Abaung Sein* took brief pauses to chew betel as she recollected her family’s flight out of Sittwe, the regional capital of strife-torn Rakhine State in western Myanmar. The elderly Rakhine/Arakanese was enjoying her guilty pleasure as her family settled into a friend’s crowded Yangon flat. “We were lucky that we bought the tickets when we … Read more
More than three years after the Myanmar military seized power in a coup, it has become commonplace to argue that the battlefield is turning against the military and its State Administration Council (SAC). Resistance forces have enjoyed momentum since the launch of Operation 1027, an offensive launched in late October by the Three Brotherhood Alliance … Read more
Developments in Myanmar since the military coup three years ago seem to have convinced a section of high-ranking Indian government officials that the flagship Kaladan project has hit a dead-end. They believe that the chances of work on the incomplete stretch of the ambitious initiative being resumed are bleak. Early this month, the Indian government … Read more
On February 8, the rebel Arakan Army (AA) seized Mrauk-U, the former capital of the Arakan kingdom in Rakhine State, western Myanmar, along with the towns of Minbya and Kyauktaw. In fact, since the resumption of war between the AA and the country’s military junta on November 13, the AA has now successfully taken over … Read more
Ngapali Beach, in the southern part of Myanmar’s Rakhine State, is facing tough times. Once known for attracting an international crowd of holidaymakers, the country’s premier beach resort is currently experiencing its lowest tourist numbers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation here has deteriorated in recent weeks, three years after a military … Read more
More Rohingya asylum seekers were reported killed or missing while attempting to flee Myanmar and Bangladesh last year than in nearly a decade, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which called for coordinated action to protect the ethnic minority group. In a statement yesterday, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said that the agency was alarmed … Read more
Since October 27, 2023, Rakhine State has witnessed intense fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and ethnic Rakhine insurgents, as part of the broader Operation 1027. The war has created a humanitarian disaster for Rakhine civilians and generated new political, economic, humanitarian and security concerns for neighboring Bangladesh. Bangladesh has already faced several problems owing … Read more
The military situation in Myanmar is changing rapidly. Since launching a resistance offensive known as Operation 1027 late last month, the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic resistance groups, supported by smaller People’s Defense Forces, has secured large swathes of territory across northern Shan State close to Myanmar’s border with China. Rebel forces have captured an estimated … Read more
On November 13, about 18 days after its inception, Operation 1027 opened a new front in western Myanmar, breaking a year-long informal ceasefire with the Myanmar military. The initial attack was carried out by the Arakan Army (AA), which attacked at least two junta outposts in northern Rakhine State. Operation 1027, which has made rapid … Read more
Advertisement On the afternoon of May 14, Extremely Severe Cyclone Mocha made landfall near Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s strife-afflicted Rakhine State. With windspeeds over 200 km/h, Mocha was one of the strongest cyclones ever to form in the north Indian Ocean. The State Administration Council (SAC) junta declared much of Rakhine State and four … Read more