The military council has recently increased security measures and patrols in villages in Ayeyarwady Region bordering Arakan State, citing concerns about potential infiltration by the Arakha Army (AA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs), local sources report.
In Wakema, Kyonpyaw, Myanaung, and Yegyi Townships, the junta is using these security concerns as a pretext to extort money through guest registration checks targeting local residents, original Arakanese residents, and displaced persons from Arakan State. They are also forcing young people into military service, according to a local man.
“In Yegyi Township, there are now extensive security checks and patrols. They’re particularly strict with ethnic Arakanese people, arresting and conscripting them for military service. The administrators and soldiers are demanding money, claiming it’s because of potential AA and PDF infiltration from Arakan,” said a local man from Yegyi Township.
The military council has tightened security both inside and outside these townships, conducting patrols based on claims of AA members’ presence in the area.
Local residents report that while conducting regular guest registration checks on internally displaced persons (IDPs) entering Ayeyarwady Region from Arakan State, the authorities are also monitoring the movements of original residents.
A woman from Kyonpyaw explained: “Displaced people from Arakan have to register as guests and get signatures from local administrators. The junta is now also registering established Arakanese business owners. Young people are being forced into military service, though they can avoid it by paying substantial bribes.”
According to local residents, security forces have recently intensified checks along potential entry routes from Arakan State into Ayeyarwady Region.
In October, the military council ordered the relocation of approximately 300 households near the border of Yegyi Township and Gwa Township in Arakan State to nearby villages.
Since 8 November, these relocated villages have also been subject to military inspections.
After the armed conflict between the junta and AA renewed in November 2023, various military units including Light Infantry Battalion 108, Infantry Battalion 36 and 51, and Artillery Battalion 344 have increased their presence in villages across Thabaung, Yekgi, Kyangin, and Myanaung Townships, conducting operations and ambush patrols in addition to setting up new checkpoints.
Currently, the AA is conducting intense offensive operations in various parts of Arakan State, including Ann Township where the junta’s Western Command is headquartered, and Maungdaw.
Reports indicate that the military junta is deploying most of its newly trained soldiers from Ayeyarwady Region to the Arakan front.
Sent by Narinjara