Thai troops will be dispatched to Myanmar to assist rescue and recovery efforts following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that caused widespread damage.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra instructed Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to consider mobilising military forces for earthquake relief in Myanmar, Deputy Defence Minister Gen Nattapol Nakpanich said on Saturday.
A search and rescue team, along with medical personnel and supplies, comprising 49 members from the Thai armed forces, will be sent aboard a C-130 aircraft of the Thai air force on Sunday.
The initial assistance will focus on immediate needs and assessing the Myanmar government's requirements for further support. The Thai administration is reviewing requests for help from Myanmar to determine further actions, Gen Nattapol added.
So far, over 1,000 people have been confirmed dead in Myanmar cities due to the earthquake on Friday. The tremors were strong enough to impact many areas in Thailand, even toppling a high-rise building in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Their Majesties the King and Queen have accepted patients injured in Thailand due to the earthquake under royal patronage.
A decree was shared on Prime Minister Paetongtarn's Facebook page, stating that those impacted by the disaster would receive royally sponsored care.
Asean 'ready' to help
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) recognises the urgent need for humanitarian assistance for Myanmar following the quake and is ready to support recovery efforts, its foreign ministers said on Saturday.
"Asean affirms its solidarity and will work closely to coordinate humanitarian assistance, support and facilitate relief operations, and ensure timely and effective humanitarian response," the foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian bloc said in a joint statement.
No help in Myanmar
Myanmar's junta has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and disaster response teams from Russia, China, Singapore and India flying in on Saturday.
But rights activists raised fears that aid would not reach people on the ground, as the regime has a history of blocking relief to parts of the country controlled by opposition groups.
Thomas Andrews, the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the military’s response to a recent cyclone and typhoon showed its "willingness to weaponize aid in the midst of natural disasters".
Reuters reported in December that the junta intimidated aid agencies and suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger.
In Mandalay, residents interviewed by Reuters said they had not yet received any assistance from military authorities.
One rescue worker said on Saturday they had borrowed machinery from businesses to help sift through the rubble. He said they had received nothing from the military government but declined to elaborate for fear of retribution.
Some residents were appealing for machinery on Facebook.
One wrote that members of their family had been crushed under the rubble of a mosque and "we desperately want to recover their bodies".
"We need to rent a crane to remove the heavy concrete blocks. If anyone has information on where we can rent one, please contact us," they wrote.
