Myanmar or Burma

The Myanmar Military Council has prohibited foreign journalists from reporting on the recent earthquake, citing security concerns.

Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the junta’s spokesperson, announced the decision on 30 March, stating that foreign media had requested permission to enter the country, but the government could not accommodate them.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27527691

Summary

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar killed over 1,000 people, with the U.S. Geological Service predicting fatalities could exceed 10,000.

Infrastructure damage and civil war have hindered rescue efforts.

Myanmar's junta has appealed for help despite strained international relations.

International aid from China, Russia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea is arriving, while the U.S. pledged limited assistance.

In Thailand, nine people died, and a collapsed Bangkok skyscraper trapped 30 workers. Rescuers continue to search for survivors amid widespread devastation.

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Charities: I am looking at reputable charities for those wishing to send donations. At this point, the only charities I am confident of are: Red Cross and NUG (National Unity Government). Red Cross Myanmar has presence across the country. NUG controls half of the territory in the earth-quake zone, in Sagaing and upper middle Burma where local grass roots resistance has been fierce. It is crucial that disaster relief reaches these areas as well since it is unknown if Junta would allow Red Cross to bring relief supplies to rebel-controlled areas as they had not in the past. NUG is the "other" government comprised of democratically elected parliamentarians deposed by the coup in 2021. They run hospitals schools and PDF in the territories they control.

Canadian Red Cross Myanmar EarthQuake: https://www.redcross.ca/about-us/media-news/news-releases/appeal-launched-to-support-people-impacted-by-the-earthquake-in-myanmar

National Unity Government Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management website: https://mohadm.nugmyanmar.org/humanitarian-aid/

A Myanmar rebel group that controls one of the world's largest rare earth zones has told miners there it will allow shipments of existing rare earth inventories to China from Thursday, according to two sources and a statement reviewed by Reuters.

Rare earth mining in Myanmar is concentrated in Kachin state around the towns of Panwa and Chipwe, which have been controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) since last October.

Hindus have urged Bangladesh to hand over Ataullah, the head of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) terrorist organization, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution regarding his involvement in the killing of over 100 Hindus in Kha Maung Seik village in northern Maungdaw Township during August 2017.

The ethnic Arakan Army (AA) and allies are attacking a junta base that is crucial if the regime wants to defend its arms factories in Bago Region from rebel advances.

Junta planes struck a crowded bazaar in Letpanhla village, in Mandalay Region’s Singu Township – an area controlled by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) – at around 3pm on Friday.

The World Food Programme will be forced to cut off one million people in war-torn Myanmar from its vital food aid because of “critical funding shortfalls”, it said on Friday.