Thingyan skirmish between military and Arakan Army leaves locals worried in Myebon Twsp

By DMG 13 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
13 April 2022,Myebon

A small clash broke out between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) at a location between Wet Khaung and Dagon villages in Arakan State’s Myebon Township at around noon on Wednesday, according to locals. 

About 30 members of the Myanmar military have reportedly been temporarily stationed at a clinic near Wet Khaung village on the Myebon-Minbya road for about three days. 

The skirmish erupted when AA troops came into close proximity of where the junta soldiers were stationed, said U Pe Than, a former Arakan State lawmaker for Myebon Township. 

“The clash between the Arakan Army and Myanmar military lasted for about five minutes and both sides fired heavy weapons and small arms. I don’t know exactly if there were casualties in the clash,” the ex-legislator added. 

Residents from more than 10 villages along the Minbya-Myebon road were said to have been unsettled by the sounds of heavy weapons and small arms fire on Wednesday, the official start of the Thingyan (Buddhist New Year) holiday in Myanmar. 

“We are also worried about whether fighting will continue during Thingyan. I think the clash may have been unintentional and accidental,” said a resident of Wet Khaung village who asked for anonymity. 

Another resident of Myebon Township also emphasised the untimely nature of the renewed hostilities, with Thingyan being a period of widespread travel and locals now worried about leaving their homes and villages. 

At a press conference on April 5, AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha warned that fighting was likely to be an ongoing prospect if the Myanmar military continued to disrupt efforts by the Arakan Army to administer Arakan State. 

Two years of armed conflict between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army was thought to have come to an end when the warring parties reached an informal ceasefire agreement in late 2020. Though the truce has largely held for more than a year, simmering tensions have been reported between the two sides over recent months.