Thousands displaced as Myanmar junta continues military operations near quake epicentre

Junta military operations have forced thousands of earthquake survivors to flee villages near the epicentre of the deadly tremor that struck central Myanmar late last month, according to sources. Since the third week of April, troops from the regime’s Light Infantry Division (LID) 33 headquarters in the town of Sagaing have been raiding villages near Yae Myet Kyi Lake, just north of the town, the sources reported. On Tuesday, the troops torched houses in Kyauk Pa Nan, a village of around 600 households located east of the lake, sources told Myanmar Now. The exact number of houses that were burned down was not known at the time of reporting. Residents of other villages, including Saryay (East), Saryay (West), Ywa Thit, Kangyikone, Taungyin (South), and Taungyin (North), have also reportedly been forced to flee. The magnitude-7.7 earthquake that devastated nearby Mandalay and towns and cities as far away as Naypyitaw and southern Shan State on March 28 was centred about five miles north of the town of Sagaing near Yae Myet Kyi Lake. The quake destroyed at least 600 houses in the area, which has a strong resistance presence. “They’re suffering double disasters—the earthquake and war. The earthquake left them homeless, and now they have to flee into the forests. With the rainy weather, it’s like the saying, ‘misfortune follows the unfortunate wherever they go,’” said a local National Unity Government (NUG) administrator. According to data released by the NUG’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration in early April, the earthquake killed 47 people and injured 55 in 49 resistance-held villages in Sagaing Township, with nearly 1,800 homes destroyed. The junta has restricted aid to areas west of the Ayeyarwady River in Sagaing Township, and its current military operations are making relief and recovery efforts even more difficult, according to locals. Min Kun Pagoda after the March 28 earthquake (Photo: Moe Oo / Myanmar Now) “Some villages are displaced due to both earthquake damage and military operations. Relief teams currently can’t reach earthquake-affected areas because of the confusing military situation and indiscriminate aerial bombing,” said a man involved in relief efforts. Despite declaring a ceasefire from April 2 to 22 (later extended to April 30) to allow for earthquake relief operations, the regime has continued to carry out attacks in many areas across the country, including those directly affected by the quake. An ambush targeting regime forces advancing towards villages near the quake’s epicentre in the third week of April left nearly 20 troops dead and many others injured, anti-junta groups claimed. Days later, the military sent another LID 33 column into the area and began launching daily airstrikes, sources reported. Myanmar Now attempted to contact Nyunt Win Aung, the junta-appointed Social Affairs Minister and spokesperson for Sagaing Region, regarding military operations near the earthquake epicentre, but received no response. Tensions were already high in the area before the earthquake. On March 20, resistance forces surrounded and attacked about 100 junta troops stationed near Hsinbyume Pagoda in Min Kun, a village on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady River. The junta responded by sending reinforcements and launching intensive air and naval counterattacks. The regime’s airstrikes have caused extensive damage to ancient buildings and pagodas in the Min Kun area, where many monks and nuns have been forced to flee their monasteries. After the earthquake, the junta positioned approximately 200 soldiers, police, and junta-sponsored Pyu Saw Htee militiamen at five locations in the Min Kun area. According to the regime’s most recent figures, the Sagaing earthquake has killed 3,798 people and injured 5,106, with 106 still missing.

Thousands displaced as Myanmar junta continues military operations near quake epicentre

Survivors of the deadly quake have been forced to flee their homes as the military steps up attacks in resistance-held areas

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