Myanmar's military regime has blockaded Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, since fighting between the junta and Arakkha Army (AA) broke out anew in November. It has also planted landmines around the town.

DMG Newsroom
1 September 2024, Sittwe

China's Ruili City Security Commission issued a warning to the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) on August 29, telling the group to stop fighting immediately in northern Shan State or face consequences.

TNLA leaders are reportedly discussing the warning at its central executive committee.

China has previously said that it would not interfere in Myanmar's internal issues. Speaking to DMG, politicians and China specialists shared their views on the warning to the...

DMG interviewed U Maung Thein Hla, secretary of the Danyawaddy agricultural association, about the difficulties and needs of the flood-affected farmers as well as the food security conditions facing local populations next year.

Locals in Gwa Township are facing food security challenges due to junta blockades. In mid-August, DMG interviewed a resident of Gwa regarding the military and social conditions in Gwa Township at that time.

“We have concerns for our security during this period. Many government employees have been displaced by the fighting.”

Burmese Women’s Union (BWU) General Secretary Naw Khin San Htwe recently talked to DMG about the difficulties and challenges facing women over the past three years.

After the AA seized Light Infantry Battalion No. 353 on May 14, it rescued the 35 detainees, who had been deprived of food and water for three days. Saw Lein Mohla, one of the detainees, told DMG about the ordeal.

With the conflict in northern Arakan State ongoing, Muslim residents in Buthidaung Township recently shared their views on the conduct of the ARSA, RSO and ARA forces allied with the junta.

Argentinian prosecutors’ petition submitted to the court on June 28 seeks a wider range of arrest warrants, including that of jailed State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former President U Htin Kyaw.

As the regime and the AA vie for control of Thandwe Township - home to the renowned Ngapali Beach, a cluster of luxury hotels and the Tha Htay Chaung hydropower project - residents and military observers shared their views with DMG on why the township and eponymous town are important for the regime and the AA.

In recent weeks Myanmar's military regime has been emptying villages around Sittwe, which is still controlled by the junta, under the pretext of security, and arresting residents en masse. DMG interviewed a villager who experienced the incident himself, and who escaped to a "liberated area" currently controlled by the AA. 

"Junta soldiers told us to enlist in early April. They threatened to beat and kill us if we didn't come for military training. They raided houses at night, and abducted some 30 young men."

Junta soldiers slaughtered dozens of people — 76, according to the latest accounting from the Arakkha Army (AA) —  ranging in age from teens to 70s at the village school, cemetery and the entrance to the village, according to witnesses.

DMG recently asked political analysts and residents in Arakan State for their views on Muslim-AA relations and the wider community dynamics amid complexities on the ground.

With the arrival of the monsoon imminent, internally displaced people are still struggling to secure shelter. DMG has recently interviewed them about their concerns and the challenges they are likely to face during the rainy season.

Political and military analyst U Pe Than recently spoke to DMG about the objectives of the AA and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), as well as discussing the current state of the military regime, and Muslim issues in Arakan State.

On World Press Freedom Day on May 3, DMG reached out to journalists who shared their views on the situation in Myanmar and the challenges facing press freedom.

Many residents have been leaving junta-controlled towns amid numerous dangers and travel restrictions. U Aung Kyaw Min, who recently fled his home in Sittwe along with his family, spoke to DMG about his escape.

DMG recently interviewed a Muslim man, identified here by the pseudonymous initials J.T., who fled the Kyauktalone displacement camp in Kyaukphyu Township to avoid conscription.