Narinjara News, July 10, 2025

According to sources, a local man was hurt this evening when the military council based in Sittwe fired an artillery shell into Ponnagyun township, which borders Sittwe township, without any battle.

The wounded individual is U Kyaw Hla Maung, 53, of Nyaung Pinrin hamlet in the township of Ponnagyun.

"The artillery shelling has impacted Ponnagyun and Pauktaw towns, which are close to Sittwe, the most. An elderly man was hurt for just being there. The hamlet was struck by the artillery round. The wound is severe," he stated.

On the night of July 10, the military council's Army Engineer battalion (908), which is located outside Kyar Mathout village in Sittwe township, carried out the shelling, he added.

"Even though there was no fighting, they used heavy weapons to shell civilian towns in AA-controlled communities. Because Ponnagyun Township is the closest to Sittwe, people were injured when they bombed villages," he explained.

The military council forces in Sittwe frequently bombard residential villages. Despite the 21-mile distance between Sittwe and Ponnagyun, the two townships are adjacent to each other.

Intentionally bombing civilians is a war crime against them, according to a middle-aged guy who works as a human rights campaigner.

"They (Armies) are forcing the locals to toil. The junta army is preventing us from living a peaceful life in the communities. In particular, they don't want the residents of the communities that AA regulates to live and work in peace," he stated.

He stated that the military council's use of heavy weapons to bombard villages in regions under the Arakan Army's control is not just a provocation to the AA, but also a "throwing sand on the meat one couldn't have" strategy designed to keep the populace from working and living peacefully.

According to local residents, the conflict between the AA and the military council in Sittwe has now ceased, but the military council continues to fire heavy weapons into the towns of Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung, which are next to Sittwe.