14-9-2024 (YANGON) Myanmar’s military junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, has made an unprecedented call for international assistance to address the catastrophic flooding that has engulfed vast swathes of the country. This appeal comes as Myanmar grapples with the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, which has wreaked havoc across Southeast Asia, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing countless others.
The floods, a consequence of Typhoon Yagi’s torrential downpours last weekend, have exacted a heavy toll on Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. In Myanmar alone, the junta reports that over 235,000 individuals have been forced to flee their homes, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in a nation embroiled in conflict since the military’s seizure of power in 2021.
Min Aung Hlaing’s statement, as reported by the state-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar, underscores the severity of the crisis: “Officials from the government need to contact foreign countries to receive rescue and relief aid to be provided to the victims.” He further emphasised the urgency of the situation, calling for swift implementation of “rescue, relief, and rehabilitation measures.”
The junta’s official death toll stands at 33, though the country’s fire department has reported recovering 36 bodies. Complicating matters, a military spokesperson disclosed that communication has been lost with certain regions, and authorities are investigating reports of dozens buried in landslides in a gold-mining area within the central Mandalay region.
This call for international aid marks a significant departure from the junta’s previous stance on foreign assistance. Historically, Myanmar’s military has been reluctant to accept external help, often obstructing or complicating humanitarian efforts. Last year, in the wake of Cyclone Mocha, which affected approximately one million people in western Myanmar, the junta suspended travel authorisations for aid groups, a move the United Nations condemned as “unfathomable.”
The current appeal evokes memories of the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, when the then-ruling military junta was accused of impeding emergency aid and initially denying access to humanitarian workers and supplies, despite the cyclone claiming at least 138,000 lives.
As the crisis unfolds, military vehicles have been observed transporting small rescue boats to flood-affected areas near the capital, Naypyidaw. Harrowing accounts emerge of villagers wading through chin-high waters or spending nights in trees to escape the surging floodwaters.
State media reports indicate that the flooding around the capital has triggered landslides and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including electricity towers, buildings, roads, bridges, and homes.
This natural disaster compounds the existing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where over 2.7 million people were already displaced due to the ongoing conflict sparked by the 2021 military coup.
