Myanmar military fires on the Chinese Red Cross convoy in the earthquake area

The Myanmar Army launched a Chinese Chinese convoy in an attempt to deliver food and medicine for desperate survivors of the huge earthquake in Myanmar, while highlighting the risks assistance groups from the country’s continuous civil war.

The army said on Wednesday that its soldiers opened fire on the vehicles carrying relief supplies in the war of the war, after the convoy failed to notify them of its presence. Armed rebel groups also said that the army fired dozens of air strikes 7.7 degrees on Friday VibrateThat killed at least 2,700, dozens of civilians were killed.

Although the shadow government is in exile, known as the National Unity Government, and an alliance of three rebel groups, announced the cessation of fire in the wake of the earthquake, the army, which seized power in a coup four years ago, indicated that it would not stop hostile actions. The fierce civil war had already caused widespread suffering before the earthquake, killing at least 2700 and leaving millions of people with little food and water.

Gen. Min Aung Hulang, president of JUNTA in Myanmar, said in a statement on Tuesday evening that military operations will continue as “necessary preventive measures” despite the earthquake.

“There is nothing necessary, nor preventive about attacking people trying to help people,” said Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar. “Continue to launch military crimes is impressive.”

On Tuesday at 9:30 pm, the army shot the Chinese Red Cross convoy near the village of Aomi in the northern Shan state, according to General Zu Min Ton, a spokesman for the Myanmar army.

An armed rebel group, the Taiang National Liberation Army, which was part of the rebel alliance, which announced one -month ceasefire, said the convoy was moving towards Mandalay, near the earthquake center.

General Zu Min Ton said that when the caravan was monitored, the soldiers tried to prevent his way but did not stop. Electric lamps were used to refer to from about 100 to 200 meters (yard), but they continued to move. About 100 meters, the soldiers released shots in the air three times.

“Since this region is an active struggle area with continuous battles between the National TA’ANG Liberation Army “The army, the failure of the notification could have led to the wrong identification as a hostile entity,” said General Zu Min Ton.

The Red Cross Association in China did not respond to the requests for comment. China, which had close ties with Myanmar, was one of the first countries to respond to the earthquake, deploy search and rescue teams and send about $ 14 million in emergency aid.

It has sent at least 15 countries, including the United States and Russia, aid. In recent days, international relief groups such as the World Food Program, UNICEF Mandalay and the neighboring epic have entered. But Taiwan said that his offer to a 126 -member rescue team was rejected by Myanmar.

Tayzar San, a pro -democracy activist from Mandalaay, accused the military council “attempting to use this catastrophe for political gains” rather than focusing on “effective rescue efforts.”

Local residents in both cities complained that attempts to help have been banned by the army.

Ko Thin Soy said that his charitable group traveled from this in the state of Moon with food and medicine and seeks to help search for tasks and rescue. But on their way to Mandalay on Sunday, they were told at a military checkpoint that they could not move forward without permission and were only able to pass by paying the soldiers.

“While many people are suffering, they not only refuse help, but they do not even have the basic humanitarian decency to allow others to help,” said Mr. Thin Soy.

Myanmar has been in war since the army seized power in a coup in 2021. The military council, which controls urban areas, has lost large areas of land to the strong ethnic armies on the border, and parts of the Al -Malaga area of ​​ordinary citizens who took weapons against the military council.

The army has continued to bomb parts of the country since the disaster. Mr. Tizar, the activist, said that the army fired more than 100 air strikes last week, including in the areas affected by the earthquake, citing communications on the ground.

On Tuesday at 5:30 pm, 38 young trainees of the Cachein Independence Army, an armed group fighting the army in North Myanmar, were killed in an air strike in Cachein, according to Colonel Naw Bo, a group spokesman.

Richard Horsi, the first adviser to the International Crisis Group, said that the decision of General Min Aung Hinging excluding any ceasefire is an indication of his regime and the military.

“It seems that they are not daring to recover,” Mr. Horsi said in a statement. “But this means that, again, they place survival over people’s interests, even at the time of the disaster.”

Chris Bacli It contributed to the reports from Taipei, and Claire Fu From Seoul.