Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 14November 2024 

Local residents report that the junta has stepped up patrols and strengthened security in villages near the Ayeyarwady Region's border with Arakan State due to concerns that the Arakan Army (AA) and the People's Defense Forces (PDF) might penetrate the area. 

A male resident stated that under the guise of the AA and PDF's presence, the junta is coercively drafting young individuals, detaining them, and soliciting money from those displaced fleeing Arakan State. These activities are being conducted under the pretense of reviewing overnight guest registrations and focusing on Arakanese inhabitants in Wakema, Kyonpyaw, Myanaung, and Yegyi townships. 

“In Yegyi Township, patrols and inspections occur regularly. The junta troops are vigilantly observing the Arakanese population, detaining them, and enforcing mandatory enlistment. Officials and military personnel are asking for money, asserting that AA forces and PDFs are arriving from Arakan State," a resident of Yegyi Township stated.

The junta has been carrying out patrols and enforcing stringent security protocols in and around these townships, attributing this to the arrival of AA troops in the region. 

Displaced individuals arriving in the Ayeyarwady Region from Arakan State and local inhabitants frequently undergo inspections of their overnight guest registrations. 

“Individuals displaced from Arakan State are required to register as overnight visitors, and some need a signature from local ward administrators in order to remain. Currently, even Arakanese merchants who have resided here for many years are being cataloged by the junta forces. Young individuals are being drafted, and if you offer a substantial amount of money, you can be freed,"  a female resident of Kyonpyaw Town said.

According to local residents, strict security checks are currently being conducted on routes that lead into the Ayeyarwady Region from Arakan State.

Local residents report that rigorous security screenings are presently underway on pathways entering the Ayeyarwady Region from Arakan State. 

In October, the junta instructed approximately 300 families near the border between Yegyi Township and Gwa Township in Arakan State to relocate to surrounding villages. 

On November 8, the junta started carrying out inspections in these villages. 

Since November 2023, as clashes reignited between junta forces and the AA in Arakan State, the 108th Light Infantry Battalion, 36th Infantry Battalion, 51st Infantry Battalion, and 344th Artillery Battalion have been conducting military operations, ambush patrols, and establishing checkpoints in villages throughout Thabaung, Yegyi, Kyangin, and Myanaung townships in the Ayeyarwady Region. 

At present, the AA is carrying out vigorous offensives in Arakan State, specifically targeting regions such as Taungup, Maungdaw, and Ann Town, where the junta's Western Command is located. 

The junta is additionally dispatching the majority of conscripts from the Ayeyarwady Region to the frontlines in Arakan State.