Arakan Army(AA) run-up to a full-scale attack after firing rocket attack on Myanmar Navy ships in Myebon and Rathidaung townships respectively on July 19 and 20.
The witness villagers said that the response of AA’s RPG attack on Military Navy ships came after Navy ship’s artillery fired about 10 times nearby Ray Kaung Shaing village on July 19 towards the clashes mountain ranges of nearby Mae Than Groo village of Ann township between AA and Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) on July 18.
Pyi Thu Hluttaw MP U Pe Than confirmed the Narinjara News that the retaliation attack by AA on Navy ships but the MP did not claim the damages or causalities.
“ We heard news about two Navy ships marched on July 18 morning from Pauk Two Taung village of two miles distance. AA fired with RPG to the Navy ships. We saw smoke rising up from the scene. At the same time, Navy fired back again and again. Unluckily, a piece of shrapnel fired from Navy hit two houses in the village,” said a witness villager from Pauk Two Taung village.
The villager added that one of the Navy ships was severely hit and another ship stepped back towards to the Naung Daw Gree Sea.
The Western Command Spokesperson, Senior Brigadier General Win Zaw Oo confirmed what he has heard but refused to point out the detail of the story and location.
Meanwhile, another similar attack on Myanmar Navy ship was launched by AA was on July 20 some about a mile from Pyar Pin Rin village of Rathidaung township which had a slight damaged on the navy ship, the villagers said.
However, the sort of weapons was hard to mention whether RPG or Chinese made wired rocket.
After the attack, Navy fired numeral machine guns back which forced about 300 villagers from Prar Pin Rin village and villagers from Lone Tin and Ka Tauk Chaung villages displaced to safer Ran Aung Prin village, a local woman spoke on phone.
“ We heard the gun shooting at about five forty in the morning. It took about five minutes which woke the villagers up and fled as the villagers have already experienced”, a village’s elder from Pyar Pin Rin village said.
The attack on Navy ship temporary sealed off all the communal water routes in Mayu River by authority as it was the only key way to rely on by the local community and impacts on local daily lives in term of business, the local villagers said.
A township elder from Rethidaung, U Thar Zan said that there is no boat arrival from Mayu banks sides and the business in Rathidaung down town was supposed to be slow and the shops were closed at around three.
“ A tremendous explosion was said to be broken out in the morning. It was said to be attacked by AA on Navy ship. Thus, no boat moment was seen on Mayu River and no boat arrives at Rathidaung today. Actually the boats and villagers were crowded every day. People are concerned about the news of the attack. ,” he added.
Arakan Army issued a statement that both attack on Navy ship and Myebon and Rethidaung were their responsibilities yesterday.
The latest full-scale attack by Arakan Army have stepped up and threatening the headquarter territory of Western Command Military Based Ann including military’s Navy ships and the concerns of the civilians raised up while the numbers of IDPs reached into 50,000 people. However, the silence of Noble Prize winner State Councilor Daw Aung San Su Kyi on troubled displaced civilians the entire Rakhine people left consternation.
