But women in Arakan State have criticised the junta chief’s remarks, saying they are contradicted by his regime’s actions.

Fighting erupted near Ngapali Town on June 2. Almost all residents of Ngapali fled to safer locations due to fierce fighting since June 23, after the AA seized nearby Thandwe Airport.

Commodities were transported to Ramree from Arakan State’s Thandwe Township by cargo boats in the past, but the trade halted due to ongoing fighting in Thandwe Township.

“We are like birds in a cage. The regime does not take responsibility for those it has forced to move. And it is arresting them,” lamented a displaced resident of Aung Dine Village.

A displaced woman in her 50s from Ponnagyun Township, who suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes, died after her medications ran out.

Myanmar’s military regime in Gwa Township has planted landmines in the forests, along roadsides, near military regiments and around Gwa Town.

Junta troops raided Mingan Ward on June 16, blindfolding and detaining around 200 residents. The regime has subsequently charged 40 of them.

A junta airstrike on Myonepyin Village, part of Arakan State’s Thandwe Township, reportedly injured four local women and a 14-year-old girl at around 1 p.m. on July 2.

“Officials from the township GAD warned locals about the risks of landmines on June 30. No one dares go to the forest,” said a local man in Kyeintalin Town.

A junta artillery attack on Kyaukme killed three civilians on July 1. A regime shelling on Sanpheit Ward in Hsipaw injured five locals the same day, the TNLA statement added.

Junta soldiers deployed on the campus of Taungup University in Arakan State’s Taungup Town broke into the apartment of the university rector and stole valuables, sources told DMG.

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) on Monday rejected the registration of the Arakan National Party (ANP) for allegedly violating the Political Parties Registration Law.

Family members have expressed concerns for the safety of Thandwe Prison inmates in Arakan State’s Thandwe as fighting has intensified in the township and closed in on the town.

“We ask residents not to return to the town and villages near the town until we issue further notice regarding their return,” said Matupi CDF Brigade 1.

“Some pharmacies are still open, but we can’t buy the medicines we need. People who remain in the town can barely get any healthcare services,” said a Taungup resident.

A junta jet fighter on Sunday night dropped a 500-lb bomb on Ward-1 in Kyaukme, destroying a hotel, a Buddhist monastery and about 20 homes.

Thousands of people from Thandwe Township who have fled the war are taking refuge in Gwa Township, and locals fear the military-AA hostilities will spread.

Most of the civilian casualties were reported in Thandwe Township, with 24 fatalities recorded, according to data compiled by DMG from June 1-30.

Since the 2021 coup, most of them were killed by airstrikes, followed by shootings. Seventeen were killed in airstrikes and 12 were gunned down, according to the AAPP.