Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has made a belated visit to the earthquake epicentre of Sagaing, a city levelled by the disaster and where aid workers say relief supplies have been blocked and delayed by security forces in an area of resistance to military rule.
The junta chief visited Sagaing on Sunday – his first reported trip in 10 days since the March 28 quake, according to state mouthpiece Global New Light of Myanmar.
His visit, reported on Monday, comes as the official death toll across the country topped 3,500 with nearly 5,000 injured and 210 missing – numbers almost certain to spike.
Min Aung Hlaing has faced heavy criticism for leaving Myanmar in the middle of a humanitarian crisis last week to attend a regional summit in Bangkok.
Up to 80 per cent of Sagaing has been obliterated by the 7.7-magnitude quake that was followed by a 6.4 tremor.
Myanmar’s military has a long history of denying aid to its enemies during natural disasters or conflict, prompting the UN to join local rights groups to warn against any selective provision of relief.
