Myanmar

Three weeks after an earthquake devastated Mandalay and central Myanmar, the Church remains close to the faithful and the victims, offering material and spiritual support. While many churches remain unusable, Holy Week is being celebrated in camps for displaced people and in parish halls. Maximilian, a Caritas volunteer, says that despite the destruction and the pain, people support each other in a true experience of rebirth.

The Malaysian prime minister will meet with the leader of Myanmar’s military junta on Thursday to ask him to extend the ceasefire declared after last month’s devastating earthquake. Concern is growing in various quarters that the military regime might me trying to win support. Malaysia plans to send aid for the population. ASEAN insists on compliance with its five-point peace plan, which has so far proved to be a failure.

A humanitarian worker talks to AsiaNews about the situation in the areas affected by the earthquake that struck in late March. The military often blocks loads, fuelling fear and uncertainty. The regime, committed to rebuilding its own facilities instead of bringing relief to the population, would like to hide the displaced. No coordinated effort is being made to pull out the dead from the rubble. The needs are huge, but “with the right support, we can reach the most vulnerable.”

Under pressure from Beijing, rebels left the capital of Shan State, northern Myanmar, although they will remain around the city. Meas fighting continues in the rest of the country, other rebel groups won some victories yesterday and today. Citing the earthquake, the regime suspends tourist visas.

A health worker talks to AsiaNews about fleeing her village in Mandalay due to airstrikes by junta planes that continued after the earthquake. Only last night, the military announced a 20-day ceasefire in the most affected areas to facilitate aid. But few people trust their words.

Archbishop Marco Tin Win released a message reporting the destruction of the diocesan house in Mandalay forcing the priests to sleep outdoors together with others. Despite calls for a stop to the hostilities, the military junta continues to attack resistance forces, but has admitted that it also hit a group of Chinese rescuers.

Some rural areas have been as badly affected as cities. Almost 100 people have reportedly died and 3,000 homes destroyed in a well-known tourist destination. Residents were already hard at work recovering from the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in September 2024. While the main ethnic militias have joined a ceasefire proposal, many fear the military junta will hold up aid.

Travel remains difficult with people still gripped by fear after Friday’s devastating quake in the country’s central regions. In addition to the aftershocks, people face ongoing military operations. “It's like shooting a wounded person,” said Sister Valentina Pozzi, the mother superior of the institute founded by Fr Carlo Salerio, which today has 380 local members. “It is a miracle that there were no victims among the sisters we were able to contact,” she told AsiaNews.

A humanitarian worker talked to AsiaNews about the devastation caused by the earthquake. People are sleeping outdoors terrified by hundreds of aftershocks. A Salesian clergyman in Anisakan talks about the situation, while the military junta continues to attack rebel areas. Mud and polluted water risk causing more damage.

It is feared that the death tool will be high after a 7.7 quake struck the country, already devastated by four years of civil war. Local sources report the collapse of temples, mosques and churches, as well as bridges and other structures, some housing displaced people who had fled junta attacks. Roads between the main cities are closed. A priest offers a prayer for Myanmar: “How long, O Lord?”

On the feast day of St Joseph, the episcopal ordination of Mgr Raymond Wai Lin Htun, presided over by Card Charles Maung Bo. The Archbishop of Yangon warns against ethnic divisions: ‘Can we give in to the temptation to treat others on the basis of man-made identities, when instead we are all Children of God created in his image?’

Junta soldiers attack St Patrick's Catholic Church in Bhamo, Kachin, a day before Saint Patrick’s. In Mandalay at least 27 dead are killed in an airstrike today. Meanwhile, civilians protest against ethnic militias for abuses and forced recruitment. In Rakhine Chinese security personnel are already present to protect Chinese investments.