myanmar will work together to overcome the difficulties,' ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday. 'We strongly urge all parties in Myanmar to ensure the safety of rescue personnel and materials from China and other countries, and to ensure that the rescue transport channels are unobstructed.' Guo said the supplies carried by the Chinese team were headed to Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, which was devastated by the earthquake. He did not confirm whether the incident occurred, or whether it occurred in the way described by the junta. 04:57 Aftershocks hamper rescue efforts in Myanmar and Thailand as earthquake death toll climbs Aftershocks hamper rescue efforts in Myanmar and Thailand as earthquake death toll climbs The junta said on Wednesday that it fired shots 100 metres (328 feet) from the convoy on Tuesday night, and the convoy retreated to Nawnghkio, a town seized by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) , an ethnic armed group operating in the region, according to local news agency Myanmar Now.
BBC News
02-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Myanmar earthquake: Junta fires at Chinese Red Cross convoy
Myanmar's military opened fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy carrying earthquake relief supplies on Tuesday night. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, an armed rebel group, said that military troops shot at the convoy of nine vehicles with machine guns in eastern Shan State. The convoy was en route to Mandalay, the hard-hit city near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck last Friday. No injuries have been junta, which said it was investigating the incident, denied shooting directly at the vehicles. It said troops fired shots into the air after the convoy did not stop, despite it being signalled to do so. China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that its rescue team and supplies were safe, adding that it hoped "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritize earthquake relief efforts".Myanmar has been gripped by violence amid a civil war between the junta - which seized power in a 2021 coup - and ethnic militias and resistance forces across the country's humanitarian crisis has worsened significantly after last week's massive earthquake, which has killed more than 2,700 people, by the government's estimate. The actual death toll is believed to be much international aid agencies and foreign governments have dispatched personnel and supplies to quake-hit regions.A military spokesperson on Wednesday said troops saw the aid convoy coming from Naungcho township on Tuesday night, with vehicles sporting Chinese stickers and Myanmar number plates, but had not been given prior notice of the vehicles' movement."When we saw the convoy, we stopped it. But they continued. We opened fire from about 200m away, but they didn't stop," he said. "At about 100m away, we fired three shots in the air, after which the vehicles turned back towards Naungcho."China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, which has been providing rescue support in Mandalay, had been given a security cover when they travelled through this route, the spokesperson added that when international agencies want to give aid, they need to inform the Myanmar TNLA, which was escorting the Red Cross convoy, said they had informed the military council about going to retreating to Naungcho, they would be continuing their journey, the group said in a groups have unilaterally announced a ceasefire to support earthquake relief efforts. But the military has refused to do the same. Hours after the quake struck on Friday, the junta launched an air strike in Naungcho township that killed seven chief Min Aung Hlaing has said that since ethnic armed groups were still "training in preparation for attacks", the military would continue its "necessary defence operations".The UN described the airstrikes as "completely outrageous and unacceptable".
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Myanmar junta fires on earthquake aid convoy as military leader rejects ceasefire proposal
Myanmar 's military junta launched fire at a Chinese Red Cross convoy delivering earthquake aid as the leader rejected calls for a ceasefire by armed rebel groups t o focus on relief and rescue efforts amid the nation's worst earthquake in a century. Military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun confirmed on Wednesday that 'warning shots' were fired on the Chinese Red Cross convoy delivering aid to earthquake victims, saying they failed to heed the military's instructions to stop while driving in a conflict zone. The confirmation came after the northern-based Ta'ang National Liberation Army reported on Tuesday that the military troops used machine guns to fire at a Chinese convoy at 9.21pm local time at Ummati village in Naung Cho township in Mandalay. The convoy delivering aid was forced to retreat and the group's members tried to protect the convoy to ensure that it continued its journey to deliver aid to those in need. The Chinese foreign ministry said rescue teams and supplies were safe after the firing incident and hoped that "all factions and parties in Myanmar will prioritise earthquake relief efforts. It came as Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the military-run government, said Tatmadaw, the official name of the armed forces of Myanmar, would continue to take necessary military measures as rebel groups are still preparing for future attacks. 'Some ethnic armed groups may not be actively engaging in battles right now, but they are gathering and training in preparation for attacks,' he said, during his visit to a fund-raising event in the capital Naypyidaw. 'As their actions are still considered attacks, the Tatmadaw will continue to take necessary security measures.' A pro-democracy government in exile since the 2021 coup, along with three armed groups, declared a pause in attacks as concerns mounted over humanitarian aid reaching all the regions. The general said his military has not conducted targeted operations on enemy camps but has responded to attacks by rebel groups, in the first likely admission to accusations of junta launching attacks during the earthquake relief operation. A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused widespread damage in central Myanmar and the capital, Naypyidaw, killing 2,700 people and injuring more than 4,500, with hundreds still missing, according to the military government. The toll is expected to rise as relief and rescue operations, with the help of international aid groups from China, India, Russia, Singapore, and Malaysia, have stepped up efforts to find survivors. Since the military's coup in February 2021, Myanmar has been engulfed in a chaotic and deadly civil war. The junta faces fierce resistance from a mix of newly formed opposition groups and long-established ethnic armed factions. Over the past year, its grip on the country has weakened, with its control shrinking to less than 30 per cent of the territory, though it still holds the largest cities. The National Unity Government (NUG), which represents the Aung San Suu Kyi-led civilian administration, was the first one to announce two week pause in fighting. It was followed by the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The groups accused the military junta of bombing the rebel-held areas hours after the earthquake struck, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups. Amnesty International said the strikes are adding 'to the strain of recovery efforts and the fear and anxiety of survivors'. United Nations special envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop said: 'The earthquake has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing Myanmar's people and underscored the need for sustained international attention to the broader crisis.' 'All sides must urgently allow space for humanitarian relief and ensure that aid workers can operate in safety.' China has maintained close relations with Myanmar despite the 2021 coup and was one of the first countries to send help to Naypyidaw following the earthquake, including $14m in emergency aid along with dispatching search and rescue teams. In the neighbouring Thai capital, Bangkok, at least 21 people have died as dozens are still trapped under the rubble of an under-construction 33-storey skyscraper. An investigation has been launched into the building that was being built in a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Pcl and China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co. Samples of the two different sizes of steel bars from the collapsed site have revealed it was a substandard quality steel bars made by a factory that had been shuttered by authorities. The bars failed tests by the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand for their mass, chemical composition and ability to withstand stress. However, the findings about the quality of steel are separate from the probe ordered by the government to find the reason for the collapse.
