The military council is deploying troops in in the forest reserve areas along the border between Arakan State and Ayeyarwady Region, forcing local residents to patrol fearing an Arakha Army (AA) infiltration, according to local sources.
In Yegyi Township of Ayeyarwady Region, junta columns have reportedly entered and established positions in forest reserve areas at the foothills of the Arakan Mountains, including Kyet Paung, Boe Taw, and Set Sar Yan forest reserves in November.
Similarly, in Ayeyarwady Region’s Lemyethna Township, military troops have established positions in forest reserves on the edge of the Arakan Mountains, such as Kwin Chaung, according to a local man from Yegyi.
“The junta is deploying military columns across the forest reserves like Kyet Paung and Set Sar Yin on the border between the Arakan Mountains and Yegyi Township. They have also deployed troops in the Boe Taw forest reserve as well as the mountainous area between Gwa Township and Ayeyarwady Region. In some villages like Chaw Pyar and Thar Baung, militia forces are leading local patrols. They are extremely afraid the AA will come,” he said.
In addition, the military council is reportedly deploying drones along the mountainous border areas between Arakan and Ayeyarwady for surveillance.
The military council is forcibly evacuating villages in Yegyi Township, Lemyethna Township, and surrounding areas, and villages in Hinthada District’s Kwin Kauk Township and mandating at least one guard per household in some villages, local residents report.
A female merchant from Yegyi said: “People from the areas at the foothills of the Arakan Mountains haven’t even come to sell at the market for a long time. They can’t even go to the mountains for hunting. If junta soldiers spot them, they’ll be arrested and interrogated. We’ve heard that we must now patrol by ward. Rumors are the AA will soon capture Gwa, so the junta troops are quite active on this side.”
The junta has declared the complete evacuation of several villages including Saw Pyar and Seint Gyi in Yegyi Township and Ya Haing Kwin village in Gwa Township since 21 October, with some residents already relocated and others still remaining, the woman added.
Meanwhile, the junta has been reportedly arresting some Arakanese people seeking refuge in Ayeyarwady’s Yegyi Township.
According to local sources, the junta has increased raids, troops deployment, and ambush patrols in forest reserve areas near villages in Tharbaung, Yegyi, Kyingin, and Myanaung Townships in Ayeyarwady Region.
The conflict in Arakan State has so far forced over 100,000 local residents from Sittwe and Gwa Townships to cross into Ayeyarwady and to the mainland, facing significant challenges in living conditions and security threats.
Sent by Narinjara.
