Myanmar’s military junta has blocked international journalists from accessing earthquake-hit areas of the country, creating an information blackout.
The Junta spokesperson cited lack of water, electricity and other facilities for banning the movement of international journalists to the quake-ravaged regions.
“It is not possible for [foreign journalists] to come, stay, find shelter, or move around here. We want everyone to understand this,” Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, the regime’s spokesperson, in an audio statement issued on Sunday as quoted by Myanmar Now.
Rescuers are still working on a war footing to retrieve people in Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Sagaing Region, the cities that saw widespread destruction following a 7.7 magnitude quake that ravaged the country.
Nearly 1,700 people have died, and scores of others were injured in the quake.
A large number of people still remain missing.
Independent sources told Myanmar Now that these figures may be significantly under-reported, with some analysts predicting that the number of dead could reach as high as 10,000.
Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said the country experienced 34 aftershocks since Friday.
Myanmar witnessed a coup in 2021 when the military overthrew the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi-led elected government.
The country is struggling with a civil war fought among multiple armed opposition groups.
More than three million have been displaced by the fighting, reads the UN website
Shelter, medicine, water
“People urgently need shelter, medical care, water and sanitation support. This disaster puts more pressure on already vulnerable people facing an alarming crisis,” the UN aid coordination office in the region, OCHA, said on X.
The National Unity Government which represents the democratically-elected civilian administration overthrown by the coup, called on rebel fighters to observe a two week ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need.
But the military regime is reportedly continuing to carry out airstrikes, including in areas close to the epicentre of the earthquake.
Call for ‘immediate ceasefire’
The Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert who monitors the situation in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a social media post on Sunday that the junta should follow opposition forces and declare an immediate ceasefire.
“Military conscription should be suspended; aid workers should not have to fear arrest and there should be no obstructions to aid getting to where it is most needed. Every minute counts,” he added.
The UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, is one of the agencies on the ground urgently working with partners and local communities to assess critical needs and deliver life-saving aid – particularly for women and girls.
