Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese.
Myanmar’s junta is desperately reinforcing its troops in three of the five remaining townships it still controls in the western state of Rakhine while rebel forces intensify an offensive to seize the other two, residents said Thursday.
Junta troops and the ethnic Arakan Army, or AA, have been engaged in fierce fighting in the state for much of the past year after the AA ended a ceasefire that had been in place since the military‘s Feb. 1, 2021, coup d‘etat.
The AA has overrun the state, capturing 12 of the state’s 17 townships and now has turned its attention to taking over Ann and Gwa townships.
The rebel army said in a statement on Thursday that “only a few areas remain under junta control” in Ann, which is the base of the military’s Western Command, and that it is currently engaged in a fierce offensive against Gwa.
In the meantime, residents said, the junta is racing to prepare its townships of Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Munaung to repel eventual attacks by the AA.
In the port of Kyaukphyu, home to several Chinese infrastructure projects, the junta has increased its troop presence due to the possibility of imminent fighting, according to a resident who, like others interviewed for this report, asked not to be named for security reasons.
“Although no battles have broken out in Kyaukphyu yet, fighting could occur at any moment,” he said. “The military junta is well-prepared for defense, particularly at their outposts in Mindat Taung, Hnan Pe Taung, and the No. 32 Police Battalion, where they have bolstered troop numbers and weapon supplies.”
RELATED STORIES
Arakan Army takes fight to Myanmar’s western command in bid to control Rakhine state
Rebels in Myanmar’s Rakhine state seize another stronghold, shun talks
A year after offensive, rebels control most of Myanmar’s Rakhine state
The resident said the junta has constructed “strong bunkers” at the outposts and deployed “200-300 soldiers” to the military’s nearby No. 532 Infantry Battalion camp.
Residents also reported that a large naval vessel arrived at a port in Kyaukphyu on Dec. 8 to deliver weapons and reinforcements to junta troops.
Sittwe and Munaung
Similarly, the military junta has rapidly prepared defenses in three main locations in the Rakhine state capital of Sittwe, according to a resident, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The junta has set up defenses in rural areas, on the outskirts of the city, and in the center of the city,” he told RFA. “The central defense in Sittwe is just a façade, and the main defense is stationed at Sittwe University.”
Other residents told RFA that the junta is conducting “strict inspections of every neighborhood in Sittwe,” arresting and questioning the city’s inhabitants, and has increased the number of troop and weapons stationed there.
In Munaung township, which consists of the islands of Manaung, Ye Kyun and Taik Kyun off the coast of Rakhine state in the Andaman Sea, junta troops have been patrolling villages in recent days, residents said. Naval vessels have been stationed around the main island of Munaung, they said.
“During these patrols, the junta has restricted fishing activities, which are the main source of livelihood for locals,” said one resident. “They have even fired on fishing boats at sea. The locals are very worried about this.”
After the AA occupied Ramree and Thandwe townships to the north, the junta banned fishing activities and travel in Munaung, leaving residents facing a scarcity of goods, high prices, and a lack of jobs in the area, residents said.
Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Htun and AA spokesperson Khaing Thu Kha for comment on the situation in the five townships remaining under military control went unanswered Thursday.
Poking the dragon
Political commentator Than Soe Naing told RFA it will be difficult for the AA to capture all three remaining townships.
“Sittwe is at risk of falling to the AA, but capturing Kyaukphyu will be more challenging, due to significant Chinese investments in the area,” he said. “Additionally, taking Munaung will be difficult for the AA as they lack sufficient naval power.”
China, which threw its support behind the military in the aftermath of the coup, is one of the junta’s few remaining international allies. Junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has vowed to protect Beijing’s interests in Myanmar from rebel attacks.
Than Soe Naing suggested Sittwe could be the AA’s “final target,” despite the group’s vow not to end its offensive until all of Rakhine state is under its control.
The AA has enjoyed the most success against the military of any of Myanmar’s ethnic armies this year, and observers have suggested the group could take over all of Rakhine state before 2025.
However, some residents of the state say that if the AA continues to attack Kyaukphyu — the junta’s remaining township with the most Chinese projects — Beijing could take steps to intervene in the conflict.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
