Arakan Army takes control of Paletwa in southern Chin State

Myanmar’s military junta suffered its latest major defeat on Sunday, losing control of the southern Chin State town of Paletwa to the Arakan Army (AA) after two full months of fighting. Located on the western bank of Kaladan River some 15 miles east of Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh, the town has been under siege since the AA opened a new front in the ongoing offensive against the regime in mid-November. That offensive, launched by the AA and its allies in late October, was put on hold last week in northern Shan State, where it began, as part of a ceasefire brokered by China. However, the agreement does not extend to Myanmar’s west, where the AA is most active. The AA captured its first base in Paletwa on December 4, and last week gained control of the junta’s Infantry Battalion (IB) 289 base, the largest in the town. At around 3pm on Sunday, the town’s last two outposts fell, allowing the AA to declare it “free of the military’s troops.” “Just as Rome was not built in a day, the capture of the tactical bases, military stations, and ammunition camps in Paletwa did not happen easily,” the group said in a statement. Photos shared on social media show AA troops standing in front of Paletwa’s township administration office, its fire and police stations, and the office of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. The AA flag can also be seen flying over these and other public buildings. Other photos reveal large hauls of not just weapons and ammunition—including howitzers and artillery guns—but also armoured vehicles, military trucks, and fibreglass boats. An armoured vehicle seized by the AA from the IB 289 base in Paletwa (AA Information Desk) On Sunday, AA leader Twan Mrat Naing mocked regime troops who fled Paletwa, writing “Run, Forrest, run!” on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Many reportedly escaped to India, which has already repatriated hundreds of Myanmar soldiers fleeing fighting in Chin State over the past two months. In northern Shan State, a number of high-ranking officers, including brigadier generals, have been captured in recent weeks along with hundreds of rank-and-file troops. According to Salai Joshua, a tactical commander of the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), most of Paletwa’s civilian population is currently sheltering in nearby villages. “There are very few people still there. Now that the AA controls the town, we will have to wait and see what happens next,” he said. Although Paletwa is in Chin State, ethnic Chin groups such as the CDF have less influence in the area than the AA, which is based in neighbouring Rakhine State. An ethnic Rakhine politician who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity said he didn’t think the AA’s capture of Paletwa would result in tensions between the two ethnic groups. “The AA did not take control of Paletwa to oppress the Chin people, but to gain a military base, as well as for border trade with Bangladesh and India,” he said. “I think the Chin and Rakhine will live in harmony because Paletwa largely relies on Rakhine State,” he added. Meanwhile, fighting continues in the northern Rakhine State townships of Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya and Rathedaung, where a number of civilian casualties have been reported and travel remains severely restricted. The AA has also carried out attacks farther south in Kyaukphyu, near pipelines built to transport fuel to China as well as the site of a special economic zone (SEZ) backed by the country. The upper Kaladan River, where Paletwa is located, is linked to Indian investment interests, such as the half-billion-dollar Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project, which aims to connect the Indian port of Kolkata to the Rakhine State capital Sittwe.

Arakan Army takes control of Paletwa in southern Chin State

The capture of the town comes as the AA and its allies agree to a ceasefire with Myanmar’s military in northern Shan State

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