November 14, 2022
More than 4,000 residents were reportedly forced to flee helplessly from their villages after military council troops entered several villages in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, on November 10, firing indiscriminately and deliberately with drones and artillery, including helicopters.
People have fled from Sin Inn Gyi, Padaytha, Kyaw Zan, Kywe Htoe, Tan Koh, Tan Swe, Thin Pone Tan, Yar Chaung, Nghet Kyee Kyun, A Le Kyun, Yay Pauk Chaung, Nat Sate villages and several nearby villages in Ponnagyun Township.
The displaced residents have taken temporary shelter in safer villages in Ponnagyun Township, in some monasteries in downtown Ponnagyun, and in Rathedaung and Sittwe Townships.
The military council troops not only shelled the villages with artillery, but also arrested, tortured and killed the villagers, so the people had to run for their lives without taking anything except the clothes on their bodies. They need clothes, blankets, mats and waterproof tarps, said a monk helping the displaced.
“Above all, they need food. And they also need casual and warm clothes. Our monastery is providing them with food right now. We have received food from donors for two or three days, but when they run out, there will be nothing left. I hope people will come and donate more,” said the monk.
In addition, it is getting colder in Arakan State with the onset of winter. The IDPs need warm clothes and blankets and also have difficulty getting drinking water, the IDPs said.
Because the military council has currently forcibly closed the roads and waterways connecting Sittwe to Ponnagyun, Kyaukdaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya townships, it is difficult to deliver the relief supplies needed for the IDPs, said a person helping the IDPs.
“The roads are not impassable at all yet. We have already collected supplies. We are trying to go as far as we can to send aid. This is all we can do. The roads are still closed, so there is difficulty buying food. The military council should reopen the roads for humanitarian aid and people from other townships should also take care of this area and help,” he said.
Among the more than 4,000 residents who have fled the regime’s atrocities are newborns, pregnant women and the elderly.
On the morning of November 10, the Arakan Army (AA) attacked regime troops with landmines on the Yangon-Sittwe Road between Sin Inn Gyi and Padaytha villages at around 7 am, destroying a military vehicle and killing several junta soldiers. After the ethnic army attack, junta troops shelled residential areas with artillery and began killing civilians.
Locals also reported that military council troops attacked some villages in Ponnagyun Township with drones, artillery, and helicopters from November 10 to 13.
Sent by Khaing Lu Hla (Yoma Myay)