Sittwe High School No. 4 closed for one week following junta artillery strike

By Admin 10 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

10 September 2026, Sittwe

Basic Education High School No. 4 in Bawlonekwin Ward, located in junta-held Sittwe City, has been temporarily closed for one week following a heavy artillery strike, according to local residents.

The decision to suspend classes for seven days came after an artillery shell exploded inside the High School No. 4 compound on September 8, injuring a male teacher and three students.

Other schools across Sittwe City currently remain open and are operating as normal.

"On the day the shell hit, all schools sent their students home as parents rushed to fetch their children. Now, only High School No. 4 is closed for seven days, while students at all other schools are attending classes," said a local woman in Sittwe.

Heightened anxiety persists among urban residents in Sittwe as clashes between the military junta and the Arakan Army remain intense across the township.

Airfares for flights between Sittwe and Yangon have surged to around K700,000, up from previous rates of K450,000 to K500,000.

Meanwhile, Technological University, located on the outskirts of the city, has relocated its classes to the University of Computer Studies in Pyidawtha Ward.

Although many Sittwe residents wish to flee to safer areas due to ongoing combat, they remain trapped by military junta travel blockades and financial constraints.

"There is deep concern, but air travel is the only way out of Sittwe. With airfares soaring, families who cannot afford the tickets have no way to leave. Even though we are terrified, we have no choice but to stay," a local man in Sittwe explained.

Battles have raged across Sittwe Township since September 4, with military junta battalions stationed inside the city conducting daily heavy artillery bombardments.

The ongoing fighting along the borders of Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung townships has forced thousands of local residents to flee to safer locations.