Junta ramps up shelling in Sittwe

By Admin 02 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
2 August 2024, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime has ramped up shelling in and around the Arakan State capital Sittwe, where a regional operations command of the military is based, causing panic among residents still trapped in the town.

The Shwe Mingan naval base launched shells at least seven times on Friday morning, said residents. “They fired multiple rockets. I heard the strikes were targeted at Ponnagyun and Pauktaw,” said a resident.

Residents said the naval base has a reputation for conducting indiscriminate artillery strikes on Ponnagyun and Pauktaw townships, inflicting civilian casualties.

Junta battalions in Sittwe shelled at least five times on July 27, said residents.

One resident was killed and four others were injured in Kywe Htoe Village, Ponnagyun Township, when a shell fired by a Sittwe battalion hit the village.

One military analyst in Arakan State said: “The Arakkha Army (AA) has surrounded Sittwe Town. The regime has carried out artillery strikes on routes the AA can use to enter Sittwe to convey the message that they are on alert.”

Military tensions are running high in Sittwe Township following a skirmish between junta troops and the AA. The AA said last month that it had surrounded the junta battalions in Sittwe.

The regime has responded by arresting civilians on suspicion of having ties to the AA, and has also deployed troops in wards and villages on the outskirts of the town.

A Sittwe woman who remains in the town said: “The regime has blockaded all the escape routes. We are getting increasingly anxious as we hear more artillery strikes lately.”

Many residents have fled Sittwe Town beginning in March, but others remain due to financial difficulties, junta-blockade related issues and other factors.

The regime has occupied some villages on the outskirts of Sittwe after forcibly relocating the villagers into the town.