The junta has banned people from fishing or using the Thanzit River in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State to dredge it, but there has been no dredging.
In early July 2024, the junta announced that the river would be dredged between 15 July and 30 September to deepen it and improve access for oil tankers to access Maday Island in Kyaukphyu Township.
At the same time the junta announced a complete ban on fishing and river travel during the time of the planned dredging.
Despite the ban being enforced, as of 7 August the dredging work still had not started and Chinese oil tankers continue to use the Thanzit River, according to a fisherman from Maday Island.
"We haven't seen any dredging work start in the river yet. The oil tankers are still sailing as usual. Right now, one is now anchored at Maday Island to load oil,” he said. He added that the tanker currently at Maday Island had docked there at around 3:00 pm on 5 August and is expected to depart in the next few days.
The tankers using the Thanzit River have already caused considerable environmental damage which has led to previous efforts to dredge the river. U Tun Kyi, a resident of Kyaukphyu Township, said he was seriously concerned about the possible impact of further dredging because he feared it could endanger marine species and worsen the environmental damage.
He said: "There are natural coral reefs in the Thanzit River. Further dredging would seriously damage them, causing many fish species to suffer. The existing deterioration would be exacerbated by additional dredging.”
Since fighting resumed in Arakan State in November 2023 the junta has imposed severe restrictions on fishing and sailing in the Thanzit River. The total ban on its use for the dredging has placed an increased strain on the local economy and livelihoods and left residents facing difficulties in healthcare and other social services.
A fisherman from Maday Island said: "About two-thirds of Maday Island's population relies on fishing for their livelihoods. With the ban on sailing and fishing in the river, locals are facing significant hardships. Patients can't use the waterway to reach the hospital, leading to health issues. The injustices committed by the junta, who only know how to oppress and bully the people by threatening them with guns, are severely impacting our community.”
To make matters even worse, locals have reported that the junta navy vessels patrolling the Thanzit River frequently open fire on civilian boats.
Maday Island is 10 miles from Kyaukphyu Town and is the terminal for the Chinese oil pipeline that runs to Yunnan Province in China. A deep seawater port is also supposed to be built there, as part of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone. There are four villages on Maday Island, they are: Ywama, Pyein, Kyaukmawgyi, and Kyauktan.
The Arakan Army (AA) has escalated its operations in Kyaukphyu Township and it already controls a large part of the township including extensive rural areas. It has encircled the junta troops stationed in Kyaukphyu Town and is attacking them relentlessly. There are many Chinese backed investment projects in Kyaukphyu Township.
