Some hotels in Ngapali Beach, Thandwe Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State, along with several others in Linthar and Myapyin villages, were set ablaze by shelling from the junta's Army and Navy.
A witness reported that some hotels in the three areas had been on fire since the afternoon of July 14 after being hit by artillery shells.
"Right now, junta forces are unable to retreat through Linthar and Myapyin. Its troops in the surrounding mountains are running low on food. The junta is focused on fortifying Jeiktaw as their final stronghold in the region, while the Arakha Army (AA) makes steady progress. Amidst this, the junta launched shelling attacks on hotels like Bayview, Lin Thar Oo Lodge , Memento Resort, Lagoon Lodge, and BT Bay. Despite witnessing the flames, we're uncertain about the extent of the damage”, he said.
The junta has reportedly targeted public recreation areas between Linthar and Myapyin as well.
Another resident reported seeing smoke billowing from Bayview Hotel, Lin Thar Oo Lodge, Memento Resort, Lagoon Lodge, BT Bay, and The Lodge Blus Ocean between the afternoon of July 14 and the morning of July 15, in the Linthar Hotel Zone and Myapyin Village.
“Currently, phone lines in the region have been cut, and Thandwe is unreachable. Artillery strikes were unleashed from a Navy vessel departing from Kwinwaing. Additionally, the junta launched attacks from the wharf in Jeiktaw aiming at Linthar, possibly in response to reports of AA artillery deployed inside the hotels", he remarked.
On July 12, junta aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on the Mingala Thukha monastery in Linthar, causing severe damage to the religious buildings, locals reported.
Recent days have seen intense clashes between AA and the junta along the Myapyin at the southern end of Ngapali Beachand town bypass road, with continuous shelling and airstrikes by the junta.
On July 13, a local man was killed in a downtown ward of Thandwe by an artillery shell fired by the junta's Navy.
In Gwa and Kyeintali towns in Arakan State, over 2000 people, including women and children, displaced by the fighting in Thandwe and Ngapali, are taking refuge and urgently need humanitarian aid.
