Kyaukphyu monastery, school destroyed in junta attacks

A monastery, a school and several homes were destroyed in a series of artillery and drone strikes carried out by junta forces in conflict-ridden Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State.

The attacks targeted Sinbote Ywarma and Kyungyi villages, located near Maday Island, an area hosting major Chinese investment projects, beginning around 11 pm on November 22. According to villagers, a junta naval vessel fired at least seven artillery shells, igniting Hsinbote Ywama monastery and nearby houses.

“The monastery and nearby houses caught fire because of the constant artillery shelling from the junta’s Danyawadi naval base and its naval vessels. The villagers had already gone into hiding and weren’t living in the village anymore, so there were no casualties,” said a Kyaukphyu resident familiar with the situation.

In Kyungyi Village, a junta drone strike also hit a high school, causing one of the school buildings to collapse entirely.

Kyaukphyu Township has become the site of an increasingly volatile confrontation between the junta and the Arakan Army (AA), with daily clashes reported near Minpyin, Kyungyi, Chaungphyar and Sinbote village tracts.

“In Kyaukphyu Township, there’s fighting every day now in the Sinbote, Chaungphyar and Kyungyi village tracts. The junta and the AA keep taking turns launching offensives, and the situation on the ground has become really complicated,” another local source said.

Sources familiar with the current military situation said junta troops have dug in around the Thaingchaung Reservoir and are launching ground assaults on AA positions, with support from both naval and air forces.

More than 40,000 civilians have been displaced by the ongoing fighting. Since early November, junta forces have pushed into Thaingchaung, Gawtu and Yaynantaung villages, forcing residents from 17 surrounding communities including Chaungphyar, Chaungwa and Chaungmyaung to seek refuge in Sinbote, Saparhtar and Minyat village tracts.

The displaced populations are in urgent need of shelter, food, drinking water and medical supplies, according to Triple-T, a group assisting affected communities.