Military council leader Min Aung Hlaing visited Sagaing and Mandalay cities on June 10, areas that were struck by an earthquake on March 28, but earthquake victims report that no assistance has been provided to civilians who lost their homes and businesses. During his visit, Min Aung Hlaing focused primarily on the restoration of earthquake-damaged pagodas before departing.
In preparation for Min Aung Hlaing’s visit, municipal authorities and military forces pressured residents in Mandalay and Sagaing to cover damaged homes and buildings with blue corrugated sheets. Additionally, they issued costly directives requiring debris to be cleared for aesthetic purposes and leaning buildings to be covered with green sheets where possible. Despite these expensive mandates, no actual aid has been provided for earthquake damage, according to a resident from Mahaaungmye Township in Mandalay whose house collapsed.
In Sagaing city, a vast number of people have lost their homes and businesses due to the earthquake, and local residents report that they have still received no assistance from the military council. Some are unable to demolish their damaged homes and have nowhere to live, while others cannot even perform traditional memorial services for family members who died in the earthquake, according to an earthquake victim from Sagaing.
The military council announced through Vice Chairman Soe Win at the National Natural Disaster Management Committee meeting on June 6 that they would soon provide support to 39,603 damaged residential buildings according to the extent of damage. For the March 28 earthquake, domestic donors have contributed over 144 billion kyats and international donors have provided over 5 million US dollars. The military council claims to have spent a total of 264.656 billion kyats to date.
