Travel remains difficult with people still gripped by fear after Friday’s devastating quake in the country’s central regions. In addition to the aftershocks, people face ongoing military operations. “It's like shooting a wounded person,” said Sister Valentina Pozzi, the mother superior of the institute founded by Fr Carlo Salerio, which today has 380 local members. “It is a miracle that there were no victims among the sisters we were able to contact,” she told AsiaNews.
A humanitarian worker talked to AsiaNews about the devastation caused by the earthquake. People are sleeping outdoors terrified by hundreds of aftershocks. A Salesian clergyman in Anisakan talks about the situation, while the military junta continues to attack rebel areas. Mud and polluted water risk causing more damage.
It is feared that the death tool will be high after a 7.7 quake struck the country, already devastated by four years of civil war. Local sources report the collapse of temples, mosques and churches, as well as bridges and other structures, some housing displaced people who had fled junta attacks. Roads between the main cities are closed. A priest offers a prayer for Myanmar: “How long, O Lord?”
On the feast day of St Joseph, the episcopal ordination of Mgr Raymond Wai Lin Htun, presided over by Card Charles Maung Bo. The Archbishop of Yangon warns against ethnic divisions: ‘Can we give in to the temptation to treat others on the basis of man-made identities, when instead we are all Children of God created in his image?’
Junta soldiers attack St Patrick's Catholic Church in Bhamo, Kachin, a day before Saint Patrick’s. In Mandalay at least 27 dead are killed in an airstrike today. Meanwhile, civilians protest against ethnic militias for abuses and forced recruitment. In Rakhine Chinese security personnel are already present to protect Chinese investments.
After the 2021 coup, Myanmar overtook Afghanistan with a production worth between US$ 589 million and US$ 1.57 billion. The economic crisis and war have pushed farmers and displaced people to turn to opium poppy cultivation, despite the meagre earnings. The flow of money finances both the military junta and ethnic rebel militias.
