Naypyidaw confirms December election plan
Twelve days after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Burma, the regime’s Union Election Commission (UEC) reaffirmed Min Aung Hlaing’s pledge that a general election is scheduled to begin in December. It notified all political parties to complete registration by May 9 to be allowed “enough time for election campaigns.”
“We already have an example of the military regime approving the [2008] Constitution following Cyclone Nargis, [which] killed more people than this earthquake has,” Sai Htay Aung, chairperson of the Tai-Leng Nationalities Development Party, told DVB. Cyclone Nargis in 2008 killed over 130,000 people, according to U.N. estimates.
A total of 54 political parties have re-registered for the regime election. Only nine, including the pro-regime Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), will compete nationwide. DVB data states that the death toll is 4,346 with 7,890 injured, and 210 still missing as of Wednesday. The regime updated its figures to 3,645 killed, with 5,017 injured, and 148 missing as of Tuesday.
Sagaing residents lack clean drinking since earthquake
Residents of Yaekharinn village of Sagaing Township in Sagaing Region face a lack of clean drinking water and food, according to aid workers providing assistance to villages in the epicenter of the earthquake since March 28. The village in Sagaing, with nearly 200 households, is located 71 miles (114 km) east of the region’s capital Monywa.
“The roads to the village are closed, and residents are in urgent need of rice, cooking oil, and salt as well,” an aid worker told DVB on condition of anonymity. He added that the village has long faced difficulties accessing clean drinking water, and that very little earthquake relief has reached the hardest hit areas.
Residents have sought shelter in a local monastery where makeshift shelters have been built with timber gathered from nearby forests. Residents haven’t reported any killed during the earthquake but an unknown number were injured. Nearly all homes were either damaged or destroyed on March 28. Many are still sleeping outdoors.
Indian embassy in Yangon warns nationals against talking to media
The Embassy of India in Yangon warned its citizens against sharing information with, or speaking to, the media in Burma without prior authorization from regime authorities. This warning followed an interview Kiran Verma, a volunteer from India who shared his experience in assisting earthquake relief efforts on social media, gave to DVB on April 5.
“Indian citizens are advised to avoid submitting news to media outlets in Myanmar without prior permission from the relevant Myanmar authorities,” the Embassy of India in Yangon shared on social media on Monday. It also re-shared a social media post which mentioned Verma’s experiences.
“As I can’t see myself helpless in front of guns, when your country is going through worse after the Myanmar earthquake,” Verma wrote on social media April 3 before departing the country. He also said that he hoped the regime would show humanity or empathy during the crisis. He claimed that he was blocked by authorities from traveling to Sagaing, one of the hardest-hit areas “for no reason.”
News by Region
ARAKAN—The Arakan Army (AA) is accused of entering Bangladesh’s territorial waters to arrest 11 Bangladeshi fishermen and seize two of their fishing boats near Saint Martin’s Island in Cox’s Bazaar on Tuesday. The Teknaf Kayukkhali Boat Owners’ Association stated that there is “panic” among fishermen.
“We are seeking the government’s assistance in resolving this issue,” Abul Kalam, the group’s general secretary, told Dhaka Tribune. Bangladesh authorities are investigating the arrest and said it will hold “discussions” with law enforcement agencies.
NAYPYIDAW—The UEC announced on Monday that it is reviewing the registration of the Rakhine Nationalities Party. It was founded by former members of the Arakan National Party (ANP), which was denied registration on July 1.
“The elections that [the regime] hopes for is not for Arakan State,” a former MP told DVB on the condition of anonymity. The Arakan Front Party (AFP), led by nationalist politician Aye Maung, was the first in Arakan to re-register with the UEC on Feb. 28, 2023.
MANDALAY—Residents of Seinban Ward in Maharaungmyay Township told DVB that nearly 400 homes burned down on March 28. “I saw fireballs erupting from the ground after the earthquake hit,” a resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Residents claimed that gas seeped from the ground in the ward, which they believe was built on a landfill site, after the earthquake. Maharaungmyay is located 14 miles (22 km) east of Sagaing, the quake’s epicenter. The death toll in Mandalay is 2,788 as of Wednesday, according to DVB data.
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