As the army attempts to fend off assaults by the Arakan Army (AA), some locals have already fled the clashes while others remain trapped
Junta forces continued to launch drone strikes and other aerial assaults on Monday near the junta naval base in Kyaukpyu Township, a coastal area of Rakhine State that has attracted heavy investment from China, according to local residents and media outlets. Clashes between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) have continued for days near the base, located on the north side of Ramree (Yanbye) Island, around ten miles by road from the junta-controlled town of Kyaukphyu, according to people displaced by the fighting. “There is no fighting inside the town yet but it’s very near,” a man from Kyaukphyu said. At least six villages located near the naval headquarters are now engulfed by the spreading area of battle.Locals said many villagers, anticipating what was to come, had already fled their houses before the fighting began in February, but some remain trapped and threatened by the possibility. . .
