On Thursday, a day before a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar’s war-torn heartland, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, a man accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, delivered a defiant speech to mark Armed Forces Day. He boasted that the military had never bowed to insurgent demands and vowed to continue fighting what he called a “just war.”
The next day, nature had its own response. A massive earthquake tore through central Myanmar, hitting Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Sagaing regions—already devastated by civil war. The regime was caught completely unprepared, with no disaster response plan and no functioning relief mechanisms.
As terrified civilians reeled from the disaster on Friday, Min Aung Hlaing declared a state of emergency and made a rare appeal for international assistance. The death toll quickly exceeded 1,000, with thousands more injured. But even as Myanmar’s people suffered, the junta’s jet fighters continued bombing civilian targets in Sagaing Region and Shan State. Meanwhile, the regime’s leaders staged photo-ops in disaster zones, offering nothing but empty gestures.
Last week, Min Aung Hlaing defended his regime’s increased military spending, insisting it was necessary to maintain “national stability.” Yet there was no budget for disaster relief. After the coup, he looted funds meant for emergency response, even imprisoning Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on corruption charges over a rescue helicopter purchase. The once-functional Social Welfare Ministry has been sidelined under his rule.
Myanmar’s military has a long history of failing its people during crises. After Cyclone Nargis struck in 2008, killing over 100,000 people, the junta prioritized a sham constitutional referendum over saving lives. They obstructed aid, rejected international help and turned a blind eye to the suffering.
Today’s generals follow the same playbook, as we saw in the current regime’s appalling response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed many thousands of lives as Myanmar’s healthcare system collapsed. In 2021, in Yangon, one of the country’s hardest-hit regions, crematoriums struggled to cope as the corpses piled up. Many of those victims died gasping for breath due to a shortage of oxygen.
The regime has also cut internet access and controls almost all local media, including radio, television, print and online news. For many in Myanmar, electricity is unreliable, making it even harder to get accurate information about the disaster and relief efforts. This deliberate suppression of communication isolates people further in times of crisis.
Despite the generals’ indifference, the world is responding. The US, China, Russia, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore have provided or pledged support. But how much of this aid will actually reach those in need?
The regime will delay, obstruct and control aid distribution. Sagaing, a resistance stronghold, is unlikely to receive any help. The junta’s corruption and mismanagement are deeply ingrained. How can a regime waging war against its own people be trusted to deliver aid? The Myanmar military is notorious for siphoning off such assistance.
Myanmar’s civil society groups and local NGOs stand ready to help earthquake victims. Donors must ensure that aid is delivered transparently, bypassing the military’s grip. Providing humanitarian assistance must not mean legitimizing the junta. The world must stand with Myanmar’s people—not the war criminals in Naypyitaw.
