Chin State Civilians Flee Arakan Army, Tatmadaw Fighting

[internally displaced persons] from upper and lower Pe villages took refuge in our area of control, along the border of Rakhine and Chin states,” said U Khine Thu Kha, information officer for the Arakan Army. “Currently, we are supporting the refugees.”

Paletwa township is the poorest in Chin State, and sits on the remote border between Chin and the similarly impoverished Rakhine State.

The Arakan Army’s Brigade No 3 Infantry Battalion 314 was engaged in nearly two hours of clashes with the Tatmadaw on December 12, according to an Arakan Army statement.

“This time military tensions were high. The villagers all fled because of the clashes,” said U Khine Thu Kha.

The Arakan Army statement said artillery fire threatened two villages where Rakhine Buddhists and other minorities live. The villagers reportedly abandoned their homes and headed to Arakan Army-held territory for safety.

The Arakan Army says it can support the IDPs for more than one month, providing food and healthcare, but winter jackets and blankets are in short supply.

The Arakan Army says civilians in the affected area were detained by the Tatmadaw on the eve of the latest outbreak of hostilities.

“On December 11, 16 villagers from Pe village were detained by the Tatmadaw [on suspicion of Arakan Army affiliation]. Three of them are female,” U Khine Thu Kha told The Myanmar Times.

In addition to this week’s fighting in Paletwa, small clashes have taken place recently in Rakhine State’s Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw and Buthidaung townships.

The Arakan Army says that since the 21st-century Panglong Conference concluded in early September, the Tatmadaw has stepped up its offensives in the area and seems to be bolstering its troop presence with reinforcements.

“It seems like more clashes could happen,” U Khine Thu Kha said.

The Myanmar Times attempted to contact Tatmadaw spokesperson Major General Aung Ye Win for comment yesterday but was unable to reach him. President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay declined to comment on the issue, saying it was a military matter.

The Arakan Army is one of three high-profile ethnic armed groups that did not attend the Panglong summit. This was, in part, due to pre-conditions about laying down their arms that the groups found unacceptable.

“It’s impossible to lay down arms without reaching a political agreement and promises that there will be a ceasefire in the state or that the Tatmadaw will retreat,” said U Khine Thu Kha. “It’s a kind of block on us not participating in the peace process, although we want genuine peace and a federal Union.”

The Arakan Army is part of the Northern Alliance-Burma, along with the Kachin Independence Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. The alliance was announced shortly after the four groups staged a coordinated assault on police and military positions in northern Shan State’s Muse and Kutkai townships on November 20.

Fighting between the two sides has continued in the weeks since, with the Shan State legislature voting last week to designate members of the Northern Alliance “terrorist organisations” in light of their aggression.

The last major series of clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State came in April.

This article originally appeared on Myanmar Times on December 15, 2016.