April 8, 2025

Nay Pyi Taw - Samaritan's Purse, a U.S.-based crisis response and humanitarian organization, has opened a temporary hospital in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, to provide medical treatment for those injured in the Mandalay earthquake.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Health, Samaritan's Purse has set up a temporary hospital inside the Shwe Kyarpin football field and sports complex in Nay Pyi Taw.

The organization successfully performed surgeries on four earthquake victims with bone injuries on April 7, as stated in the release.

Samaritan's Purse also confirmed the successful surgeries in its own press statement. Since nearly 100 patients were waiting for medical treatment, their medical team began providing care in a nearby building without waiting for the full construction of the temporary hospital.

A second batch of relief supplies is expected to arrive soon, including over 104 tons of aid, such as six water purification systems, solar lights, blankets, mosquito nets, and other essential items.

Samaritan’s Purse has previously assisted in Myanmar during the 2008 Cyclone Nargis relief efforts and maintained an office in the country from 2017 to 2022.

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April 7, 2025

Nay Pyi Taw - A powerful earthquake has devastated Myanmar’s Mandalay region, leaving at least 3,600 people dead and thousands more injured or missing, according to official reports released today.

The News Information Team of the State Administration Council (SAC) confirmed that, as of 7:00 PM on July 7, the disaster has resulted in 5,017 injuries and 160 people still unaccounted for. Rescue operations remain ongoing in the most severely affected zones.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the News Information Team, reported that 20 countries have joined the international relief mission. So far, 94 flights, six ground convoys, and five ships have delivered aid, while 1,738 rescue personnel have been deployed to assist in search and recovery efforts.

Emergency supplies continue to pour in, with over 1,281 tons of relief goods and 844 tons of specialized rescue equipment arriving to support survivors. Authorities and international partners are racing against time to locate those still trapped beneath the rubble.

In a combined operation involving Myanmar’s Fire Services Department, local volunteers, and international response teams, 653 individuals—338 men and 315 women—have been rescued alive from collapsed buildings. Tragically, recovery teams have also retrieved 700 bodies, comprising 340 men and 360 women.

This tragedy has prompted one of the largest humanitarian responses in Myanmar’s recent history, with medical professionals, engineers, and disaster response specialists working tirelessly to aid the survivors and restore essential services in the affected areas.

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April 7, 2025

Naypyidaw – Myanmar has formally called on the United Nations to terminate the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the country, labeling the role as ineffective and lacking practical value after more than three decades of operation.

The statement, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on April 6, came in response to discussions at the UN regarding recent reports on Myanmar’s human rights situation, presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews.

In its statement, the Ministry criticized the UN proceedings as "meaningless dialogues" and expressed “deep regret” that Myanmar continues to face what it described as "relentless condemnations" from certain "biased actors in the global arena," even amid ongoing humanitarian challenges.

“What the people of Myanmar truly need at this time is assistance, support, constructive engagement, and solidarity—not politically motivated decisions that only add to their burden,” the Ministry stated.

Amid the country’s response to a recent natural disaster, the government urged the international community and the UN to adopt a more “balanced and pragmatic approach,” calling for unity and cooperation in relief efforts.

The Ministry also extended its gratitude to UN agencies, countries, and organizations that have conveyed condolence messages and provided support during this crisis. It said such gestures reflect “humanitarian cooperation and goodwill.”

The successive reports submitted by Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, have been consistently criticized as biased, baseless, one-sided, and unscholarly.

The UN mandate for the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar has been in place since 1992, tasked with monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in the country.

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April 6, 2025

YANGON — U.S.-based humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) has received official approval from Myanmar’s State Administration Council to begin large-scale meal distribution for communities affected by the recent earthquake.

WCK, known globally for its rapid-response food relief efforts, is launching an initiative to provide daily nutritious meals to those impacted by the disaster. Preparations for cooking and distribution are already underway, a source close to the organization told YMG.

The organization plans to distribute approximately 8 million meal boxes, each consisting of 150 grams of rice, 150 grams of vegetables, 150 grams of protein, and a bottle of water, in line with WCK’s nutritional guidelines. The $10 million operation is designed to meet urgent food needs while also strengthening long-term community resilience, the source said.

To carry out the program, WCK is partnering with the Myanmar Restaurant Association to recruit local chefs. The initiative will rely on locally sourced ingredients, including vegetables and meat, helping to stimulate regional markets. In addition, participating chefs and food preparers will receive training and certification, ensuring quality and food safety standards are met.

“WCK is committed to supporting Myanmar communities with nutritious meals while creating economic opportunities,” the source added. “The model includes community-based cooking centers, where local volunteers lead efforts to prepare meals in affected villages.”

The organization will replicate successful strategies used during previous relief missions in Turkey and Syria following the 2023 earthquakes, by setting up decentralized cooking facilities to ensure timely and widespread meal distribution.

The initiative aims to address the immediate humanitarian crisis while also providing longer-term support through local employment opportunities and skills training.

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Naypyidaw, April 5, 2025 — Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has blamed substandard construction practices for the high number of casualties in the recent devastating earthquake, describing the incident as a painful national lesson bought at the cost of thousands of lives.

Speaking at a special Union Government meeting held at the State Administration Council (SAC) office in Naypyidaw on Friday, the SAC Chairman and Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged that poorly built structures had collapsed easily during the disaster, leading to widespread destruction and loss of life.

“The tragedy we face today is a direct result of negligent construction. It has cost us dearly in terms of human lives,” the Senior General said, according to an official SAC statement.

He stressed the urgent need for future construction projects to strictly adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and engineering standards. “We must ensure all new buildings—particularly high-rise and reinforced structures—are capable of withstanding earthquakes of at least magnitude 8 on the Richter scale,” he added.

He also called for increased oversight and accountability among authorities responsible for infrastructure and construction projects, to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

In the wake of the disaster, many people have been forced to live outdoors. He instructed officials to provide adequate temporary shelters, hygienic toilet facilities, clean drinking water, and medical supplies to prevent disease outbreaks, particularly diarrhea. He also stressed the need to accelerate rehabilitation efforts in affected areas.

As of now, the death toll from the powerful earthquake has risen to 3,455, with 4,840 others injured and 214 people still reported missing, according to official figures. In total, more than 8,600 individuals have been directly affected by the disaster.

Preliminary assessments paint a grim picture of widespread destruction across multiple sectors. At least 5,223 buildings have been damaged nationwide, along with 1,824 schools, significantly disrupting education in affected regions. Religious institutions have also suffered extensive losses, with 2,752 monasteries and nunneries either destroyed or severely damaged, and 4,817 pagodas and stupas sustaining various levels of structural harm.

Healthcare infrastructure has not been spared, with 167 hospitals and clinics reportedly destroyed, severely impacting the country’s capacity to respond to the ongoing medical needs of survivors.

Transportation and infrastructure networks have also been crippled. Key segments of the Yangon–Naypyidaw–Mandalay highway and railway systems have suffered serious damage, with several train stations rendered inoperable. Authorities have confirmed that 169 bridges have collapsed, while 198 dams and irrigation facilities have been compromised. Additionally, 184 sections of the national expressway have sustained varying degrees of damage, hampering relief and recovery operations.

In response, emergency rescue teams from 26 countries are now working alongside Myanmar’s local disaster response units in ongoing relief and recovery operations.

This earthquake is one of the worst natural disasters to hit Myanmar in recent memory, with the full scale of the destruction still being assessed.

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Bangkok, 5 April 2025 — Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) and Prime Minister of Myanmar, held separate bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka and Bhutan on April 4, on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

The meetings took place at the Shangri-La Hotel, where the Senior General met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay for open and cordial discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties.

According to a statement from the SAC, both Dr. Amarasuriya and Mr. Tobgay extended their condolences over the recent earthquakes in Myanmar and reiterated their countries' continued support in ongoing relief and recovery efforts. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing expressed his heartfelt appreciation for their solidarity and assistance.

The discussions covered a wide range of areas aimed at enhancing cooperation between Myanmar and the two South Asian nations. Key sectors identified for future collaboration included trade, defense, education, science and technology, and healthcare.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was accompanied by SAC Joint Secretary Lt. Gen. Ye Win Oo, Union Ministers U Than Swe and Lt. Gen. Moe Aung, as well as senior officials from the Myanmar delegation. The Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka and Bhutan were also joined by senior officials from their respective governments.

The engagements are part of Myanmar’s broader efforts to deepen regional ties and promote collaboration within the BIMSTEC framework.

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