Earthquake Devastates Myanmar’s Cultural Sites

The powerful earthquake that shook Myanmar on Friday took a considerable toll on historic and religious sites across the country, toppling pagodas, collapsing sections of Buddhist monasteries and reducing centuries-old monuments to rubble, according to photographs and videos shared by witnesses and verified by The New York Times. In its latest count on Saturday morning, … Read more

In Myanmar’s Earthquake, Some See Political Omens

The dust from the devastating earthquake on Friday was still churning in Myanmar when an existential question swirled into the mix: Could this fatal clash of tectonic plates, which added yet another layer of trauma to a country already plagued by civil war, also portend the demise of Myanmar’s ruling junta? The earthquake, known to … Read more

Myanmar Earthquake Aid Complicated by Its Isolation

Myanmar’s long isolation and its internal instability are likely to complicate the global humanitarian aid response to the earthquake that struck on Friday, despite a rare plea for outside help from the country’s military-dominated government. “We need and want the international community to provide humanitarian aid,” said the military spokesman, Gen. Zaw Min Tun. “We … Read more