Fighting for control of Thandwe, Maungdaw continues

By Admin 29 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
29 July 2024, Thandwe

Fighting has been raging in Thandwe and Maungdaw for months as the Arakkha Army (AA) seeks to drive junta troops out of those towns.

According to a report from Burma News International – Myanmar Peace Monitor, the regime and the AA clashed 21 times in Arakan State between July 3 and 16, the largest number of clashes recorded in the 11 regions and states monitored during that period.

The AA is focused on overtaking Maungdaw, a border town in northern Arakan State adjacent to Bangladesh, where the regime maintains a strategic foothold.

“Residents remain in Maungdaw Town. The AA troops have entered some parts of Maungdaw. Only Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5 is left in Maungdaw. The AA has avoided force for fear that civilians would be harmed. That’s why the fighting drags on,” said a source.

The regime is using civilians as human shields to defend Maungdaw, he alleged.

At a southern front in the AA’s bid for control of Arakan State, the ethnic armed group has captured two junta battalions based in Ngapali Beach and Thandwe Town, and is attacking the Maung Shwe Lay naval base, which if seized would deal a devastating blow to the junta’s grip on the region.

Generals of previous military regimes and the ruling junta, and their cronies, own dozens of luxury hotels along Ngapali Beach, one of Myanmar’s premier resort destinations in pre-war times.

“Thandwe Airport is the first airport the regime has lost in the armed revolution. It is a shame for the regime. It has also lost hotels and businesses owned by generals and their cronies. So, the regime has launched counter-offensives for its dignity and interests,” said an observer.

The fighting will escalate in Thandwe and Maungdaw, which are crucial for the regime, predicted a political analyst.

“Maungdaw is important both militarily and economically. The AA can benefit a lot if it gains control of Maungdaw. So too with Thandwe. If it can seize Thandwe, it will be easier for it to capture Taungup and Gwa. I think the AA will try to seize Ann and Kyaukphyu only after establishing its bases on the border,” he said.

It has been more than eight months since renewed fighting between the regime and AA broke out on November 13 in Arakan State. Civilians have been suffering from severe food shortages due to junta blockades of land and water routes that were ordered shortly after the resumption of hostilities.