The junta has blocked all routes into and out of Sittwe, Arakan State, and seized control of boats and sampans, resulting in residents being stranded.
A male local informed Narinjara News that starting February 8, junta troops have been monitoring the entry and exit points of waterways connecting the city to the countryside and regulating boats and sampans due to recent gunfire incidents in Sittwe.
"Troops are typically assigned in units, squadrons, and sections to sites where boats and sampans set off. The boats are under complete control, and the locals are prohibited from leaving," he stated.
A woman living in Sittwe informed Narinjara News that since commands have been given to shoot at boats and sampans trying to leave, people in the city are stranded and struggling, having no means of escape other than by air.
"Currently, the residents are unable to relocate. They are prohibited from moving between wards. Previously, there were venues available for people, but now the junta forces have shut down all of them. There is just one air route, and the impoverished cannot escape. They're also detaining individuals in Yangon," she stated.
Residents report that the junta is currently overseeing the boats and sampans moored at Set Yoe Kya, Ku Lar Chaung, Kel Sel Yay Creek, Narzi Village Creek, and Thin Baw Seik Creek.
Local residents claim that the junta permits only the boats and sampans they dispatch to survey the region.
Residents claim that the junta, afraid of a mass departure, has intentionally prevented individuals from entering and exiting the city, utilizing them as human shields.
Human rights advocates state that junta troops in Sittwe are not only taking civilians in the city without justification but also holding those escaping the conflict, including children, women, and the elderly, while perpetrating additional human rights abuses.
On February 5, soldiers and police from the junta raided a home at approximately 11 pm, detaining more than 10 civilians, including a one-year-old infant and his mother, who were getting ready to flee Sittwe for the countryside.
On February 9, junta troops in Sittwe conducted random shelling at multiple sites where the Arakan Army (AA) might be located.
