More than 2,800 people were killed in Myanmar on Friday ( Mar 28 ), prompting an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude to strike the Southeast Asian nation.
Foreign comfort workers, whose blue and orange clothes are seen in videos that are popular on social media, are the most pervasive among them.
The content frequently feature gratitude toward Beijing, whose first rescuers as well as their Indian and Russian counterparts have rescued bodies and dazed survivors from the wreckage of hotels, colleges, and monasteries.
China’s social media presence on Myanmar’s social media accounts has changed since the effect, which shows its assistance for the unhappy military junta.
America’s main geopolitical rival has so far pledged to provide supplies worth US$ 100 million ( US$$ 13.76 million ) worth. According to Beijing, the first shipment of first aid, which included houses, pillows, and first aid kits, arrived in Yangon on Monday.
The United States, which was formerly the world’s most important charitable donation, has offered a respectable US$ 2 million. Washington added that it would take a three-member assessment team, despite the military regime’s problems with visa issuance.
The US had used experienced rescue workers frequently and quickly in the past when floods, earthquakes, and other catastrophe struck around the world.
Three current and former US officials told Reuters that the presence of the American population illustrates how President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of the US government have hindered its capacity to react in times of crisis.
In the name of reducing wasteful spending, businessman Elon Musk’s Department of Government Performance has implemented significant funding cuts and company terminations across the federal government with Trump’s gift.
Trump has also ordered the removal of nearly all of the agency’s global development team members who handle the agency’s international crisis answer efforts.
According to Marcia Wong, a former major humanitarian national at USAID, a practical USAID may include activated industrial search-and-rescue teams that could be deployed to Myanmar in 48 hours.
However, she said that the majority of the people responsible for organizing the answer have been fired and that third-party colleagues have lost contracts.
Wong claimed that” we have created a pump” that would allow players to enter.
Without the cuts, the junta might have reportedly allowed large US military installations into the country, but according to former US ambassador to Myanmar, Scot Marciel said Washington may have “reacted more swiftly and robustly” if there had been no cuts.
The State Department, which oversees the remaining USAID courses, did not respond to a request for comment right away. Additionally, the coup and the foreign ministry of China did not respond to inquiries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on X that the cuts targeted programs that “did not serve, ( and in some cases even harmed )” US interests. His spokesman Tammy Bruce informed reporters on Monday that crisis comfort professionals were keeping an eye on the condition.