Kaing Lu Hla (Yoe Ma Myay)

Narinjara News, 29 July 2020

Fightingbroke out between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army (AA) near Tharafi village inButhidaung at around 9 am on Monday and continued late into the evening.

Anelder from Tharapi village said, “They were fighting in the valley near thevillage. From 9am I could hear them shooting, it went on until this evening. Wecould hear the sound of heavy artillery fire,” he said at 6 pm today.

Thereare about 100 houses in Tharapi village with a population made up of Rakhine,Khami and Mro ethnic groups. Light Infantry Battalion 552 was not far away tothe west of the village, he said.

“Currentlyvillagers are still in the village. But everyone had gathered together in themonastery. The fighting was taking place close by to the village and everyonewas scared, ”he said.

He said the area where thefighting took place was to the east of the village and that the army could beseen firing from the hillsides into the valley.

Rakhine National Assembly representative U Maung Kyaw Zanexplained that villagers had informed him to say that fighting was taking placeon the Tharagu side between Taungbaza and Buthidaung. He said further detailswere not yet available as villagers had turned their phones off.

Fightingalso broke out near Kazukai in Ann Township, the western part of the country,injuring civilians. There are reports that civilians have been injured and thatpeople are fleeing their villages.

Fightingbetween the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army (AA) has been taking place inRakhine State since November 2018, with current conflict occuring in tentownships. Over 200 civilians have been killed and nearly 600 wounded due tothe fighting. The number of IDPs has risen to nearly 200,000, according tofigures released by the REC (Rakhine Ethnic Congress).