The Arakan Army (AA) will impose checks on vehicles and vessels in Arakan State, said AAspokesman U Khaing Thukha, alleging that Myanmar’s military regime has been bringing in reinforcements by both public and private means of transport.

The AA spokesman said the regime has been sending reinforcements and weapons to its bases in Arakan State not only with military ships, trucks and helicopters, but also via passenger planes, express buses, motorboats and express ferries.

The AA will carry out checks on vehicles and vessels as necessary, U Khaing Thukha added.

“Under the circumstances, we will carry out checks as necessary on vehicles and vessels operating on these routes,” he said.

The regime has been using two passenger ships — originally donated by Japan to facilitate mass transit in Arakan State — to carry food supplies and weapons for its troops, alleged the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA, in a statement on Thursday.

The AA has also instructed bus and ferry boat lines to report to its offices regarding their schedules.

“We have issued this notice to ask them to accept checks willingly when they are stopped for checks. The consequences are theirs if something bad happens because they fail to report to us,” said U Khaing Thukha.

Ko Than Htay, who drives a bus running between Sittwe and Kyauktaw, said: “I saw the AA notice, but we don’t know where we have to report. Buses are running as normal. The AA has not yet made checks. But we are ready to cooperate.”

DMG was unable to obtain comment from Arakan State Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Kyaw Thura about the AA’s claim that the regime is using civilian vehicles and vessels to bring reinforcements and weapons into Arakan State.

In October 2019, the AA detained at least 40 military and police personnel disguised as ordinary citizens on a ferry boat heading from Sittwe to Buthidaung.