Fighting intensified in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township on Tuesday as the Arakan Army (AA) continued to attack the junta’s Infantry Battalion 55 in the beach resort of Ngapali. It is the last battalion defending Thandwe.
Infantry Battalion 55 was previously a paramilitary force called the Union Military Police (UMP), formed by the fledgling civilian government after Myanmar’s independence in 1948.
It was transformed into an infantry battalion in October 1962 following Ne Win’s coup earlier that year. It thus has long combat experience, having fought Communist Party of Burma troops and factions, as well as ethnic Chin groups and revolutionary organizations that entered Thandwe through the Arakan Mountains from Ayeyarwady Region.
While it was under the Central Command, the battalion provided security for military dictator Ne Win and important guests.
One Thandwe resident close to the AA told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday: “After pursuing fleeing junta soldiers from Battalion 566 along Ngapali Beach, the AA has been attacking Infantry Battalion 55 at the entrance of Ngapali since yesterday. The fighting is quite fierce as the regime is conducting continuous bombing raids to defend Thandwe.”
Some junta soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 566 surrendered during the AA’s attacks on the unit located between Mazin and Zee Phyu Kone villages in Ngapali town, while some fled to Infantry Battalion 55.
Some police officers from Thandwe central police station fled to AA-controlled areas along with their weapons. Meanwhile, some have joined junta troops and have been deployed in Thandwe Prison, said a Thandwe resident.
“After the fall of Battalion 566, police from Thandwe central police station fled in cars and motorbikes. Those who fled in cars returned after the district police chief told them to. I heard they are now deployed in the prison. Those who fled by bike escaped,” he said.
Family members are concerned about the safety of inmates at Thandwe Prison, where the regime is currently preparing to make a stand. Many detainees there are accused of having ties with the AA. Residents have called on the regime to transfer the prisoners to safe places.
Many Thandwe town residents have fled to rural areas, and thousands of displaced people need emergency relief supplies, said a Thandwe-based charity member.
“The AA has surrounded Thandwe town. It opens roads for residents during the lull between air raids. Some residents were able to flee as junta troops from the checkpoint outside Thandwe on the road to Taungup have fled. Residents urgently need food,” he told The Irrawaddy.
The AA has cut off supply routes for the regime in Thandwe, forcing it to rely solely on airstrikes to defend the town.
