Four regime ministries to relocate to Yangon
The regime plans to relocate the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Education, and Commerce from Naypyidaw to Yangon this month after their offices were either destroyed or damaged during the March 28 earthquake, sources told DVB. Over 800 ministry buildings have reportedly sustained damage, but the regime has not disclosed any further details.
“It’s certain our ministry has to move. We’ve held meetings outdoors six times,” a Ministry of Education staff member told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The Ministry of Defence is reportedly set to relocate to Mayangone Township, while the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Commerce will move to Yangon’s Western District, which includes Kyauktada, Pabedan, and Latha townships.
Naypyidaw is located 169 miles (272 km) south of the earthquake’s epicenter in Sagaing Region, and 229 miles (368 km) north of Yangon, the country’s largest city. DVB data states the death toll from the quake is 4,410. This includes 617 in Naypyidaw, 20 of whom were regime employees. The regime updated its figures to 3,735 bodies recovered, 5,108 injured, and 120 still missing.
Muslims ask Naypyidaw to allow mosque renovations
Members of the Muslim community in Mandalay Region told DVB that they are seeking permission from the regime in Naypyidaw to rebuild mosques that were either damaged or destroyed during the earthquake. The disaster affected 9,642 religious buildings, including 135 mosques in central Burma, according to the regime.
“We have donors. We just need permission from the [regime] to restore the mosques,” a Muslim resident of Mandalay told DVB on condition of anonymity. Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on March 31 that around 500 Muslims were killed while attending Friday prayers when mosques collapsed during the earthquake.
Thein Win Aung, a Muslim cleric in Mandalay Region, told DVB that he would like existing mosques to accommodate the increasing population. The Muslim community claims that over the last 60 years no permission has been granted to reconstruct or build new mosques. Most in Mandalay and other hard hit regions have been closed since March 28 due to the fear of aftershocks.
Khin Ohmar on why the military ‘weaponizes’ earthquake aid
Human rights and civil society leader Khin Ohmar joined the DVB Newsroom to discuss how and why the military is blocking, obstructing, and “weaponizing” earthquake relief from reaching those in need. Our request for an interview with a representative from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) went unanswered.
“We’re seeing that international rescue missions from different countries, with good faith and goodwill, that want to come and really save the people’s lives are not able to have the full access to the areas where they could still save lives. I think it’s a very intentional move by this military junta [to] block [and] obstruct international aid,” Khin Ohmar told DVB.
Watch the DVB Newsroom podcast season 2 episode 13 interview with Khin Ohmar on why the military ‘weaponizes’ earthquake aid on DVB English News YouTube or Spotify. Or, if you’d prefer to listen to it as audio, find and follow us on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or wherever you get podcasts.
News by Region
MANDALAY—Twenty political prisoners, and at least 10 others, were killed and more than 280 were injured during the collapse of buildings and walls at Obo Prison during the March 28 earthquake, according to seven prisoner advocacy organizations on Sunday.
“Political prisoners inside Obo Prison who were [injured] by the quake have not received any humanitarian aid from local or international organizations,” said a joint statement, which includes the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
Prisoners at Obo have been forced to remain in their cells and have been deprived of adequate medical care since March 28, the statement added. The AAPP has documented 22,197 still being held in prisons nationwide since the 2021 coup.
MON—Three civilians, including a Buddhist novice, were killed and nine others were injured by an airstrike on a monastery in Bilin Township on Friday, the Karen National Union (KNU) told DVB. Bilin is located 69 miles (111 km) northwest of the state capital Mawlamyine.
“A novice and two women, who delivered food to the monastery, were killed,” a source close to the KNU told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Two buildings inside the monastery compound in Minsaw village. located in the KNU Thaton district, were destroyed.
AYEYARWADY—Yekyi Township residents told DVB that regime troops from Yenantha checkpoint gate, along the Pathein-Monywa road, in Ngathaingchaung town have restricted residents from carrying more than two baskets of rice home each week since April 7. Yekyi is located 53 miles (85 km) north of the region’s capital Pathein.
A resident of Konepyin village, which is located near Arakan State, told DVB on the condition of anonymity that soldiers are confiscating baskets of rice from residents if this rule is not followed. Sources close to the military told DVB that this is to ensure that food isn’t reaching resistance forces.
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