Burma Army Clashes With Arakan Army In Myebon Township
By Network Media Group
Friday, April 15, 2022
The regime’s armed forces fought with the Arakan Army (AA) during a minor skirmish that lasted only a few minutes in Myebon Township, Rakhine State (aka Arakan) on the first day of the Thingyan or Burmese New Year.
A local source, requesting anonymity, told NMG that the fighting occurred on Wednesday near Wet Knaung, an ethnic Rakhine village of about 500 houses five miles south of Myebon town in Mrauk-U District. The Burma Army (BA) has been there since 10 April and reportedly attacked the AA column as it entered the village.
Pe Than, the Arakan National Party MP for Myebon Township, told NMG that 30 BA soldiers were staying in a building in the village. He said both sides fired up to 5 shells and 20 bullets during the brief confrontation.
A resident who asked not to be named said: “We’re worried that there will be more clashes in our village. Some people have already fled during the clashes. They fear that the Burma Army will attack the village with artillery if there’s further fighting.”
The BA patrol the area around Wet Knaung three times a week, where AA troops are also present. Locals have observed increased BA troop movements in Kyauk Taw Township, which is north of Myebon in Mrauk-U District.
There have been several clashes between AA and BA since an informal ceasefire took effect in late 2020, just months before the military’s coup against the Southeast Asian country’s democratic government.
In early February, two civilians were killed after AA troops opened fire on a lorry carrying BA soldiers near Hpar Wat Chaung, about 16 miles from Maungdaw town in the district of the same name.
