Junta blocks routes for Thandwe residents attempting to flee conflict

By Admin 27 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 May 2024, Thandwe

The military regime is blocking residents from leaving Thandwe Township, Arakan State, where fighting between its troops and the Arakkha Army (AA) is escalating.

People carrying their belongings were stopped and turned back on the Thandwe-Gwa-Yangon road, according to residents.

“People heading to Gwa are stopped by the regime if they are carrying bundles,” said a Thandwe resident.

Many Thandwe residents have fled to Yangon via Gwa as the fighting has moved closer to the town. Others have fled to Gwa and Taungup townships as the fighting has been raging in Thandwe over the past month.

The regime is conducting checks on households in Gwa Township if they are hosting overnight guests, a move targeted at displaced people who have fled Thandwe.

“The regime said it would also check non-Gwa residents who have arrived in Gwa before the latest exodus. The regime apparently fears that AA troops would infiltrate into Gwa,” said a resident.

The regime has imposed tight checks on people entering Gwa to see if they have citizenship ID cards, letters of residency and approval from their relevant ward administration offices for travel.

The regime has also barred villagers in the Shwe Hlay area from fleeing to Thandwe via the Sinkaung-Kinmaw river route.

The regime has been continuously reinforcing its troops in Thandwe, said residents.

“The regime has airlifted troops and weapons recently,” said a resident.

More than 30,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Thandwe since the fighting broke out there on April 13, according to residents.