• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Asia

A Green Light for US Earthquake Relief in Myanmar – The Diplomat

April 14, 2025
in Asia
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
A Green Light for US Earthquake Relief in Myanmar
9
SHARES
20
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


“We’re not the government of the world,” Marco Rubio told a BBC reporter at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on April 4.

The U.S. Secretary of State defended a modest $2 million contribution for Myanmar, recovering from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 3,500 people. The State Department later softened its stance on humanitarian assistance and pledged an additional $7 million for quake-affected areas.

In past years, the U.S. was a leading donor of aid to Myanmar, working with non-governmental organizations to provide food, water, and emergency shelter to people in conflict or disaster zones. In 2024, USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) contributed $141 million to humanitarian causes, of which $3 million went to flood-hit communities in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi.

The dismantling of USAID by the Trump administration in January, however, marked the end of an era of large-scale spending on foreign aid.

In his remarks to the press, Rubio said the U.S. would “do our part” for earthquake victims but that other countries “should pitch in.” The Secretary of State indicated that non-urgent food, health, or education projects run by international organizations “flooded with U.S. taxpayer money” would be eliminated. “We’re not going to fund these global NGOs,” he declared.

Rubio hinted that the State Department was open to supporting “appropriate” local NGOs but pointed out that Myanmar was “not the easiest place to work” since the government was run by a “military junta that doesn’t like us. . . doesn’t allow us to operate.”

An international team dispatched by the State Department, however, found that Washington, D.C. (not Naypyidaw) had pulled the plug on relief efforts. Current and former USAID officials confirmed that three staff members received job termination emails days after arriving in “the rubble-strewn” city of Mandalay. One aid worker had flown in from Washington; the other staffers were based in Bangkok and Manila.

Myanmar’s convoluted relationship with foreign aid predated the earthquake.

USAID spent significant amounts on refugees displaced from Myanmar’s border states. The aid recipients were spread out across multiple countries. Bangladesh has received nearly $2 billion since August 2017 for resettling Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Rakhine State. In Thailand, 15 percent of the USAID budget in 2023 was earmarked for nutritional assistance to the Burmese community. Students from conflict-prone Chin State and (Karenni) Kayah State received scholarships to pursue higher education at universities in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

The USAID scholarships inadvertently became a lightning rod in America’s culture wars.

President Donald Trump criticized the program on multiple occasions. At a bill signing ceremony in January, Trump said his administration “blocked $45 million for diversity scholarships in Burma. Forty-five. That’s a lot of money for diversity scholarships in Burma.”

In an address to a joint session of the United States Congress on March 4, the President cited the scholarship program as an example of “appalling waste.”

The Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program (DISP), awarded in 2023, was set up to provide higher education opportunities to “ethnic and religious minorities, women, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, and displaced persons.”

David Thang Moe, a lecturer in Southeast Asian Studies at Yale University, told the evangelical publication Christianity Today that DISP scholarships “filled a vacuum in Myanmar’s education space,” helping minority students “gain a critical perspective.”

Although the word “diversity” in DISP was later replaced with “development,” an official in Myanmar’s exiled National Unity Government told Radio Free Asia that the scholarship became a high-profile target “due to its name.” About 400 students enrolled in degree programs lost their funding when the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency canceled the scholarships on January 29.

“I have to say it’s quite a blow,” confessed a DISP scholar in Thailand. “The uncertainty for the current students is where they’ll get their tuition for the next semester,” said Hlwan Paing Thiha, a student working towards a master’s degree in public policy.

Payap University in Chiang Mai is reportedly considering a tuition waiver for DISP recipients. The private university hosts nine students from Myanmar’s Mon State and offers a Ph.D. program in peacebuilding.

Previous Post

France vows reprisal if Algeria expels French embassy staff – DW – 04/14/2025

Next Post

Mike Rogers launches another bid for Senate in Michigan

Related Posts

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

May 17, 2025
0
How Europe went ‘crazy’ for Chinese blind-box toys – and why it matters

How Europe went ‘crazy’ for Chinese blind-box toys – and why it matters

May 17, 2025
6
Next Post

Mike Rogers launches another bid for Senate in Michigan

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

May 17, 2025
Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

May 17, 2025
Halifax arts community concerned about rapid development - Halifax

Halifax arts community concerned about rapid development – Halifax

May 17, 2025
New opportunities for kosher wines with Tzohar

New opportunities for kosher wines with Tzohar

May 17, 2025

Recent News

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

May 17, 2025
0
Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

May 17, 2025
4
Halifax arts community concerned about rapid development - Halifax

Halifax arts community concerned about rapid development – Halifax

May 17, 2025
6
New opportunities for kosher wines with Tzohar

New opportunities for kosher wines with Tzohar

May 17, 2025
7

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

Iwate wildfire victims begin moving into temporary housing

May 17, 2025
Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

Gaza likely to dominate agenda as Arab League meets in Baghdad

May 17, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co