Locals are worried about Myanmar military troops moving from village to village in Pauktaw Township, Arakan State.
A 50-strong military contingent arrived on the outskirts of Manaw Thiri village in Pauktaw Township on November 8 and left for Sar Pyin village two days later after staying at the village’s monastery, said a local woman who declined to be named.
“The Tatmadaw troops came from Taungnyo village but didn’t enter Manaw Thiri village. No villagers dared to go to the village’s monastery where the junta soldiers were stationed. All the villagers were scared because they had never seen anything like it,” she added.
A military column arrived in Sar Pyin village on the evening of November 13, according to a woman from Sar Pyin village.
“The villagers are all scared because they have never seen soldiers like this before,” she said, echoing the Manaw Thiri villager.
The military convoy arrived in Pauktaw town earlier this month and stayed at its indoor stadium for a few days before leaving for surrounding villages, according to locals.
Pauktaw Township was an uncommonly peaceful pocket of Arakan State during the two-year conflict between the military and Arakan Army that came to a halt in November 2020.
U Aung Kyaw Htwe, a former lawmaker in the Arakan State legislature representing Pauktaw Township, said he wants the military to avoid conduct that stokes fear among locals who are unaccustomed to the kind of military presence that has been seen in some other Arakan State townships over recent years.
“In this situation, the people were shocked when the Myanmar soldiers arrived recently. The Myanmar military needs to work with the aim of maintaining peace in the area without harming local people in its military operations,” the ex-MP added.
DMG phoned Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Colonel Kyaw Thura, a member of the Arakan State Administration Council, about the military’s troop movements in Pauktaw Township, but he could not be reached.
Military tensions in Arakan State have risen in recent days: Prior to November 9, there had been no fighting between the military and Arakan Army for more than a year, with a brief clash in Maungdaw Township on Tuesday marking a notable resumption of hostilities.
