Naypyidaw, March 31 (IANS) Myanmar’s military junta has banned entry of foreign media seeking to cover the earthquake-devastated areas in the country as the death toll jumps to 1700.
The junta has put the restriction, citing difficulties with accommodation, power outages, and water shortages.
“It is not possible for (foreign journalists) to come, stay, find shelter, or move around here. We want everyone to understand this,” said Zaw Min Tun, the regime’s spokesperson, in an audio statement issued on Sunday.
As local reporters face severe restrictions in Myanmar, the denial of entry to foreign media raises grave concerns about the transparency of the junta’s response to the catastrophe.
Several others have accused the junta of hindering humanitarian aid from reaching certain affected areas not under its direct control.
Since a 2021 coup, when the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been locked in a civil war with multiple armed opposition groups.
Meanwhile, several media reports also suggest that the junta has continued to conduct airstrikes in various parts of the violence and disaster-hit nation.
Many in the international community are demanding unrestricted access for aid workers and independent media as the humanitarian crisis grows amid the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has wrought widespread destruction across the nation, media outlet Myanmar now reported.
Claiming that the military junta’s crackdown on media is well documented, Myanmar Now reported that back in 2023, its photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested while reporting on the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology reported that 36 aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 7.5, have occurred as of Monday morning.
The aftershocks followed a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Myanmar at 12:51 p.m. local time last Friday.
About 1,700 people died, 3,400 were injured, and 300 remained missing in the massive earthquake in Myanmar, according to the country’s State Administration Council on Sunday.
A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck Myanmar’s Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage in multiple countries.
The epicentre was only about 20 km from Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city with a population of 1.5 million. In response, the National Disaster Management Committee declared a state of emergency across the Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region, the northeastern part of Shan State, the capital of Nay Pyi Taw and Bago Region.
