A week filled up with disasters

Nothing is more painful than the suffering of the people living in despair under a regime and unfortunate enough to still suffer from the natural disasters.

Storms, scarcity of water, flooding, extreme freezing and boiling are not strange for the Myanmar way back before but during those times, the people were fully aware of the precautions needed to mitigate the effects of these calamitous events.

During those times, there were training and drills aimed at minimizing the adverse effects of these natural disasters under the guidance of government, experts, and international institutions.

They demonstrated many safety procedures to the people in vulnerable areas to be fully aware and prepared for these disasters. But those were from the distant past. Since the people are against the junta, they cannot take their mind off bringing down the regime that brought them unmitigated sufferings.

Natural disaster and a peculiar ray

A moderate earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 in the Richter scale with an epicenter in Mandalay struck 15th and 16th December. Badly hit by the earthquake were Mandalay andSagaing Regions. Among those damaged by the quake was the famous lion sculpture in Mingun and some pagodas and buildings in Mandalay.

Likewise, the passing of an unknown streak of light in the sky around 7pm on 15th December, struck fear in the hearts of the suffering Myanmar masses, as a portent of more bad things to come. No exact comment was disclosed yet but the MASES assumed that it might have a Methane rocket. Anyway, many comments and criticisms were raised so far relating to that streak of light.

Another particular incident is the finding of a child who had been missing for five days in Mandalay on 16th December. This provided a breath of good news for the suffering Myanmar people. The boy was lost on 11th December while he was playing in the front of his grandparents' house and found alive in the suspects’ house.

Battle news

In analyzing and observing the fighting between the people’s defense forces (PDF) and junta forces, many of them occurred in Yangon, Ayeyarwaddy and Rakhine. Meanwhile, fighting also increased in Tanintharyi Region.

Moreover, fighting between the junta troops and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Namhsan in northern Shan state resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The junta used aircrafts and bombed suspected rebel areas several times, forcing thousands of people to flee to safe places. Around 50 junta soldiers were killed and 27 were captured. The battles between the Karen National Union (KNU) fighters and junta troops also intensified in Kawkareik on 16th December. The alliance of KNLA Battalion 18 and Kyar Phyu column raided the junta’s light Battalion 231 in Kawkareik and three soldiers were killed including one adjutant due to the fighting.The ethnic armed groups and PDFs are intensifying operations against junta troops.

International legitimacy

Further increasing the resolve of the people in their fight against the junta is the news that the Senate of the United States confirmed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to assist the ethnic armed groups and PDFs in Myanmar in their fight against the junta.

That act included imposing economic sanctions to the businesses related to the Myanmar military leaders, tycoons and other people that helped in overthrowing the government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in February last year. The act also provides humanitarian assistance to the people according to acting president Duwa Lashi La.

Another piece of good news is that one vital committee in the United Nation blocked the representation of junta in UN and allowed the continuation of U Kyaw Moe Tun as Myanmar’s representative in the UN.

Moreover, in a downgrade of the diplomatic relations between Myanmar junta, and US ambassador to Myanmar Thomas L.Vajda is about to leave Myanmar and the US would no longer appoint a new envoy under the junta regime.

The international community and UK also imposed sanctions against the junta and its minions, particularly to the chief security forces, Infantry Battalion 33 and 99 and those included in the blacklist mainly involved in rape, sexual harassment and other brutalities during the interrogation period.

Burma Associated Press