Aftermath of Myanmar’s Earthquake
A call for International Solidarity
Myanmar faces a severe humanitarian crisis following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake near Mandalay on March 28, 2025. This disaster compounds the existing challenges stemming from the ongoing civil conflict initiated by the military junta's 2021 coup against the democratically elected government. The Myanmar military junta recently also decided to fully implement forced conscription. As a result, a significant amount of the population, especially youths, have fled to nearby countries either as international students, migrant workers, or asylum seekers. The economy had been terrible due to the lack of human resource, the civil war, and the inefficiencies of the military State Administration Council (SAC) administration.
Even neighbouring nations like China, Thailand, and Vietnam experienced severe damage as a result of the earthquake's magnitude and destructive power. An incomplete high-rise skyscraper in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, was destroyed by Friday's earthquake despite being more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away from the epicentre. Myanmar suffered greatly too. As of April 1, 2025, there have been over 2000 reported deaths and around 3900 confirmed injuries. The United States Geological Service (USGS) estimates that 10,000 people would have died.
Following the earthquake, communication amongst the rescue crews is severely disrupted due to Myanmar's heavily controlled internet and the fact that social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and others can only be accessed using a virtual private network (VPN). Additionally, for a considerable amount of time, the military regime in Myanmar has restricted the public's access to electricity to eight hours every day. The military regime in Myanmar even adjusted the time to four hours a day after the earthquake, citing the devastation caused as justification. So, even those with VPN access, the mobile phone usage is limited as much as the battery capacities are limited, making it harder to pinpoint those victims who have been buried by the collapsed buildings.
The National Unity Government (NUG) proposed a short-term truce with the Myanmar military junta one day after the earthquake. However, as pro-democracy resistance groups currently control a sizable portion of the Sagaing region, the epicentre of the earthquake, the Myanmar military junta rejected the offer by attacking the Chang-U township in the north-west Sagaing region by airstrike. Therefore, the people of Myanmar are taking care of one another with solidarity and mutual aid, while the governments of Thailand, China, and Vietnam are actively aiding the earthquake victims in their nations.
At the moment, Myanmar is essentially in limbo, with the government not only failing to assist but also persecuting citizens. When the Myanmar military junta requested foreign assistance, several ASEAN nations as well as Russia chose to send their rescue teams. However, every rescue squad dispatched by neighbouring nations is mostly located in the capital city of Naypyidaw, where the majority of public officials and military people reside. The Myanmar military regime does not prioritise relief in Mandalay and Sagaing, where it is desperately needed. In Myanmar, people are searching for one another and using their bare hands to recover people who have been buried by the collapsed structure without the necessary tools.
People in Myanmar desperately need international solidarity given the long-term effects of resource scarcity, currency inflation, and economic stagnation. In Myanmar, one US dollar is sufficient for the cost of a meal. Food, beverages, and other necessities are currently needed for both individuals actively volunteering in rescue operations and those victims who are alive but buried under the collapsed buildings.
It is time for people everywhere to show their solidarity with the people in Myanmar out of compassion, love, and moral principles they uphold, regardless of their political, religious, or other identities.
From 29 March all donations to the Red Cross’s Global Emergency Fund will support their response to the 2025 Myanmar Earthquake. Please donate what you can now.
