Asia| Grim fault lines
The junta’s spite worsens Myanmar’s catastrophic quake
The generals have a dire record of exploiting natural disasters
Photograph: AFP
OUTSIDERS HAD dared wonder if the enormous earthquake which struck Myanmar on March 28th might bring a pause in its awful civil war. The answer did not take long to come. On March 29th the rebel alliance known as the National Unity Government announced a temporary ceasefire so that rescuers could do their job. The military junta, which has held power since a coup in 2021, made no similar pledge. Instead, it has intensified air strikes since the disaster. Its bombs have fallen close to people scrabbling through the rubble to look for survivors.