The fall of the Myanmar military’s Western Command headquarters in Rakhine State’s Ann Township last month has exposed regime weapons factories along the Irrawaddy River to resistance attacks.
There are 25 weapons factories in Myanmar, 15 in Magwe Region, seven in Bago Region, two in Naypyitaw’s Tatkone, and one in Yangon’s Taikkyi Township.
The weapons factories in Magwe and Bago are located on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River.
General Ne Win’s Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) regime began building munitions factories after China provided extensive military aid to the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1968, leading to intense fighting between the Myanmar military and CPB in northern Shan State.
However, under the BSPP and succeeding regimes, Rakhine was free of armed conflict. Back then, many Rakhine people served in the Myanmar military, reportedly making up the second largest cohort after Bamar soldiers.
This explains why the military established ordnance factories on the riverbank, placing them between two natural barriers, the Arakan Mountains in the west and the Irrawaddy in the east.
General Than Shwe followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Ne Win, choosing the west bank of the river for new munitions factories (known as KaPaSa in Burmese).
He also ordered that two weapons factories near the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon be relocated to Naypyitaw’s Tatkon.
The Irrawaddy River forms a natural barrier against resistance forces attacking the ordnance factories from the east.
However, in December, the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) captured the Western Command headquarters in Ann and the 15th Military Operations Command in Taungup in Rakhine State, leaving the weapons factories exposed to attacks from the west.
The AA last week began attacking the junta’s Taung Pone Gyi stronghold on the border of Rakhine State and Bago Region. Taung Pone Gyi sits high in the Arakan Mountains, about halfway along the road weaving from Rakhine’s Taungup to Bago’s Pandaung Township, home to a cluster of arms factories.
The junta responded with airstrikes that killed civilians and forced residents to flee to Okshitpin town, according to those displaced by the fighting.
The Ann-Padan road, which links the Rakhine Mountains with Magwe Region, spans 103 kilometers. Taungup connects to Bago Region.
Even before the fall of Ann, anti-regime forces managed to seize of control of the Ann-Padan road. Padan houses the regime’s Artillery Battalion headquarters 905 and Artillery Battalion 375. Capturing these two battalions would open the gateway to the weapons factories in Magwe Region.
The first is located just 16 km from Padan, in Ngape town. KaPaSa 14 produces missiles and electronic printed circuit boards (PCBs), according to military engineers. The factory is reportedly fortified with underground bunkers.
Beyond lie six more ordnance factories – KaPaSa 2, 10, 12, 13, 20 and 21 – on the west bank of the Irrawaddy in Magwe Region.
KaPaSa 2 in Minhla Township produces rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and large-caliber weapons such as 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortars.
KaPaSa 13 manufactures shells for artillery and other weapons, as well as explosives used in mining operations.
KaPaSa 21 in Seikphyu Township churns out bombs used in the junta’s daily air raids.
All seven of the factories are now vulnerable to AA forces advancing from the west.
Although defended by advanced weapons and artillery, the sprawling ordnance factories, built on hundreds of acres of land, are believed to be poorly guarded by the severely depleted military.
Military personnel stationed at these factories reportedly lack combat experience, making them more likely to flee attacks by anti-regime groups.
Lying in the path of the resistance advance is the artillery battalion in Padan, though it shouldn’t pose an insurmountable obstacle for troops that have already defeated a regional command.
Their advance on KaPaSa factories in Magwe will also be aided by the heavy weapons they have captured in Rakhine battles.
Weapons factories on the west bank of the Irrawaddy will lie exposed once revolutionary forces seize full control of the Ann-Minbu and Ann-Padan roads.
