Yangon [Myanmar], May 21: The military government in Myanmar continues to lose another border town in the ongoing conflict with rebel forces.
The Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar, recently announced that it had taken control of Buthidaung town in Rakhine state, about 35 km from the Bangladesh border, after weeks of fighting. with government forces.
"We have captured all the bases in Buthidaung and also captured the town yesterday," Reuters quoted Mr. Khine Thu Kha, AA spokesman, as saying on May 19.
By the afternoon of May 20, the military government in the capital Naypyidaw had not yet commented on the situation in Buthidaung. If confirmed, this is the next defeat of the Myanmar army in the confrontation with rebel forces.
This development also highlights AA's significant progress in recent months. This armed group currently claims control of 180 military bases and 7 of 17 towns in Rakhine state, as well as the town of Paletwa in neighboring Chin state, according to Nikkei Asia .
Myanmar has fallen into chaos after a coup overthrew the elected government in February 2021. The event brought the military back to power, and also led to the rise of the resistance movement and rebel groups that had long been formed in ethnic minority communities.
The conflict has escalated since October 2023, when the Three Brothers Alliance, including the AA and two other rebel groups, launched a large-scale offensive campaign against the military government. The rebels have captured many areas from the Myanmar army and posed their biggest challenge since coming to power.
According to estimates by the US Institute of Peace (USIP, a research and training agency of the US government), the Myanmar military has lost about half of its 5,280 military positions, including outposts, bases, and military bases. bases and headquarters, as well as 60% of the territory they once controlled in ethnic minority areas.
Earlier this month, Reuters quoted a Thai official and a diplomatic source as saying that the Myanmar military may lose control of all important areas along the borders with India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Lan and China in the next 6 months.
In another development, General Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar's military junta , met with ASEAN officials, including Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn and Special Envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun, in Naypyidaw on May 16. According to AFP, the two sides "exchanged views on issues related to Myanmar's cooperation in ASEAN", as well as "conditions for Myanmar to participate in conferences" of ASEAN.
Myanmar remains an ASEAN member, but its military leadership has been excluded from the organization's summits for refusing to participate in efforts to restore peace and negotiate with opposition forces after the coup. change in 2021.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper