Fighting erupts around Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe

 Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 14 August 2024

Maung Shwe Lay naval base in Thandwe township of Arakan State, is currently under siege by the Arakan Army (AA) fighters where intense fighting has been reported from the area around  one mile away from the base. Since 9 August, skirmishes had  resumed in villages near the naval base.

"The the junta forces recently suffered significant losses. Nearly 70 soldiers were killed in the Maw Yon conflict and their bodies have not yet been recovered. Fighting spread across the mountain range. There were also casualties in the Thit Kauk conflict, where the junta’s airstrikes resulted in many civilian deaths. Despite reinforcements, the AA fighters continue to dominate the naval base," said a resident.

The AA fighters  launched an offensive against the junta soldiers stationed in two villages which are less than a mile away from Maung Shwe Lay naval base. Additionally, they are attacking the naval base from a different direction.

"Zalun-Tha Byu Chai road has been under control of AA for a longer period. Many junta soldiers remain trapped there. With no reinforcements able to reach the base, the soldiers used the water routes. It seems, the AA fighters  may capture the naval base within this month," said a local senior citizen.

Following heavy losses on 10 August, an artillery shell fired from the naval base struck a village monastery in Thit Kyauk. The explosion killed six displaced persons and injured several others. Maung Shwe Lay naval base remains the last military stand in Thandwe.

Since mid-July, the junta forces started shelling over many villages in the southern part of  Thandwe, causing deaths of eight residents and displacing many families from Ah Bel, Nyaung Pin Kwin and Kyauk Gaung Kwin villages.