Post Reply - South East Asia Earthquake

In a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 1 April, shelter, clean water and medicine were running low in Myanmar. Additionally, due to the lack of clean water, the United Nations warned about the possibility of a cholera outbreak. The World Health Organization said that many hospitals in the region were also running beyond their intended capacity. Damaged roads and bridges also hampered rescue missions. OCHA added that it took their team 13 hours to reach Mandalay from Yangon instead of the typical eight-hour travel time.^[175] In many parts of Myanmar, the first responders were volunteer groups who, without special equipment, tried to pull survivors from the rubble.^[176]

Although the military regime appealed for international aid, several human rights organisations said there is selective allocation of assistance. Some affected regions such as Sagaing and Shan were receiving less aid whereas most resources were directed at Mandalay and Naypyidaw. Some groups said the regime may be falsely claiming logistical challenges to rationalise restricting aid in resistance-controlled areas. Amnesty International also shared a similar statement.^[177] United Nations rapporter Tom Andrews said there were many reports of the military preventing aid and workers from accessing some areas.^[178]