• Burmese
Friday, June 20, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Military ‘Burns Down’ Rakhine Village in Western Myanmar: Residents

Min Aung Khine by Min Aung Khine
September 4, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Phayapaung Village on fire. / Thein Zaw / Facebook Kyauktaw Township. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy

Phayapaung Village on fire. / Thein Zaw / Facebook Kyauktaw Township. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy

10.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Sittwe, Rakhine State — Myanmar’s military set a village on fire in Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township and killed two civilians on Thursday evening, said residents.

Troops shelled Phayapaung Village on the Yangon-Sittwe road at around 8 pm on Thursday before torching houses and killing two villagers, according to relatives of the victims.

“My son was returning from work in Kyauktaw by bike at around 5 pm when he encountered Tatmadaw [military] troops. They told him to lead them. An explosion occurred near the village and the troops attacked,” said U Nyo Maung Hla, father of 27-year-old victim Ko Maung Nyunt Win.

RelatedPosts

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
604
Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

June 11, 2025
3.4k
Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    

Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    

June 4, 2025
21.8k

Then military trucks from the Kyauktaw direction surrounded the village. Villagers were told to leave their homes as soldiers looted their belongings before setting their houses ablaze, said U Nyo Maung Hla.

“After a round of shots, they stopped for a while. Then trucks came and we were told to leave our homes. We saw soldiers taking our belongings and putting them on the trucks. As I went closer, they fired a warning shot at me. We were forced out of our houses which were then burned,” he told The Irrawaddy.

There are nearly 400 houses in the village and over 200 were reduced to ash, said villager U San Tun Hla.

“I think over 200 houses were burned down. We still can’t make a list. Many villagers have fled. Some houses were not burned because villagers put out the fire just after the soldiers left their houses. Soldiers said they would shoot if we tried to put out the fires. [Soldiers] returned to restart fires if the houses didn’t catch fire,” he told The Irrawaddy.

Another victim, Ko Khin Maung Thein, 32, was arrested by troops while he was hiding in his house.

Myanmar’s military spokesman, Major General Zaw Min Tun, denied the accusations, saying troops were attacked with a roadside bomb near the village. Two bodies and a gun were seized in the incident.

“The AA [Arakan Army] attacked a police vehicle between Kyauktaw to Apaukwa with a remotely detonated bomb at around 6.30 pm. It took place on the road some 400 meters south of Kyauktaw. Two police officers were injured. [The vehicle] was attacked again at the same place on its return after transporting the police. We found two enemy bodies and a gun in the incident,” the spokesman told a press conference in Naypyitaw on Thursday.

The two villagers were found dead with gunshot wounds on Friday morning by the river near the village and they have been sent to Kyauktaw for a postmortem.

The government in Naypyitaw has issued a stay-at-home order in Rakhine State but northern Rakhine residents have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing clashes between Myanmar’s military and the AA.

A 40-year-old man from Kyaukgusu Village in Kyauktaw was allegedly shot dead by Myanmar’s military on August 31. The following day, a 27-year-old man from Shwepyi Village also died of gunshot wounds with residents blaming Myanmar’s military.

Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun accused the second man of planting landmines near Shwepyi. Troops shot at him as he ran away and an improvised mine and a grenade were seized, said the spokesman.

On Aug. 27, a male Shanywa villager and a female Apaukwa villager in Kyauktaw were allegedly shot dead by the military.

As the government has declared the AA a terrorist organization, The Irrawaddy was not able to contact the armed group for a comment.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko 

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar’s Military Blamed for Rakhine Civilian Deaths and Disrupting COVID-19 Quarantine

Popular Kachin Party Calls for Abolition of China-Backed Dam in Election Policy Platform

NGO Activities Restricted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State Amid COVID-19 Spike

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Arakan Armymilitary in politicsRakhine State
Min Aung Khine

Min Aung Khine

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report
Burma

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report

by The Irrawaddy
January 15, 2024
36.5k

Rakhine-based armed group has reportedly detained the chief of 19th Military Operations Command after seizing his base in Paletwa Township.

Read moreDetails
Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta
Burma

Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta

by The Irrawaddy
August 18, 2023
26.9k

Powerful armed groups in Karen, Kachin and Kayah states say the regime is ready to topple.

Read moreDetails
Interview

Myanmar’s Junta And Its Military Face Annihilation, Arakan Army Says

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 25, 2023
22.5k

The current war in Myanmar differs from past conflicts in the country because ethnic armies are no longer on the...

Read moreDetails
Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front
Analysis

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front

by Moe Sett Nyein Chan
January 23, 2024
22k

The military’s demoralized Western Command is feeling the heat as the Arakan Army closes in on towns in northern Rakhine,...

Read moreDetails
Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    
Analysis

Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    

by Banyar Aung
June 4, 2025
21.8k

Growing engagement with the Arakan Army reflects realities on the ground, where Myanmar’s regime has lost control of its western...

Read moreDetails
Another Myanmar Battalion Routed in Rakhine as AA Eyes State Capital
War Against the Junta

Another Myanmar Battalion Routed in Rakhine as AA Eyes State Capital

by The Irrawaddy
February 1, 2024
16.1k

The Arakan Army says it seized one of three junta bases in historic Mrauk-U on Tuesday as fighting intensified across...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Garment workers make surgical gowns at the Shwepyithar Industrial Zone in Yangon in May 2020. / Htet Wai / Irrawaddy

Better Protection of Myanmar Workers’ Rights Needed Amid COVID-19

--

Election 2020: The Week in Review

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

6 days ago
1.7k
Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

6 days ago
1.8k

Most Read

  • On Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday, Recalling the Cake That Rattled the Junta

    On Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday, Recalling the Cake That Rattled the Junta

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Global Campaign Reaches Goal to Honor Aung San Suu Kyi on Her 80th Birthday

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Bago Resistance Claims 20 Myanmar Junta Personnel Killed

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thai PM Faces Growing Calls to Quit in Cambodia Phone Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA, Junta Troops Continue Battle for Control of Myanmar’s Jade Hub

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.