Singapore Red Cross to give $150,000 to Myanmar and Thailand after deadly quake

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged $150,000 to support emergency relief efforts in Myanmar and Thailand, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the neighbouring countries on March 28.

The major disaster has

killed at least 1,000 people in Myanmar and injured more than 2,300 others,

with the death toll expected to jump, according to latest reports.

At least nine fatalities were confirmed in the Thai capital Bangkok, where the authorities declared a state of emergency. Eight people died in a building collapse and more than 100 are thought missing at the site.

The SRC’s $150,000 sum is an “initial” contribution, to be followed shortly by a public fund-raising appeal, the group said on March 29.

Money will go towards addressing immediate needs, like the distribution of food, water, blankets, tarpaulins, and hygiene kits – essential supplies.

SRC secretary-general and chief executive Benjamin William said the humanitarian organisation is deeply concerned about the affected communities, where many are “injured, displaced and in urgent need of assistance”.

He said: “Widespread damage to infrastructure is hindering urgent rescue and relief operations on the ground. The scale of devastation calls for swift and coordinated humanitarian response.”

The group is working closely with local red cross societies and stands ready to give further assistance, including the deployment of humanitarian responders to the ground, SRC added.

The March 28 quake was followed by a powerful aftershock of magnitude 6.4 and several smaller ones.

Much of the damage was in Mandalay, the epicentre of the quake and Myanmar’s second-largest city, known as a Buddhist heartland.

The civil war in Myanmar, which erupted in 2021 after

the military junta mounted a coup,

is likely to hamper the rescue and relief operation.

Violence has flared across much of the South-east Asian country as old insurgent groups and new civilian resistance forces fight back against junta rule.

The conflict has displaced over three million people in Myanmar, according to the UN.