Myanmar rebels plan ceasefire in quake-hit areas as aid arrives

MYANMAR'S rebels declared a ceasefire in quake-hit areas to allow for emergency aid to reach victims of the disaster as the search for survivors continues. 

The shadow National Unity Government said the People’s Defence Force will pause offensive military operations for two weeks except for defensive actions, effective Sunday, according to a statement. It urged relief agencies and international groups to step up aid.

“Numerous homes, buildings, pagodas, mosques, temples, schools, and bridges collapsed, resulting in the deaths of thousands and injuring tens of thousands,” it said. “Many people require emergency rescue and medical treatment.”

More than 1,600 people are dead after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, Myanmar’s biggest in a century, shook the country on Friday. The United States Geological Survey said the highest probability is that more than 10,000 people may have died and warned that estimated economic losses may exceed Myanmar’s gross domestic product.

The temporary ceasefire may ease rescue efforts in Myanmar, which has been under the control of a military junta since 2021, though rebuilding after the quake may be complicated by its long-running civil war.

The NUG, made up of allies of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and who controls the People’s Defence Force, said it has allocated $1 million initially for emergency rescue and medical operations across the country, particularly in NUG-administered territories.

“We call on all ethnic groups and citizens to actively cooperate with the NUG and revolutionary forces in providing comprehensive emergency rescue and relief assistance to the earthquake victims,” it said.

In the administrative capital of Naypyidaw, the international airport has been repaired for relief flights to land, according to the Ministry of Information. Five airplanes from India have arrived, including a 118-member Indian Army Field Hospital unit which is en route to Mandalay, it said.

United Nations agency OCHA Myanmar is allocating an initial $5 million for assistance in Myanmar and they are mobilizing to support emergency response efforts.

In neighboring Thailand, rescuers are still searching for people missing from a collapsed high-rise building under construction in Bangkok, where 10 have been confirmed dead, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The BMA said 17 people died in the quake in Bangkok, while more than 80 are missing.

Foreign aid has been provided by China, Israel and the US, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said.

An investigation is underway on the 30-story building that collapsed, and officials will report their findings within a week, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Saturday.