Some Myanmar junta ministries are planning to relocate to Yangon as around 80 percent of Naypyitaw’s government buildings and staff apartments were reportedly wrecked by the March 28 earthquake.
The earthquake killed an unknown number of regime staff and damaged the presidential residence, parliament and left several ministries unusable.
The ministries of foreign affairs, hotels and tourism, immigration and population, and commerce and the Central Bank are reportedly relocating.
The previous military regime sold some government buildings in Yangon to business owners when it relocated to Naypyitaw offices remain and continue operations, including the Central Bank and Commerce Ministry.
A business owner said: “Around 80 percent of ministry buildings were wrecked by the earthquake in Naypyitaw. I heard some ministries would be temporarily relocated to Yangon after Thingyan.”
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in his Buddhist New Year’s address called for efforts to reconstruct quake-hit ministries and housing and restore transport links.
A Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry member said many businesses cannot operate in Mandalay and Naypyitaw, but the regime has yet to discuss the issue with business owners.
Military defector U Zin Yaw said: “I heard the hotels and tourism, foreign and immigration ministries are preparing to move.”
He estimated that around half of the buildings were damaged in the war office headquarters in Naypyitaw, but the junta has not released any details.
“We only have photos of damage inside the Infantry Battalion 85 headquarters in Pyinmana,” the former captain said.
As the regime has deployed troops on multiple fronts across the country, it lacked the manpower to carry out rescue operations for the families of military personnel and government employees after the disaster, he said.
Naypyitaw residents said regime employees were working in tents outside their offices and families of junta employees had moved into rented accommodation.
“Many ministries and staff apartments collapsed. The regime said apartments would be rebuilt by June and meanwhile staff sleep beside roads or at railway stations. There was a lot of theft from collapsed staff apartments after the earthquake which stopped when the regime threatened to shoot on sight,” said a Naypyitaw resident.
In Naypyitaw, 75 temporary relief camps have been set up to shelter over 2,900 families, while more than 23,800 families have been relocated elsewhere, according to the Disaster Management Department.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused widespread destruction in Naypyitaw, Mandalay and Sagaing, severely impacting infrastructure and residential areas. More than 5,400 government office buildings and 52,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, while approximately 5,100 religious buildings, 600 hospitals and clinics, 250 hotels, motels and guest houses and over 2,600 schools were wrecked.
The earthquake claimed 3,725 lives with 129 people missing, the regime reported on Wednesday.
Mandalay Region reported the most casualties, followed by Naypyitaw and Sagaing Region.
