Junta airstrike threat forces IDPs in Ponnagyun Twsp to relocate

By Admin 03 Nov 2025

DMG Newsroom

3 November 2025, Ponnagyun

The threat of airstrikes by Myanmar's military regime has heightened concerns, prompting some internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, to move from their displacement camps to other locations in recent days.

On 31 October, the military regime carried out an airstrike on Pannilar Village in Ponnagyun Township, where many IDPs were sheltering, killing five people and injuring nine others.

Aid workers said displaced people living in and around Pannilar Village are increasingly worried and relocating following the incident.

"After the military regime's airstrike, some people fled, while others stayed in the village. Jet planes still fly over the village every now and then," said Ko Pyae Phyo Naing, chairman of the Ponnagyun Youth Association.

Locals report that, in addition to junta jet fighters and drones, aerial reconnaissance drones have been regularly flying over Ponnagyun Township.

Tens of thousands of IDPs from Sittwe, Ponnagyun, and Pauktaw Townships live in villages along the Ponnagyun-Kyauktaw highway, including Pannilar, Aungphyupyin, Yoengu, Kyankhin, and Kyintalin.

A displaced resident said many are fleeing to Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U Townships due to fears of renewed fighting.

"There are a lot of IDPs in those places. When I heard that fighting would resume in Ponnagyun, I had to flee to places where there were not many people. Displaced people are avoiding places where their relatives and friends are," said a displaced woman.

The Arakan Army reported that the military regime launched airstrikes and artillery attacks in Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Pauktaw, and Kyaukphyu Townships for three consecutive days-29, 30, and 31 October-killing 12 civilians and seriously injuring 31 others.

Some observers believe the military regime may be preparing a major offensive against Arakan State by air, sea, and ground after its ceasefire with the Ta'ang National Liberation Army. They say the regime is targeting civilians to pressure the Arakan Army.

"The military regime will kill the people. They have been using the same tactics of killing and pressuring civilians for ages when they cannot win the war. In an era where democratic norms are not respected, it is sad that dictators are still killing people at will," commented a young Arakanese woman.

Human rights activists say the international community's failure to act against the regime's serious human rights violations has further emboldened its actions.

In late October, the Arakan Army issued a statement urging residents in its controlled areas to remain alert to airstrikes amid intensified attacks by the military regime.