Regime troops check household registration documents in Ponnagyun Twsp villages

By DMG 04 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
4 May 2022, Ponnagyun 

Myanmar military soldiers this week forayed into villages in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, and questioned residents with a focus on household registration certificates, according to locals. 

A 50-strong military contingent entered Padaythar village in Ponnagyun Township on the evening of May 3, spent a night at the village monastery and moved on to neighbouring Hnget Gyi Kyun village on Wednesday morning, locals said. 

The junta soldiers met village elders and scrutinised the household registration certificates of residents, said a Hnget Gyi Kyun villager. 

“They spent one night in Padaythar village. They also checked the residents’ household registration certificates and took photos of the village’s lakes. Locals were worried about junta soldiers entering the village, but they did nothing,” the resident added. 

Via Hnget Gyi Kyun village, the military contingent subsequently arrived at Aungdular village, where they were stationed at the village’s monastery as of press time on Wednesday, according to a local who asked for anonymity. 

“The regime soldiers arrived in my village at around 9 a.m. and are deployed at the village monastery. The villagers are currently going into hiding for security reasons,” the local added. 

“Locals appear to be worried about a return to fighting,” said U Pe Than, a veteran Arakanese politician, referring to the 2018-2020 conflict between the military and Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State.  

“The Myanmar military appears concerned that the Arakan Army will gain more control. On the other hand, it is possible that such inspections are being carried out in the sense that it is safe and convenient for the Myanmar military to do so. However, such inspections raise concerns on both sides,” U Pe Than added. 

DMG contacted Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura for comment on the matter, but he could not be reached. 

A military contingent also entered the villages of Sabarhtar and Aungzeya in Ponnagyun Township on April 26, according to uneasy local residents. 

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