Mandalay: Myan­mar’s military junta has continued to bomb parts of the war-torn country following the major earthquake there. The UN has described the attacks as “completely outrageous and unacceptable”.

Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews told the BBC that it was “nothing short of incredible” that the military was continuing to “drop bombs when you are trying to rescue people” after the earthquake.

He called on the military regime, which seized power in a coup nearly four years ago to stop all military operations. “Any­one who has influence on the military needs to step up the pressure and make it very clear that this is not acceptable,” he said.

“I’m calling upon the junta to just stop, stop any of its military operations,” he added.

BBC Burmese confirmed that seven people were killed in an air strike in Naungcho in northern Shan state. This strike took place around 15:30 local time, less than three hours after the quake struck.

Pro-democracy rebel groups that are fighting to remove the military from power have reported aerial bombings in Chang-U township in the north-western Sagaing region, the epicentre of the quake. There are also reports of airstrikes in regions near the Thai border.

The National Unity Government (NUG), which represents the ousted civilian administration, said in a statement that its armed forces would begin a two-week pause in “offensive military operations, except for defensive actions” in areas affected by the earthquake, from Sunday.

Thomas Andrews, the United Nations special rap­porteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in a post on X that the military’s respo­nse to a recent cyclone and typhoon showed its “willingness to weaponise aid in the midst of natural disasters”.

No help

Myanmar’s junta has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and disaster response teams from Russia, China, Singapore and India flying in on Saturday. But rights activists raised fears that aid would not reach people on the ground, as the regime has a history of blocking relief to parts of the country controlled by opposition groups.

Reuters reported in December that the junta intimidated aid agencies and suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger.

In Mandalay, residents interviewed by Reuters said they had not yet received any assistance from military authorities.

One rescue worker said on Saturday they had borrowed machinery from businesses to help sift through the rubble. He said they had received nothing from the military government but declined to elaborate for fear of retribution. Some residents were appealing for machinery on Facebook.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025