Kyaing Hein Lin, Narinjara News, 12 August 2024

The junta forces have been encircling the Sittwe town withbarbed wires starting from strandroad, said a resident adding that they have started working on fencing sincethe first week of August.

"They are erecting  a fence around Sittwe,putting up to  6-foot-high barriers on top of the wall along strand road. They have nowbegun works near Min Gyi Kyauk Tan," added the resident.

The purpose of the fencing is to restrict residents'movement inside Sittwe and to prevent the Arakan Army (AA) fighters fromentering the town.

"Primarily, this is intended to make it difficultfor the people to travel. The Kaladan river banks stretch and the fencing aremeant to block the residents from moving. They are also seemingly concernedabout the AA fighters and hence the fence is erected to prevent them  fromentering the town easily," asserted the resident.

Another resident informed that electric current mayalso be applied in the fencing to make it more dangerous.

"They are currently putting up barbed wires andplan to use electric shocks. As they are worried about AA fighters, they mayuse the electricity to prevent them," added the resident.

Since last month, the military soldiers aretransporting concrete and wooden poles, along with bags of cement, from Yangonto Sittwe by the waterways for the fence.

Narinjara News contacted U Hla Thein, junta’s spokesman for Arakan State, butcould not receive a response over the construction of fencing.

The junta has also planted naval mines around Sittwe,which is surrounded by Kaladan river and the sea, to enhance the securityaround the township.

Meanwhile, many civilians are being arrested and they may be used as humanshields in the coming days.

Till date, the AA fighters have captured Ponnagyun,Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, Myebon, Ramree (Yanbye), Rathedaung,Buthidaung and Taung Pyo townships in Arakan State along with Paletwa in ChinState.

Currently, they are intensifying the offensive to capture Maungdaw and Thandwetowns.

Photograph caption: A fence along strand road in Sittwe