Rights group urges Myanmar to facilitate humanitarian aid for earthquake survivors News
© WikiMedia (UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office)
Rights group urges Myanmar to facilitate humanitarian aid for earthquake survivors

Amnesty International on Friday urged Myanmar’s military authorities to ensure full and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for those affected by the recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar.

The group urged the military must remove administrative barriers that can delay needs assessments and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all affected communities without discrimination. The group also highlighted that the military’s longstanding practice of denying aid to areas where resistance groups are active must end, especially in the wake of such a devastating natural disaster.

In situations where a government declines to accept international aid, as occurred during Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008, General Assembly Resolution 46/182 provides a soft law framework that stresses the importance of facilitating humanitarian assistance in times of crisis.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that the Myanmar government has requested international assistance. Sheela Mathew of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted the country’s worsening food insecurity and confirmed that emergency food supplies are ready to be distributed as needed. The Myanmar Red Cross has launched an emergency operation, and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths noted that the Central Emergency Response Fund will be activated if needed.

Several local media outlets report that civilians are forced to sleep on the streets due to the risk of aftershocks. The earthquakes triggered widespread panic, fires, and urgent rescue needs. Highway damage is severe, further delaying transportation and rescue efforts. Despite local attempts to free people trapped in collapsed buildings, rescue operations have been largely unsuccessful due to a lack of proper equipment.

This is the strongest earthquake to hit Myanmar in 186 years. “This earthquake could not come at a worse time for Myanmar,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty International. He highlighted that over three million people have already been internally displaced by armed conflict since the 2021 military coup. He also highlighted the recent US aid cuts and reduced global funding in 2025, which have forced many life-saving operations to be scaled down or shut down entirely, disrupting essential services for the most vulnerable.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Netherlands becomes the first country to legalize same-sex marriage and euthanasia

On April 1, 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. The nation then became the first country to legalize euthanasia on April 1, 2002.

First US wartime conscription law took effect

On April 1, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, the first wartime conscription law passed in the United States went into effect. It included a clause allowing a person to pay $300 to avoid military service, a controversial "rich man's" exception that precipitated the July 1863 New York City Draft Riots. The riots, the worst in US history to that point, killed as many as 100 people and had to be quelled by troops, some of whom had recently fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. Learn more about the Draft Riots.