Junta shelling forces thousands to flee villages in Ponnagyun

By Admin 08 Dec 2025

DMG Newsroom

8 December 2025, Ponnagyun

Thousands of residents in at least five villages in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, are fleeing ongoing fighting as heavy weapons are fired from junta battalions based in Sittwe, local residents said.

On 6 December, artillery shells from Pardaleik Village-based junta battalions in Sittwe Township landed near Kuntaung, Hngetgyikyun, Padetha, and Aidin villages in Ponnagyun Township.

Residents said they cannot remain in their villages due to constant artillery attacks.

A Padetha Village resident said, “We have been bombarded with artillery shells every day by junta battalions in Sittwe. Nearby villages and fields are also being shelled, so we are afraid to stay. Women, the elderly, and children have been evacuated to safer villages. The men will have to flee after harvesting their paddy.”

Locals reported that junta battalions in Sittwe have been shelling Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, and Pauktaw Townships with artillery and drones daily since mid-November.

People living along the Ponnagyun–Sittwe border frequently flee fighting, and poor families face severe financial difficulties in escaping the conflict, residents said.

A woman in Ponnagyun said, “People in our village have fled the war many times. Now it’s rice harvest season, and the military regime is firing heavy weapons every day. Families do not even have the money to flee. There are no jobs, and it’s very difficult to move from one place to another.”

Ahead of the upcoming election, the military regime has increased shelling in townships bordering Sittwe, and security measures have been stepped up in Sittwe Township, military sources said.

There is currently high military tension between the regime and the Arakan Army in and around Sittwe, with frequent exchanges of fire.

Attacks have escalated since a security meeting on 27 November, led by Commander of Western Command Maj-Gen Kyaw Swa Oo, focused on the election period in Arakan State.