Junta administrative staff flee Gwa 

By Admin 16 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
16 August 2024, Gwa

The Myanmar regime’s administrative mechanism has collapsed in Gwa with the Arakkha Army (AA) advancing on the town in southern Arakan State, according to residents.

Junta employees in Gwa Town fled after the AA launched an assault on neighbouring Kyeintali Town on August 11, residents said.

“They fled because the regime can’t guarantee their safety. Only junta troops and [staff of] Myanma Economic Bank are left in Gwa Town,” a resident told DMG.

Gwa residents meanwhile fear that they might be trapped in the town. They have theoretically been given an opportunity to relocate upon receipt of an approval letter from the General Administration Department to travel to Ayeyarwady Region, but as the junta’s administrative staff have all fled the town, residents can no longer apply for those approval letters.

Healthcare workers have also abandoned public healthcare facilities in Gwa Town.

“People can’t travel without an approval letter,” another Gwa resident said. “So, we can’t flee. People who remain in the town have lost access to healthcare services.”

Food stocks are also running low in Gwa Township as the regime has banned the transport of food from Ayeyarwady Region to Gwa.

Armed hostilities erupted in Gwa Township after the AA attacked a junta position near Chin Kwin Village, some 25 miles from Gwa Town.

The AA has seized Kyeintali Town, and the two sides are currently fighting near Yadanar Myaing Village in Gwa Township.

More than 20,000 residents from Gwa Township have fled their homes.