Thousands of Rathedaung villagers flee shelling and gunfire

By Hnin Nwe 25 Jun 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
25 June, Sittwe

Thousands of residents from villages in the southern part of Rathedaung Township, Arakan State, have fled their homes after artillery shells allegedly fired by the Tatmadaw landed in their villages on June 24.

Artillery and small arms fire from a naval vessel in the Mayu River fell in some villages along the waterway, residents said.

Residents from some villages along the Mayu River such as Min Kan Chaung, Kanpyin, Shwe Laung Tin and Kan Chaung reportedly fled to safer locations in fear of further gunfire.

“I don’t know which organisation started opening fire on the other. Clashes have occurred with regularity in recent days between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army,” Kanpyin village administrator U Maung Tun Sein said. “Residents have fled to what appear to be safer locations. Now a few people including me are staying in the village.”

The brick walls of a monastery in Min Kan Chaung village were badly damaged by the shelling, according to that village’s administrator.

“We hid under the house for fear of being hit by bullets when we heard gunfire. I don’t know exactly as to whether hostilities erupted or not but we heard different firings. Some bullets and artillery shells landed in the village,” said U Maung Saw Hlaing, the Min Kan Chaung administrator.

There were reports that the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army exchanged fire after the latter launched rockets at a naval vessel of the former stationed in the Mayu River, but DMG could not confirm the reports.

DMG attempted to contact Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun and Major-General Tun Tun Nyi from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team, seeking comment on the incident, but they could not be reached.