Myanmar Spring Chronicle – January 19 Scene
MoeMaKa, January 20, 2025
28 Junta Prisoners Killed in Airstrike in Mrauk U, Rakhine State
On the evening of January 18, junta airstrikes targeted a detention camp near Ramchaung in Mrauk U, Rakhine State, killing 28 individuals, including junta prisoners, police personnel, and their families, and injuring 25 others, according to a report released by the Arakan Army (AA). The camp had been under the control of the AA.
A week prior, the junta’s aircraft bombed bustling markets, residential areas, and government offices in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State, resulting in casualties. Reports also indicated that a key AA administrative official and civilians were among the deceased in that incident.
Over the past year, the AA has seized control of nearly all of Rakhine State. Observers believe the junta’s airstrikes aim to undermine AA’s ability to safely and effectively govern the territories they control. Such actions involve secret intelligence gathering and frequent air assaults.
With no realistic prospect of reclaiming ground through conventional means, the junta has resorted to disrupting AA’s administration by blocking trade routes and conducting airstrikes. Despite AA’s dominance over 90% of the state, they have yet to establish full administrative, economic, and judicial normalcy.
The AA has not captured the state capital, Sittwe, or Kyaukphyu. Civilian flights continue to operate to these towns, and junta-appointed administrators remain in place. Civilians also continue to travel in these areas.
The recent airstrike targeted a camp primarily housing junta prisoners and their families. Analysts are puzzled about the rationale behind targeting a facility holding their own detained personnel. Similar incidents have occurred before: in October last year, a junta airstrike hit a detention facility in Karenni State under the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), resulting in casualties among junta prisoners.
A September 9 airstrike by the junta on an AA detention facility in Maungdaw Township reportedly killed around 50 junta prisoners. Such incidents suggest that the junta targets intelligence-gathering facilities and camps housing detained soldiers in areas controlled by resistance forces and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs).
These events highlight the junta’s apparent disregard for recovering its captured personnel. The practice of bombing detention facilities points to a deteriorating command structure and morale within the junta forces.
While the junta enforces conscription laws to recruit youth into its ranks, it appears to devalue the lives of its captured personnel. This reflects broader discontent and distrust within the ranks, as experienced officers and loyalists are left to fend for themselves after capture or surrender.
The AA holds hundreds of junta prisoners, from high-ranking officers to ordinary soldiers and their families, while similar situations exist in northern Shan State, under groups like the MNDAA and TNLA. In mid-January, the junta reportedly requested MNDAA to release detained personnel during a meeting in Yunnan Province.
The deliberate targeting of camps housing captured junta personnel by airstrikes illustrates the collapse of the junta’s internal cohesion and organizational discipline.