According to residents, starting December 18, a curfew will be enforced in various townships of the Ayeyarwady Region from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, as local officials aim to improve security due to persistent conflict in Gwa Township, Arakan State.
According to a local resident, the towns impacted are Kyonpyaw, Ngathainggyaung, Yegyi, Athoke, and Kyaunggon in Kyonpyaw District, as well as Kwinkauk in Ingapu Township.
"The village in which we reside has a curfew from 6 pm until 6 am. A comparable curfew has been established in Kwinkauk, Ingapu Township, alongside Ngathainggyaung," remarked a woman living in Ngathainggyaung.
The townships and villages where the curfew was enacted are situated close to the Arakan Mountains.
"I learned that the AA has gained control of the Bay Dar checkpoint along the Gwa-Ngathainggyaung road. Numerous junta troops are said to have been either killed or wounded. The injured were initially taken to Ngathainggyaung Hospital and subsequently moved to Pathein Hospital," she remarked.
The Bay Dar checkpoint, currently managed by the Arakan Army (AA), is situated at the boundary between Ngathainggyaung and Gwa townships, around 30 miles away from Ngathainggyaung.
Due to the AA managing the route through the Arakan Mountains between Gwa Town and Ngathainggyaung, junta troops have heightened security in Ngathainggyaung, apprehensive about additional AA attacks.
A woman from Arakan State, who escaped the turmoil in Kyonpyaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region, mentioned that a curfew has been enacted in the village where she is taking refuge. She mentioned that displaced individuals are encountering discrimination and stringent regulations.
"At this time, when you check in an overnight guest, it is necessary to capture a photo. They supply a book for recording guest registrations. You are allowed to register just once a week, and you need to pay 2,000 kyats for every registration at the administrator's office. Displaced individuals cannot obtain medical care at their residence. The ward administrator has set rules, declaring that displaced individuals must live as displaced individuals,” she mentioned.
A significant number of displaced individuals from Thandwe, Kyeintali, and Gwa townships in Arakan State are finding refuge in towns throughout Kyonpyaw, Ngathainggyaung, Yegyi, Athoke, Kyaunggon, Kwinkauk, Ingapu, Myanaung, and Kyangin.
A person who has been displaced stated, “Many displaced individuals from Arakan State are residing along the coast in Shwethaungyan. I now understand that they are facing eviction, with assertions that they are not allowed to remain there. There is no eviction occurring in Kyonpyaw district; however, the displaced individuals are being carefully observed. The junta forces are wary of them if they originate from Arakan State. In Ngathainggyaung, numerous displaced individuals from Arakan State reside in villages such as Khway Tauk Kwat Thit, Kone Pyin, and Kyar Kaik. Local residents have posed no problems; however, the administrative officials working with the junta are quite poor.
Displaced individuals from Arakan State are seeking shelter in Pathein, Hinthada, and Myanaung districts, while the junta is keeping a close watch on both the displaced population and local inhabitants after reports surfaced about the arrival of the Arakan Army (AA) and the People's Defense Forces (PDF) in Ayeyarwady Region.