Myanmar Spring Chronicle – May 19 Viewpoint
MoeMaKa, May 20, 2025
The Lives of People Still Reeling from the Earthquake’s Aftermath
It has now been more than 50 days since a major earthquake struck Myanmar, with the most severe damage concentrated in Sagaing, Mandalay, and Nay Pyi Taw. Cities and towns such as Mandalay, Sagaing, Kyaukse, Pyawbwe, Yamethin, Nay Pyi Taw, Pyinmana, and Inle Lake have suffered extensive destruction. Over 3,700 people were confirmed dead, more than 80 remain missing, and more than 5,000 were injured. Even now, affected communities are far from returning to normal, with housing, jobs, and livelihoods still out of reach.
Reconstruction, education, healthcare, and new job opportunities remain stalled because nearly all financial resources are being used for ongoing military conflicts. For Myanmar—already struggling under poverty and now facing the additional burden of natural disaster—this has made recovery all the more difficult.
The majority of military expenditures come from the junta. Although resistance forces such as the ethnic armed organizations, PDFs, and the NUG do not spend as much as the military regime, they still allocate substantial resources for the war. Reports from 2024 estimate that the junta spent about USD 5 billion on military operations. While exact figures are unavailable for resistance groups, it’s estimated that they might spend between one-eighth to one-fifth of the junta’s defense budget.
In a country where industrial production is failing and the economy is stagnant, both sides are sustaining their war efforts by heavily extracting from natural resources and levying taxes on the public. This has directly led to a lack of funding and attention for earthquake relief and recovery efforts.
Myanmar’s natural resources are being extracted through every possible method, often triggering conflicts, clashes, and crackdowns on civilians. Areas rich in natural resources are now battlegrounds for control.
In northern Shan State, six civilians were killed when MNDAA troops opened fire on protesters. Recently, tensions have risen between Pa-O communities in southern Shan and Kayah States over opposition to mining operations, with the Kayan Pyi Thit Party reportedly clashing with locals.
Elsewhere, reports show environmental destruction and water contamination in gold-panning regions of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers, rampant jade mining in Hpakant, and excessive mineral extraction in Tanintharyi. Even Thai media have reported the environmental impact reaching across the border.
On trade routes, armed groups have set up checkpoints, demanding money from traders. For example, a truck carrying goods between Myawaddy and Mawlamyine reportedly pays up to 800,000 kyats in tolls and bridge fees. Between Phayar Thonesu and Mawlamyine, trucks are said to be charged up to 3 million kyats. Compared to normal times, this is about 10 times higher.
Despite these heavy taxes and surging resource exploitation, little of the proceeds are being used for earthquake recovery. Even government employees living in Nay Pyi Taw—central to the junta’s administration—have yet to receive proper support. As monsoon season approaches, many are still living in temporary shelters on sports fields, while others have sought refuge in monasteries. Hundreds of staff housing units remain in ruins, unrepaired two months after the disaster.
This stark reality reveals the junta’s failure to support even its own administrative personnel, much less provide help to civilians in disaster-struck areas like Sagaing and Mandalay.
In Mandalay and Sagaing cities, even debris from collapsed buildings hasn’t been cleared. For ordinary residents with no means to rebuild, many are being forced to sell their old plots and relocate to more affordable areas. Daily wage earners in urban areas are scraping by, and in smaller towns also affected by the quake, people are coping with the compounded impact of natural disaster and war.