Photo – AFP
(This English Column is the ISP’s translation of the original Burmese version published on April 11, 2025. Read the original Burmese Column here.)
Thirteen days have passed since the massive earthquake along the Sagaing Fault.
International rescue teams from Malaysia, India, and China have now gone home. Their efforts pulled many from the rubble, some alive, many not. Thank you for the help and aid. According to the State Administration Council’s figures, at least 3,600 people were killed, and around 5,000 were injured. The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) reports that more than 47,000 homes were destroyed, over 69,000 people displaced, and nearly 16,000 are now living in temporary shelters. Tens of thousands have been left homeless. Nearly 173,800 pregnant women live in the affected areas. UNICEF estimates that 2.7 million children are at risk due to the earthquake. This crisis has struck a country where some 20 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance even before the ground shook. When the quake hit, rescue teams and relief supplies from neighbouring countries and the wider international community arrived in force, bringing much-needed support.
What has not arrived with equal urgency is a credible recovery plan of the regime. The areas hardest hit—Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, Bago, Shan, and Naypyitaw itself—are under the regime’s control. That makes its rehabilitation plans critical for the people who live there. The regime has said it will provide one million kyat in compensation for each person killed. Even using its own death toll (3,600), the total is under USD one million. It has also announced a budget of 500 billion kyat (approximately USD 111 million) for reconstruction. The scale of that allocation appears modest when compared with other disasters. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal in 2015 caused approximately USD 7 billion in damage; an estimated USD 3.3 billion was required to rebuild housing and infrastructure. International aid for Nepal reached around USD 4 billion, and even then, recovery was slow. For Myanmar, total international humanitarian pledges so far are only about USD 300 million.
Thirteen days on… soldiers are still seen passing bricks hand-to-hand… and the military leadership, for the most part, are visible touring disaster zones, greeting rescue teams and drifting from site to site.
Against this backdrop, fundamental questions remain. How does the SAC intend to rebuild destroyed infrastructure in Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, Bago, Shan, and its own capital, Naypyitaw? What is the plan for those who have lost their homes? In today’s inflationary economy, what does a one-off payment of one million kyat for a death actually amount to?
Thirteen days on, this should be the moment when the authorities are moving decisively into the recovery phase. Instead, soldiers are still seen passing bricks hand-to-hand. And the military leadership? For the most part, they are visible touring disaster zones, greeting rescue teams and drifting from site to site. Showing one’s face has some symbolic value, but it is no substitute for decisions that need to be taken. The National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) is chaired by Vice-Senior General Soe Win, with the ministers of Home Affairs and of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement as vice-chairs, hardly a team known for technocratic competence.
If the regime believes earthquake recovery can be wrapped up quickly, it is deluding itself. At this critical juncture, the priority should be clear: remove obstacles to international humanitarian operations, ensure injured civilians receive timely medical care, and bring in expertise. A serious response would involve forming a committee of domestic and international earthquake specialists and seismic engineers, tasked with designing and overseeing reconstruction. It is far from obvious that such expertise exists within the NDMC as currently constituted.
Donations—whether from abroad or from ordinary people inside the country—are invaluable for immediate relief. But they are not a long-term strategy. How long will displaced families remain in makeshift shelters? Temporary camps cannot adequately meet daily needs for food, sanitation, and dignity. The burden is particularly heavy for women. Strategic, medium-to long-term plans for housing, livelihoods, and services are urgently required. Because the worst-hit areas lie in territories controlled by the regime, its responsibility is greater, not lesser. Instead of aimless tours and performative inspections, it should work with experts to develop a clear, realistic, and well-resourced rehabilitation plan.
Hi Te is an emerging researcher from ISP-Myanmar’s Capacity Building Program.