China is shipping hundreds of Portacabins to the Myanmar junta to help it keep administrative functions ticking over in Naypyitaw, the jerry-built administrative capital that was hit hard by the March 28 earthquake.
The first shipment of 340 prefab units and office furniture arrived at Thilawa Port in Yangon on May 2 to serve as temporary offices for ministries. They were immediately taken to Naypyitaw by train, and just two days later deputy junta chief Soe Win, who chairs the Natural Disaster Management Committee, inspected their installation.
He told the Constitutional Tribunal of the Union and the ministries of immigration, commerce, and electricity that they must resume operations in their brand-new shacks by the end of May.
On May 6, another 108 Portacabins arrived in Naypyitaw and were allocated to various government offices. The Supreme Court received 25, the Constitutional Tribunal five, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 30, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation 44.
The rest will be distributed among other ministries, according to junta officials.
The March 28 earthquake caused extensive damage in Naypyitaw, making it the second most affected city after Mandalay in terms of casualties. Government buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, hotels, staff apartments, and residential areas were severely damaged. Some ministries have reportedly relocated to Yangon.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has ordered a redesign of Naypyitaw’s urban layout and announced plans for soil testing to ensure future construction in less earthquake-prone areas. He also claimed that staff housing would be rebuilt to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 8.
Until the installation is complete, many government offices are operating out of makeshift tents.
In an article in junta-run newspapers on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Ma Jia reaffirmed China’s commitment to assisting reconstruction efforts in Myanmar. She said China will keep sending more prefabs and also dispatch structural inspection experts and support rebuilding and rehabilitation.
The article made much of the supposed “brotherly” relationship between the two countries and was crisply headlined: “Pauk-Phaw Friendship Strengthened through Mutual Support, Ushering a New Chapter With Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, and Inclusiveness.”
China is among a dozen governments that sent rescue teams and provided relief supplies for quake victims. It is responsible for the greatest number of rescue personnel and aid, and its rescue teams found the most survivors, according to Ma Jia.
She made no mention of the uglier face of Chinese assistance to the junta: helping it recover lost territories in northern Shan State from the ethnic resistance. With Chinese backing, the junta has already taken back the northern Shan capital of Lashio from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
Currently, China is trying to arm-wrestle the Ta’ang National Liberation Army TNLA into ceding control of Hsipaw, Kyaukme, and Nawnghkio to the military regime.
All four towns lie on National Highway 3, the main trade route that leads from the Chinese border to Mandalay.
But the armed group is so far refused to relinquish the towns it has seized, so the junta has intensified airstrikes against TNLA-controlled territories.
