Reacción a "7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Myanmar"

Getting humanitarian relief into the worst-affected areas of Burma / Myanmar might not be politically easy. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed over 130,000 people in the country. The government took days to accept significant aid and then inhibited its delivery.

For 'disaster diplomacy' to work - supporting disaster-affected people in areas with violent or political conflict - the world and the disaster-struck authorities must cooperate. Many governments running Burma / Myanmar have been highly controlling, including since the February 2021 military coup. Helping people in need without helping an oppressive government is a tricky situation for aid donors to navigate, not helped by the reported damage to transportation and communication systems.

The usual mantra is that 'Earthquakes don't kill people; collapsing infrastructure does'. Governments are responsible for planning regulations and building codes. This disaster exposes what governments of Burma / Myanmar failed to do long before the earthquake which would have saved lives during the shaking.