Yangon, March 30 – A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck Myanmar, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,700 people, injuring around 3,400 others, and leaving nearly 300 individuals missing, according to a statement released by the country's State Administration Council on Sunday.

As per agency report citing figures from the Myanmar government published by Chinese news agency Xinhua, the powerful tremor occurred on Saturday and was felt across neighboring countries including Bangladesh, India, Laos, China, and Thailand. The widespread reach of the earthquake's impact has added to the regional concern, prompting immediate monitoring and support efforts from neighboring nations.

Local authorities reported significant infrastructural damage, including ruptured underground oil pipelines and widespread power outages. The disruption to the electricity grid has left many regions without power, while fuel shortages have emerged as a critical concern. To alleviate the crisis, oil tankers have begun arriving at Myanmar’s coastal ports to ensure a steady fuel supply.

In response to the disaster, several countries including India, Russia, and Belarus have extended assistance to Myanmar. This support includes the deployment of search and rescue teams to help locate missing individuals and assist with ongoing relief operations. Humanitarian efforts are currently focused on providing emergency medical care, restoring basic services, and supporting thousands of displaced residents.

The earthquake has been one of the most severe natural disasters to hit Myanmar in recent years, and with many areas still reporting communication disruptions, the full extent of the damage may not yet be known. Relief organizations and government agencies continue to coordinate efforts to bring aid to the affected regions as the country begins its long road to recovery.

Aizawl, Jan 23 (IANS) At least eight crew members of a Myanmar Air Force aircraft were injured after the plane skidded off the Lengpui airport in Mizoram capital Aizawl on Tuesday, officials said.

The Myanmar Air Force fixed wing transport aircraft came to Lengpui airport to take back the remaining 92 Myanmar soldiers to their country.

Officials said that out of the 14 people who were on board the medium size aircraft along with the pilot, eight were injured and six were safe.

The injured were immediately rushed to Lengpui hospital.

Mizoram disaster management officials along with the district administration and police officials rushed to the Lengpui airport, 30 km from the Aizawl city, and rescued the injured crew of the Myanmar Air Force aircraft.

According to officials, as many as 184 of the 276 Myanmarese soldiers, who fled to Mizoram on January 17 after their camps were captured by armed pro-democracy ethnic groups, were flown back home on a Myanmar military aircraft on Monday.

“A Myanmar Air Force transport plane from Mandalay (Myanmar) landed at Lengpui airport on Monday and evacuated 184 Myanmar soldiers to Sittwe (Akyab) in two sorties. Before the departure of the Myanmarese soldiers, the Indian authorities have completed all necessary formalities,” a senior official told IANS.

The remaining 92 Myanmar soldiers were supposed to be airlifted on Tuesday.

The 276 Myanmar Army personnel took refuge in Mizoram's Lawngtlai district on January 17 after their camps were captured by the Arakan Army militants.

The Myanmar soldiers, with their arms and ammunition, reached Bandukbanga village, situated on the Mizoram-Myanmar-Bangladesh border trijunction, in Lawngtlai and were taken to Assam Rifles' Parva camp in the district.

Necessary medical support was also given to the soldiers, the official said.

With the latest influx, the number of soldiers who fled Myanmar since November 13 last year and reached India’s Mizoram state, has touched 636.

New Delhi, July 16 (IANS External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday raised the issue of human and drug trafficking with his Myanmar counterpart U Than Swe, and also expressed New Delhi's concern about the humanitarian situation prevailing there.

Jaishankar also underlined the importance of ensuring peace and stability in border areas of both the countries.

"These have been seriously disturbed recently and any actions that aggravate the situation should be avoided," Jaishankar tweeted after meeting his Mynamar counterpart.

Jaishankar met Swe on the sidelines of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting in Bangkok.

He had arrived in Bangkok on Saturday from Jakarta, where the foreign minister has participated in the ASEAN foreign ministers meet.

"Met H.E. U Than Swe on the sidelines of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) meeting in Bangkok today. Flagged concerns about human and drug trafficking. Urged stronger cooperation among relevant parties for the early return of trafficked victims. As an immediate neighbour, India is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Myanmar," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting with Swe.

The EAM also proposed people-centric initiatives aimed to address the pressing challenges in Myanmar to Swe during the meeting.

"Our discussions focussed on connectivity initiatives that have a larger regional significance. These will also be discussed at the MGC meeting this afternoon. Stressed the importance of expediting projects that have faced challenges in the recent past, especially the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway," he informed further.

Jaishankar further conveyed in the meeting with the Myanmar foreign minister that India supports the democratic transition process in Myanmar and highlighted the need for return of peace and stability.

"We will closely coordinate our policy with ASEAN in this regard," he tweeted further.

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) With developments in Myanmar's remote Coco island located in the Bay of Bengal, India may soon face a new airbase close by in a country increasingly tied to Beijing, said a report, which analysed satellite images released by Maxar Technologies.

Myanmar's Great Coco, which lies 55 km from India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has been at the centre of intrigue. Rumour had it that the island was home to a Chinese intelligence facility, a claim lacking hard evidence.

Now concerns over the island, and its uses, have re-emerged.

Satellite images taken in January 2023 show telltale signs of military modernisation, according to the report by the thinktank Chatham House.

There's a newly lengthened 2,300-metre runway and radar station, two new hangars, what appears to be an accommodation block, and a new causeway linking to a smaller island.

At the tip of the island is evidence of land clearing efforts, suggesting further construction work is to come.

Great Coco is small at 11 km in length, but its location is strategically important. It is not only close to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, The Guardian reported.

Signs of construction have provoked concern that China -- which Myanmar has grown increasingly dependent on after the February 2021 coup -- could stand to gain from intelligence gathered there, either through espionage or intelligence sharing.

Delhi has reportedly been monitoring developments closely. It recently confronted Myanmar with intelligence showing that Beijing was providing assistance in building a surveillance post on the island, according to Bloomberg.

China dismissed the claims.

Authors of the Chatham House report said the Maxar images did not show any specific evidence of Chinese activity on Great Coco.

However, since the coup, Myanmar's military has sought closer ties with Beijing, backing its claim to Taiwan and announcing its support for China's "global security initiative".

"Myanmar is desperate, it's cash-strapped," said Htwe Htwe Thein, associate professor at Curtin University,

"Investment from Beijing is economically helpful -- and also on the world stage (Myanmar can flaunt) that such an economic giant and neighbour is still their friend."

"With Myanmar reliant on China for international support and economic development, it is extremely likely that the army would share intelligence with Beijing, and support China's strategic initiatives," said Jason Tower, Myanmar country director at the United States Institute of Peace.

The construction on Great Coco was provocative, he said, adding that it "presents a significant challenge to regional security, and will likely generate significant tensions between China and India in the Bay of Bengal", the Guardian reported.

Analysts believe Myanmar's military is likely seeking to play India and China off against one another in return for greater economic and diplomatic support.

Great Coco could be used as leverage in negotiations with Delhi, said Damien Symon of the Intel Lab, who co-authored the Chatham House report, adding that the Myanmar military was "well aware of Indian fears relating to Chinese surveillance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands".

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) A refugee woman from Myanmar was allegedly gang-raped by four men in Southeast Delhi, an officer said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the victim had alleged that before being gang-raped, she was made unconscious and was abducted by an auto-rickshaw driver from the Kalindi Kunj area.

The incident occurred on February 23. In her complaint, the victim stated that after the men gang-raped her in a room following her abduction, she was even thrashed by the accused. Later, they abandoned her on the road in an isolated area .

"The police registered a case on February 25 under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," said a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, the chief of Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, has also issued a notice to the Delhi Police over the gang-rape of the Myanmar national.

In the notice sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast), Maliwal DCW has sought a copy of the FIR registered in the matter, steps taken by Delhi Police to arrest the accused, along with a detailed action taken report.

The DCW has asked the police to provide information latest by March 3.