Over 900 civilians killed in Rakhine State since 2023
Khaing Thukha, the Arakan Army (AA) spokesperson, told the media at a press conference on Monday that regime attacks have killed 926 civilians and injured 1,954 since the AA launched its offensive in Arakan State on Nov. 13, 2023. He also confirmed fighting around the regime’s Police Battalion 32 and Danyawaddy Naval Base in Kyaukphyu Township, located 317 miles (510 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe.
The AA accuses regime forces of “spreading fear” through deliberate attacks on civilian areas. Khaing Thukha also dismissed allegations that the AA killed nearly 600 Rohingya in Htan Shauk Kan village of Buthidaung Township, located in northern Arakan. He claimed that the bodies shown in a video that surfaced online in July were those of regime troops wearing Burma Army uniforms, not civilians.
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) shared a photo of human remains on Aug. 7, and alleged that the AA had killed at least 600 Rohingya in Htan Shauk Kan on May 2, 2024. Fifteen townships, including Paletwa in southern Chinland, were seized by the AA. They are among 63 placed under martial law on July 31. The regime controls the state capital Sittwe, the deep sea port of Kyaukphyu, and Manaung Island.
Bangladesh reports surrender of Arakan Army member
A man claiming to be a member of the AA reportedly surrendered with his weapon to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Cox’s Bazar District, located 240 miles (397 km) southeast of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, on Monday. This followed fighting between the AA and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Maungdaw Township’s Taungpyo, located in northern Arakan near the Burma–Bangladesh border on Sunday.
BGB commander Mohammad Jasim Uddin told the Bangladesh media that the man said he was a Bangladeshi citizen, but his identity and citizenship are being verified by the authorities. He added that the man told him he had fled the AA camp due to “security risks.” Khaing Thukha rejected the man’s association with the AA, stating he was not a member of the ethnic armed group during his own press conference on Aug. 11.
A Maungdaw resident told DVB that ARSA had killed one civilian and injured another during fighting with the AA on Aug. 10. Sources told DVB that ARSA has killed at least 15 AA members and civilians. Nearly 30 have been wounded during battles in Maungdaw over the last year. The AA took control of the entire 168 mile (271 km) long Burma-Bangladesh border when it seized Maungdaw from regime forces on Dec. 8.
State funeral held for Myint Swe in Naypyidaw
A funeral was held for Myint Swe at the military cemetery in the capital Naypyidaw on Monday. The 74-year-old retired army general and vice president under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, ousted in the 2021 military coup, passed away while receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease and “neurodegenerative conditions” at a military hospital in Naypyidaw on Aug. 7.
A regime official told DVB that nearly 5,000 staff were “ordered” to attend the funeral. A Naypyidaw resident told DVB that regime authorities paid up to 10,000 MMK ($2 USD) for their attendance. The resident added that each ward had to send 20 people to the funeral. Pro-regime media shared images showing that Min Aung Hlaing, deputy leader Soe Win, and former President Thein Sein attended.
The National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) stated on Aug. 5 that Myint Swe was placed in the intensive care unit at the No. 2 1,000-bed military hospital on July 24, almost one year after he was placed on medical leave due to his reported “neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy” on July 18, 2024. Read more
News by Region
KARENNI—Frontline sources in Demoso Township told DVB that the regime has reinforced its Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 102 in Ngwetaung town. Ngwetaung is located two miles (3 km) east of Demoso, which is 11 miles (17 km) south of the state capital Loikaw.
A Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) member told DVB that it has banned access to the road connecting Hpruso to Loikaw since Aug. 10. Over 40,000 residents from Nanmekhon town and villages east of Pekon Lake in southern Shan State have fled to Demoso since July.
MAGWAY—Residents of Pauk Township told DVB that at least five civilians were killed and over 30 others were injured by airstrikes on three villages in the eastern part of the town on Monday. Pauk is located 136 miles (218 km) north of the region’s capital Magway.
A People’s Defense Force (PDF) member told DVB that fighting between resistance forces and the regime’s 101st Light Infantry Division from Pakokku Township has taken place in Pauk since May 26. Over 20,000 residents from 10 villages have had to flee their homes.
SAGAING—Residents of Sagaing Township told DVB that 16 civilians were killed and more than 20 were injured by airstrikes on a rest area near Taungyin village on Monday. A PDF member claimed that four Burma Air Force fighter jets carried out the strike.
“A fire broke out as one of the bombs from the fighter jets hit a fuel tank truck,” a rescue worker from Sagaing told DVB. He claimed that no fighting was ongoing between the PDF and the regime forces in the area. Sagaing is located 68 miles (109 km) east of the region’s capital Monywa.
(Exchange rate: $1 USD = 4,400 MMK)
