Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will travel to Thailand for a regional summit as his country reels from an earthquake that killed thousands and left cities in ruins.
According to the coup, the earthquake in northern Myanmar previous Friday killed 3, 085 people and wounded 4, 715 others. More than a hundred people are missing, and the death toll is anticipated to rise.
On the day of a mountain bringing together leaders of the seven nations that border the Bay of Bengal, Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to fly to Bangkok on Thursday, according to a spokesman for the Myanmar troops.
His attendance may be uncommon because sanctioned leaders are usually prohibited from attending these gatherings.
The leaders of Thailand, which felt the quake and killed 21 people, have suggested that they make a joint statement about the crisis. Additionally, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are included in the conference.
Since the earthquake, help and rescue teams have been sent to Myanmar from other countries, but the relief effort has been hampered by the country’s fragile infrastructure and ongoing civil war.
The junta announced a temporary ceasefire late on Wednesday to expedite these efforts, after earlier rejecting proposals from armed ethnic rebel groups.
Prior to this, the government had continued conducting attacks in rebel-held areas, including those severely damaged by the disaster.
On Tuesday night, soldiers opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese Red Cross pleasure supplies. The soldiers reportedly fired after the fleet refused to stop despite receiving a signal to do so.
Since the military seized power in 2021, Myanmar has experienced a bloody civil war, which has led to the emergence of an armed opposition that has been fighting alongside armed ethnic groups, some of whom have been fighting the military for years.
Years of conflict have harmed the country’s business, increased prices, and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The quake has now made the problems worse. Charitable organizations have urged the coup to remove any obstacles that may still be present.
The UN has likewise urged the world community to increase support before the monsoon season arrives in about a month.