Myanmar military still bombing towns despite earthquake crisis, rebels say

BANGKOK: An armed resistance movement against Myanmar's military-run government criticised the junta on Sunday for conducting airstrikes on villages even as the country reels from an earthquake that has killed around 1,700 people.

The Karen National Union, one of Myanmar's oldest ethnic armies, said in a statement the junta "continues to carry out airstrikes targeting civilian areas, even as the population suffers tremendously from the earthquake".

The group said that under normal circumstances, the military would be prioritising relief efforts, but instead is focused on "deploying forces to attack its people".

A spokesman for the junta did not reply to queries from Reuters about the criticism.

Myanmar has been locked in civil war with multiple armed opposition groups since a 2021 coup, when the military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Shortly after Friday's devastating earthquake, military jets launched airstrikes and drone attacks in Karen state, near the KNU headquarters, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation. Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan called for an immediate ceasefire to help aid distribution, following a virtual meeting with his ASEAN counterparts on the disaster.

"(Balakrishnan) called for an immediate and effective ceasefire in Myanmar which would facilitate the efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance and longer term national reconciliation, peace and reconstruction," Singapore's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake was in an area held by junta forces, but the devastation is widespread and also affected some territory held by armed resistance movements.

On Sunday, the opposition National Unity Government, which includes remnants of the government ousted in 2021, said anti-junta militias under its command would pause all offensive military action for two weeks.

Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, said some anti-junta forces have halted their offensives but fighting continues elsewhere.

"The regime also continues to launch airstrikes, including in affected areas. That needs to stop," he said.

The regime was not providing much visible support in quake-hit areas, he added.

"Local fire brigades, ambulance crews, and community organisations have mobilised, but the military - who would normally be mobilised to support in such a crisis - are nowhere to be seen," Horsey said.