Kant Kaw Ni Ni, Narinjara News, 11 September 2024

At least 11 decomposed bodies of men were founddrifting with the tide near Pan Tin Kyun (Island) beach and Ku Lar Yaung village underTaungup District at the southern part of  Arakan State,  where arm clashes are going on for sometime between the junta soldiers andArakan Army (AA) fighters, said local residents.

The bodies were seen on 10 and 11 September, a fewmiles west of Taungup town.

A local eyewitness reported that the bodies were foundon Ku Lar Yaung beach (Aung Min Chaung village) and Sar Chaung beach, across Ku Lar Yaung beach (Don Seik village).

Some bodies were recovered from Pan Tin Kyun beach,which is close to Ku Lar Yaung beach. The bodies found on Ku Lar Yaung beach were those ofyoung people in their thirties.

One of the bodies had its head severed and most of thebodies were swollen. One body had a tattoo in Burmese reading ‘We mustnever lose’.

"The bodies found on Pan Tin Kyun beach werewearing sportswear,” added the eyewitness.

The villagers buried the bodies urgently  as thedecomposition started.

It’s speculated that the bodies might be from thebattle for  Maung Shwe Lay naval base (the last junta stronghold inThandwe). A few days back, the  AA fighters captured the base butNarinjara News is yet to independently confirm it.

Photographs of those bodies cannot be presented due tointernet connection issues at the location.

 On 24 July, during intense fighting at Ngapali beachin the Thandwe region, the residents discovered seven bodies in civilianclothes on the beach of Ku Lar Yaung village. Their legs were chained and somewere blindfolded with lots of injuries.

Photograph: Ku Lar Yaung beach in the rainy season of2023. The red circle marks the location where the bodies were recovered