Earthquake in Myanmar.

Supporters have asked if TBBHI operations have been affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Myanmar last Friday.  Our field office is in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand, near the border with Myanmar, but 540 miles south of the quake’s epicenter near Mandalay.  Our Project Manager reports that although walls shook, there was little damage.  Sangkhlaburi is no stranger to earthquakes.  41 years ago it was at the epicenter of a 5.7 magnitude quake, and 9 years ago, it experienced one of a 4.4 magnitude.

Inside Myanmar much of our work is carried out in the states of Mon and Karen (Kayin) that share their borders with Thailand. The people in this extremely rugged border region are primarily from the Mon and Karen ethnic communities which, along with many other minority ethnic groups in Myanmar, are targeted by the current military junta which seized control of the country from the democratically elected National League for Democracy in 2021.  Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since then, although Myanmar’s minority ethnic groups have been persecuted by the Burmese majority for decades.

Following the 2021 coup, a government in exile, the National Unity Government (NUG), was formed.  Today the NUG and its armed wing, the People’s Defense Force, along with many ethnic armed organizations and militias, control more than half of the country.  After the earthquake last Friday, the NUG called for a temporary two week halt to offensive military operations in areas affected by the earthquake, but it appears that the Myanmar military junta is not complying.  There have been reports that forces of the Myanmar military continued their attacks after the quake on Friday and Saturday, with at least least three airstrikes against villages in Karen (Kayin) state, and more bombs dropped on villages in Shan state, which borders the Mandalay region.

The leader of the Myanmar military junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, has made an unprecedented appeal for foreign aid following this earthquake, but the NUG and those who sympathize with them have urged caution.  Relief efforts must also incorporate aid that is freely delivered to areas under the control of the resistance, so that it cannot be diverted to the Myanmar military and weaponized by the army.

TBBHI has no access to the areas impacted by the earthquake.  Large international organizations such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Doctors Without Borders, and the International Committee of the Red Cross have offices and personnel in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, which was relatively unaffected by the earthquake.  The IRC reported that their team was able to reach Mandalay by road on Sunday, March 30, and that the scale of the devastation there is daunting. Responding to an emergency of this scale is beyond the capacity of any one organization. We urge you to donate to one of the large international organizations if and when they are granted access to the affected area.

Before the quake, the U.N. estimated that there were more than 3 million internally displaced people (IDP) in Myanmar.  Many of the IDP move to the border with Thailand, to jungle areas away from communities that are targets for airstrikes. It is certain that the coming weeks and months will see more displaced people seeking help along the Thai-Burma border.  

TBBHI will be there for them.