The political wing of the Arakha Army (AA), the United League of Arakan (ULA), issued a warning that an attack on the town was coming, prompting residents of Thandwe in southern Rakhine State to evacuate.
According to a resident of Thandwe, other people who have stayed are gathering their possessions.
“Every home on our street is packing up, and some are relocating their elderly and children to rural areas,” the woman said in an interview.
In Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Thandwe townships, where conflict with the military rule is intensifying, the ULA released a statement on Monday advising residents and foreign organizations operating there to leave.
Rich families are traveling to Yangon from Thandwe. According to a local, some people are leaving Thandwe to take care of their homes, while others are having trouble leaving and migrating to villages south of Thandwe.
According to a merchant, many companies in the Thandwe central market have closed.
Residents of Thandwe allege that junta artillery has moved within 16 km of the town during the more than a month-long fighting to the north of the town.
“The rents in villages south of Thandwe have tripled,” stated a different Thandwe resident. Some locals stay in the town because they cannot afford to go elsewhere. Some people remain because they worry about their homes being plundered.
Although Thandwe town is 128 kilometers away, some citizens have fled to Gwa town.
In addition to attacking individuals and public spaces like marketplaces, schools, clinics, and places of worship with aerial, naval, and artillery bombardment, the ULA statement accused the regime of setting houses on fire and demolishing infrastructure in Rakhine.
Since fighting started on April 13, the government and the AA have battled at least twelve times in Thandwe Township. It is said that junta airstrikes and shelling have killed at least 25 civilians.
Since beginning its offensive in November, the AA has taken over nine towns in adjacent Rakhine State and Paletwa Township in Chin State.
