#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar: The Double Crises of Military Violence and Rising COVID-19 Cases
Since our last update on the situation in Myanmar in May, violence in the nation has continued, spreading throughout the country and into states that were peaceful before the February 1 coup. The toll on the people in Myanmar has been excruciating as 911 people have been killed, more than 6,694 arrested, and 230,000 people have been displaced.
Although the leader of the coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, met with ASEAN leaders in April and committed to their peace plan, the military’s acts of violence have continued with no end in sight. The Myanmar military’s tactics have been to restrict “access to food, funds, intelligence, and recruits”, a strategy that they have used in the past to splinter social cohesion and decrease civilian support for resistance groups. These tactics have also been used indiscriminately against aid workers as military forces have destroyed relief supplies and have killed two aid workers. Our amazing local team has continued to deliver supplies and provide support to people who have been displaced in the midst of these incredibly difficult circumstances.
The crises caused by military violence is multiplied by the continued surgence of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar. From June 19 to July 5, the number of new COVID-19 cases per day in Myanmar rose from fewer than 500 to nearly 3,000 new cases per day. People have struggled to access direly needed health care as the oxygen supply in the nation has dwindled far below needed amounts and health care workers have left hospitals to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) in a stand against the military.
Our local team is seeing the impact of COVID firsthand. In places like Kachin State, cases are rapidly rising, with 238 cases in Mai Ja Yang alone. There are also 11 people with COVID, including the 7-year-old son of one of our volunteers, in one of the IDP camps where we run a Community Support Network (CSN) program. It is grievous to see those we care about facing risks to their safety and health in conditions where they do not always have access to adequate systems of care.
We are also deeply concerned for our Karen friends in the Mae La refugee camp near Mae Sot in Thailand, as the first case of COVID-19 was reported there last week. Following the news that a positive COVID case had been reported, the camp leader closed schools and travel between sections in an endeavor to protect the community from further spread. Our concern is that in the close living quarters of the camp, where social distancing is difficult, there is a high risk of exposure. We are especially worried about the 4 local boarding schools we support there which house 234 students.
In the midst of this crisis, our local team is striving to help the students retain rhythms of their daily life under safe conditions. One of our local team members shared with us,
“For me, I don't really feel worried because we were already aware of this (the risk of COVID-19) and are ready to protect ourselves and the children. We can learn and sing freely on our own campus. All the students seem happy and no one feels lonely. For protection, we always wear masks and wash our hands with soap."
COVID-19 prevention has been an important component of our work in these areas over the last year and will continue to be one of our key areas of focus. As always, the safety and health of the communities we partner with is our number one priority in the days and weeks ahead. We are so honored to work with a team that leads with love and for your support which allows us to respond in these moments of crisis with action.