Myanmar junta airstrikes wipe out village in Ayeyarwady Region

Amid spreading battles between the military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Ayeyarwady Region since last week, the regime’s air force has razed the coastal village of Baw Mi near Shwethaungyan, locals said. The military regime deployed ground troops as well as carrying out naval and aerial assaults on Baw Mi on January 17, a day after fierce clashes erupted in the village. The AA was nonetheless able to secure control of the village and its surroundings by the following day. According to members of the Pathein Township People’s Defence Team (PDT), the junta’s attacks destroyed houses and injured civilians in Baw Mi. Video clips showing parts of Baw Mi engulfed in flames circulated widely on social media, also depicting houses near the Bay of Bengal beach reduced to ashes and only the charred remains of their support posts standing. A man living near the coastal town of Shwethaungyan, some 20 miles north of Baw Mi and 25 miles northwest of Pathein, confirmed that the videos were of Baw Mi. “Baw Mi village has been obliterated,” he said. Posts on pro-junta propaganda Telegram channels claimed that the AA’s attacks had destroyed Baw Mi. Baw Mi after being destroyed by fire (Photo: Ei May/Facebook) Fighting between the AA and military spread into Pathein Township from Gwa, Rakhine State’s southernmost township, in the first week of January when the AA, having taken over most of the territory in Rakhine State, began advancing over the state boundary. The AA battled junta forces in Ma Gyi Zin, another coastal village south of Shwethaungyan, on January 8, taking control within two days, before clashes spread to Baw Mi. Empty beaches Baw Mi is located across a creek from the beaches of Shwethaungyan, some 20 miles to the north, and within 40 miles of two other popular beach destinations: Chaungtha and Ngwesaung. With fighting spreading into the area from Rakhine State, tourists have left and hotels have closed. In addition to fishing and farming, many residents of Pathein Township’s coastal areas rely on beach tourism for their livelihoods. In what may have been a bid to soften the economic impacts, the military set up a base in Shwethaungyan and promised locals they would defend the area to encourage them to stay. However, most residents have fled for safety, leaving behind only those who hoped to protect their homes or lacked the means to leave, according to a member of the Pathein Township PDT living near Shwethaungyan. “The sound of artillery fire could still be heard until yesterday,” the PDT member said on Wednesday. According to residents and hotel staff, artillery fire was audible from Chaungtha beach as the battles spread closer. Several hotels closed and visitors deserted the beaches, but most hotels and beaches remained open for business, according to a tourism industry employee. “Shwethaungyan hasn’t been affected so far; it's still a long way from our area,” he said, while noting that the number of visitors had decreased as compared with the year before. A hotel employee working on Chaungtha Beach told Myanmar Now by phone that each hotel in the area had only four rooms occupied at most, and some hotel proprietors had decided to shut down until visitors came. While some bus routes from Yangon to Chaungtha via Pathein continue to operate as usual, bus routes within Chaungtha are temporarily suspended. On the night of January 20, the AA issued a statement confirming that clashes with junta forces were ongoing in Ayeyarwady, Bago, and Magway regions, all of which share borders with Rakhine State. Two women at Ngwesaung Beach in 2008 (Photo: EPA)

Myanmar junta airstrikes wipe out village in Ayeyarwady Region

Most locals fled as the bombing levelled a coastal village of around 400 households in a day as the air force responded to manoeuvres near Shwethaungyan by the Arakan Army

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