Myanmar’s ethnic Arakan Army carried out a rocket attack on a naval base in Rakhine state’s Kyaukphyu township, prompting a military artillery strike in response, causing more than 1,000 civilians to flee their homes, residents said Monday.
The attack, which took place at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, was the second this month on the Danyawaddy base, which lies adjacent to a Chinese-led deep sea project in a special economic zone for which Beijing had requested heightened security.
The Arakan Army, or AA, fired short-range rockets at the installation, according to a resident of Poke Taung village, near where the base is situated in Kyaukphyu.
“The rockets dropped into the targeted area, although the details of attack remain unclear,” said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing security concerns. “It was not a ground battle.”
The details of the attack on Sunday have not been disclosed, and neither the military nor the AA have issued a statement.
Pro-military groups wrote on the Telegram social media platform that the AA fired three short-range rockets at the naval base on Jan. 22, but none of them caused damage and the explosion areas are being cleared.
Artillery attacks from junta vessels in the Thanzit River in response to the attack forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes in Si Maw, Shauk Chaung, and Saing Chon villages, residents told RFA.
The incident follows a Jan. 8 attack on the same base, part of the Kyaukphyu deep sea port complex and in a special economic zone that is currently being developed by China. The project was approved in 2023 by the junta and attempts to recruit locals for work have been met with controversy and distrust.
Fighting in Rakhine in December has already stalled progress on both the port and railroad, locals told RFA, and the junta and Beijing signed an addendum on Dec. 26 to speed up implementation of the project.
Attack may delay project
The latest attack could “add further delays to the project,” said a resident of Kyuakphyu, who also declined to be named citing fear of reprisal.
The resident went on to say that the rebel army is now in control of “some of” the special economic zone and that “China will need to discuss plans to continue the project with the AA.”
Attempts by RFA to contact the Chinese embassy in Yangon by email and junta Deputy Information Minister Major General Zaw Min Tun by telephone for comment on the attacks went unanswered Monday.
Another resident of Kyuakphyu told RFA that clashes are likely to increase in the township, and inhabitants of its urban areas have fled their homes in fear of arrest by the junta.
“We are concerned because the military has blocked both roads and waterways in Kyaukphyu,” he said. “They also arrested business owners and some others, so many have left their homes.”
Two months of conflict between the military and the AA has seen clashes escalate in Rakhine’s Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, and Rathedaung townships.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.