The earthquake associated with the Sagaing Fault & the impact of the NDAA, called the Burma Act

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – December 15 Scenes

MoeMaKa, December 16 2022

The earthquake associated with the Sagaing Fault & the impact of the NDAA, called the Burma Act

 

The Sagaing fault line, which passes through some populated cities from the upper part of Sagaing Division in central Myanmar to Bago Division, has a nature that is prone to frequent moderate to slightly strong earthquakes. In the early morning of December 15th, an earthquake occurred with its center near the town of Tada-U and damaged some pagodas and buildings in the nearest cities, such as Mandalay, Sagaing, and Inn Wa which has ancient heritage pagodas.

 

In November 2012, an earthquake centered in Shwebo District caused damage and deaths. At that time, some parts of the bridge over the Irrawaddy River, which was under construction, fell into the river, and there were deaths of people at the construction site.

 

Although the current earthquake did not cause as much damage as the 2012 earthquake, it was centered in an area not far from Mandalay, so if it were stronger than the current one, there is a risk that there could be casualties in Mandalay, a densely populated city. Among natural disasters, an earthquake is a disaster that cannot be predicted when it will occur and how severe it will be. It can only be prevented with advance preparation and the loss of life can be reduced as much as possible.

 

However, in such a situation where the country is in a political crisis and armed conflicts are taking place, it is very unlikely to be able to prepare for natural disaster prevention measures.

 

As for 10 cities close to the Sagaing Fault, such as Mandalay, Sagaing, Naypyidaw, Taungoo, Phyu, Thabeikkyin, and Yangon, it is important to be aware of earthquake hazards.

 

Another piece of news for today is about the National Defense Authorization Act, which has now been approved by one US Congress and will become law if approved by the next US Congress and signed by the President. Of the budget that will authorize the US Department of Defense, which is almost certain to be approved, it is drafted to provide assistance to organizations that are active in Myanmar’s current political crisis, such as NUG, PDF, and EAOs, and those who have suffered from the armed conflict. It is described that over a period of 5 years, 470 million dollars have been set to be spent on Myanmar affairs, and 40 percent of the amount will be used in the first year.

 

NUG, PDF and ethnic resistance organizations will be able to receive assistance which is not lethal weapons, and aid for refugees is also included. So, it can be assumed that the ethnic armed conflict areas and the central regions of Myanmar will receive aid in some way for the victims of the war. Being able to receive such an aid motivates people spiritually.

 

However, as for political and military victory, international aid is not the determining factor, and rather, it is necessary not to forget the correct strategies and tactics and to be able to mobilize forces.