Myanmar Financial News

Myanmar and Thailand on Friday has claimed more than a thousand lives so far. Myanmar’s Junta said on Saturday that at least 1,002 people had been killed and 2,376 others injured. The death toll and injuries are expected to rise. In Thailand, at least eight people died in the capital, where a high-rise building under construction collapsed. The devastation caused by the Myanmar-Thailand earthquake, shown in dozens of shocking videos and photos circulating on social media, has caused concerns in India too. India has recorded 159 earthquakes of varying magnitudes from November 2024 to February 2025, with the latest being a magnitude 4.0 in Delhi on February 17, as per a PIB press release. Many people have observed that earthquakes have been occurring more frequently in recent years. While it may seem like earthquakes are becoming more frequent, actual frequency of earthquakes may not have substantially increased. The feeling that earthquakes are becoming common could be due to more earthquakes being recorded and a heightened awareness of natural disasters due to social media. However, human activities like mining, dam building, and groundwater extraction can trigger earthquakes, leading to an increase in the number of human-induced earthquakes.

relief supplies to Myanmar as part of 'Operation Brahma' following a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country and parts of Thailand. A C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force carried the aid to Yangon. The death toll from the powerful quake has reached 1,002, according to Myanmar's state-run broadcaster MRTV. Reports indicate 2,376 people have been injured, while 30 remain missing. The disaster caused widespread destruction, toppling buildings, bridges, and infrastructure across Myanmar and Thailand. Following the powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on March 28, a 4.3-magnitude aftershock shook the region on Saturday, adding to the challenges faced by rescue and recovery teams. Also Read: Another 4.3 magnitude quake jolts India's neighbour while death toll crosses 1,000 The relief consignment included tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, solar lamps, generator sets, and essential medicines, officials said. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar posted on ‘X’, stating, “#OperationBrahma gets underway. First tranche of humanitarian aid from India has reached the Yangon Airport in Myanmar.”

The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock. The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people. At least 1,002 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured in Myanmar, the ruling junta said in a statement. Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok. But with communications badly disrupted, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.

7.7 magnitude earthquake that was felt across Myanmar, Thailand, China, and Vietnam, Indian tourists in Bangkok safely returned to New Delhi Airport on Saturday, recounting the difficulties they faced in getting back home. Speaking to ANI at Delhi airport, Bharati Khurana described the challenges they encountered due to emergency closures in the city. «The situation is fine now, but yesterday it was very bad. We went out to the market, but it was closed due to the emergency.

Sagaing region near the Myanmar city of Mandalay caused extensive damage in that country and also shook neighbouring Thailand on Friday. HOW VULNERABLE IS MYANMAR TO EARTHQUAKES? Myanmar lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates and is one of the world's most seismically active countries, although large and destructive earthquakes have been relatively rare in the Sagaing region. «The plate boundary between the India Plate and Eurasia Plate runs approximately north-south, cutting through the middle of the country,» said Joanna Faure Walker, a professor and earthquake expert at University College London. She said the plates move past each other horizontally at different speeds. While this causes «strike slip» quakes that are normally less powerful than those seen in «subduction zones» like Sumatra, where one plate slides under another, they can still reach magnitudes of 7 to 8.

India will send the relief materials to Myanmar aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J aircraft from Air Force Station Hindon, sources stated. According to sources, the relief package includes tents, sleeping bags, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, water purifiers, hygiene kits, solar lamps, generator sets, and essential medicines such as paracetamol, antibiotics, syringes, gloves, and bandages. The tremors, including a 7.2-magnitude quake, caused structural damage and panic in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand. An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 on the Richter Scale jolted Myanmar on Friday at 11:56 pm (local time), according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage across a wide swath of one of the world's poorest countries and prompting officials to warn that the initial death toll — above 140 — was likely to grow in the days ahead. In neighboring Thailand, at least six died in Bangkok, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war, and where information is tightly controlled. «The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,» the head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said as he announced on television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in his country. In Thailand, authorities in Bangkok said six people were killed, 22 were injured and 101 were missing from three construction sites, including the high-rise. They revised the death toll Saturday morning from 10 reported the previous day, saying several critically injured people were mistakenly reported dead. The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at midday, with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar 's second-largest city. Aftershocks followed, one of them measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude.

King Charles III on Thursday was forced to cancel his appointments for the rest of the day and Friday after suffering «side effects» from his cancer treatment, Buckingham Palace said. «Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, the king experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital,» the statement said. «His Majesty's afternoon engagements were therefore postponed,» the statement added, saying that the 76-year-old UK head of state had since returned to his home in Clarence House. «As a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow's (Friday's) diary programme will also be rescheduled.» The king had experienced temporary and relatively common side effects, the BBC reported, quoting sources, adding that it had been a very minor bump in his recovery.

Bangkok, Myanmar Earthquake Today LIVE: A strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar on March 28 (Friday), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor hit 16 km northwest of Sagaing city at a depth of 10 km, at around 12:50 pm local time, USGS added.Minutes later at 1.03 pm, the National Center for Seismology in India reported a 4.0 Ritcher scale quake in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills.Also Read | Earthquake today: Quake of magnitude 7.2 hits Myanmar; tremors felt in China, ThailandFurther, the USGS and Germany's GFZ Center for Geosciences also reported that a midday earthquake struck Thailand's capital city of Bangkok at a shallow depth of 10 km.

7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the Thai capital Friday, causing buildings to sway. Germany’s GFZ center for geosciences said the midday temblor was a shallow 10 kilometers, with an epicenter in neighboring Myanmar, according to temporary reports. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments. Many buildings were evacuated as they swayed in the rare quake.

Manipur Police has filed six FIRs against WhatsApp groups/channel links for allegedly spreading fake news in Churachandpur district. Manipur Police stated on X, «Manipur Police has taken up six different FIRs against WhatsApp groups/channel (links) for spreading fake and inflammatory news creating and promoting fear, panic and public alarm within Churachandpur district. It is hereby warned that legal action will be taken up against other channels too who are spreading fake or inflammatory news.» The district recently witnessed a series of shutdowns and violence. In a series of operations, the Army, in collaboration with other security forces, have recovered 32 weapons, several improvised devices, a large cache of ammunition including grenades and war-like stores from different districts, an official said on Saturday. A defence spokesman said the Army, Assam Rifles along with Manipur Police, CRPF, BSF, and ITBP personnel conducted the operation during the past few days in Manipur's eight districts — Thoubal, Bishnupur, Imphal West, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Jiribam and Senapati — comprising hill and valley regions.

The order, dated comes in response to growing concerns over a potential demographic shift in the region due to illegal immigration, particularly from Myanmar. Mizoram, sharing a 510-km porous border with Myanmar, currently hosts 33,505 Myanmar refugees, predominantly from the Chin ethnic group, alongside 2,217 from Bangladesh, as per Home Minister K Sapdanga. The influx, triggered by Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, has strained resources and sparked fears of a broader regional impact. In Manipur, former Chief Minister N Biren Singh has repeatedly blamed illegal immigration from Myanmar for fueling ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, displacing over 50,000 people since May 2023. There are around 8,000 refugees from Manipur who have taken shelter in several districts of Mizoram after the ethnic violence broke out in the neighbouring state in May 2023.

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh it means they could be left with too little food and money for survival. No cuts have happened yet. But the UN World Food Programme said if it is not able to raise funds, it will have no option but to halve food rations to $6 a month from previous $12.50 in the country's southern coastal district of Cox's Bazar, where the Rohingya live in sprawling camps. It was not immediately clear if the WFP's decision was directly related to the Trump administration's action, but during a recent visit to the refugee camps, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the US and other countries in Europe for halting or reducing their aid budgets. UN food agency says no choice but to reduce rations To be sure, a large portion of funds needed for supporting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has come from the US Agency for International Development, but the country's government and dozens of aid organisations also look after their daily needs. Yet, any drop in humanitarian aid could have extreme impact on the lives of Rohingya refugees.

During junta chief Min Aung Hlaing’s recent visit to Moscow, it was announced that Russia had established a joint satellite imagery analysis centre in Myanmar. It was also revealed that Russia had offered to “share information captured by its reconnaissance satellites with the regime for military purposes”. This would boost the junta’s ability to plan military operations against rebel groups, said experts on Myanmar affairs. After the meeting between Min Aung Hlaing and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow—the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday for construction of a small nuclear power plant in Myanmar with Russian support. Rosatom, Russia's state-run nuclear power corporation, said the plant would have a capacity of 100 megawatts with the possibility of trebling it. Russia, which supplied 90% of Myanmar’s energy needs last year, has agreed to step up energy supplies to the Southeast Asian country. The junta chief during the visit also sought Moscow’s support for other projects in Myanmar besides hailing Buddhism links between the two countries, said people familiar with the visit.

Maya’s team—which included another woman, two men and a child— was carrying the skin of an adult tiger and 17 kilos of bones. Before “someone from Meghalaya” could come and collect the consignment from Maya, the police swooped in. “We were stunned to find that these were the remains of a second tiger— we had already missed the first tiger,” says Pranjal Baruah, a range officer of Kamrup, Assam, who had spearheaded the initial probe. Forensic tests traced the skin to one of the three missing tigers from the faraway Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. That was a clue something was going awry with the striped beast. Even as India’s tiger population has been steadily climbing over the past couple of decades, it could get derailed. A surging appetite for tiger bones in China and Vietnam and the revival of a smuggling route through Mizoram-Myanmar have reignited dormant trafficking networks. The Assam case was transferred to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), an arm of the ministry of environment and forests, which cracks down on organised wildlife crime. The agency’s trail led to multiple arrests in Maharashtra. They also caught Mishram Jakhad, an octogenarian from Dwarka in Delhi, believed to be a key link between tiger poachers and smuggling syndicates.

On Thursday, Manipur police said movement of 226 vehicles carrying essential items along NH-37 has been ensured. «Strict security measures are taken up in all vulnerable locations and a security convoy is provided in sensitive stretches in order to ensure free and safe movement of the vehicles.

Bangladesh — Rohingya refugees in crammed Bangladeshi camps say they are worried about a U.S. decision to cut food rations by half beginning next month, while a refugee official says the reduction will impact the nutrition of more than 1 million refugees and create «social and mental pressure.» President Donald Trump abruptly stopped most foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has significantly hampered the global humanitarian sector. Trump's Jan. 20 executive order froze the funding for a 90-day review. The World Food Program, the main U.N. food agency, recently announced that cuts to food rations will take effect from April 1 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, where dozens of camps are inhabited by Rohingya refugees.

With unemployment at a record low 2.3%, President Vladimir Putin has flagged labour shortages as a problem and on Friday steelmaker Severstal criticised a regional move to ban migrant workers in construction. Citizens from the former Soviet Union have traditionally dominated Russia's migrant workforce.

U Kyaw Soe Win delivered a speech at the Mekong-Ganga Food Festival, organized by the Embassy of India in Yangon in collaboration with the Indian Women’s Association in Yangon and the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Network, at the Secretariat Yangon in Yangon, last week.

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