Residents panic as junta attacks Thandwe from air, sea

By Admin 08 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

8 September 2026, Thandwe

Local residents in Thandwe Township, Arakan State, are experiencing severe safety concerns and panic following continuous military junta airstrikes and naval bombardments in recent days.

Local residents reported that military junta warships operating along the Thandwe coastline on September 7 fired heavy artillery shells directly at surrounding villages.

"When fishermen go out to sea, warships harass their boats and shell them with heavy artillery. On top of that, airstrikes are bombing residential neighborhoods. The regime bombed us again yesterday. People are terrified," said a local man in Thandwe.

Yesterday morning, the military junta launched two separate air attacks targeting Thandwe Town, Kyaukkyi Village, and Ngapali Beach.

During the September 7 morning jet fighter bombing of Thandwe Town, an elderly woman was killed instantly and three other civilians were injured.

Due to the combined air and naval attacks, residents from roughly five villages along the coast have fled to safer locations to protect their lives.

"Some people panicked and fled to other areas. Not every single villager has left, but households are fleeing. Residents from about four or five coastal villages have evacuated. People from villages like Kyaukkyi Village, which suffered previous air attacks, are also fleeing," another local resident in Thandwe explained.

Displaced civilians fleeing fighting in Thandwe Township urgently require emergency humanitarian assistance, with the United League of Arakan (ULA) currently providing initial food support.

Meanwhile, residents remaining in Thandwe face severe livelihood crises and food shortages as ongoing junta air and naval threats prevent them from working.

Military analysts assess that the military junta is deploying army, navy, and air force assets in an attempt to launch offensives and regain control over townships in southern Arakan State.

"The regime wants to gradually reclaim towns in southern Arakan State, particularly near Gwa. Therefore, the regime is attempting to stretch the Arakan Army across multiple fronts by conducting a fake attack from the Sittwe side while simultaneously launching offensives toward Rathedaung. They are testing both fronts to see where they can gain ground, fiercely trying to establish a foothold wherever possible," said Captain Zin Yaw, a military defector.

Heavy fighting is currently raging between the military junta and the Arakan Army in Sittwe Township, with active clashes also ongoing in Kyaukphyu Township.

Concurrently, the military junta is attempting to penetrate southern Arakan State through combined naval and air power.

As military junta offensives across Arakan State expand alongside intensified heavy artillery and air attacks, civilian casualties continue to rise.