Thandwe IDPs Sleeping by the Roadside Due to Aerial Attacks, Emergency Blankets Needed
Arakha Times (11-November-2024)
In Thandwe Township, Rakhine, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) are avoiding sleeping indoors due to aerial attacks from the military junta. Instead, they are resting in makeshift shelters along roadsides and near forests.
“People seek refuge in dharma halls, monasteries, and schools, but the junta drops bombs on these places—dharma halls, religious sites, even monasteries. So they’re now staying under trees and in dense areas in the forests, where planes can’t see them,” said an IDP from Thandwe Township.
On September 26, a junta airstrike targeted the Dwarawaddy City Hall and Environmental Conservation Office in Thandwe, killing 14 civilians and injuring nearly 30. Similarly, on October 24, another airstrike destroyed the Union Solidarity and Development Party office and the military recruitment office in Thandwe. Most recently, on November 10, around 3 a.m., three bomb blasts from junta aircraft killed two civilians in three locations.
“Now, IDPs in Thandwe are sleeping on the roadsides and in forested areas, fearing more air raids. Winter is here, and it’s getting very cold, so emergency blankets are needed for them. We’re only able to help with food supplies,” said a spokesperson from the Lay Waddy IDP Support Group in Thandwe.
Since the Arakan Army (AA) took full control of Thandwe on July 16, 2024, junta forces have repeatedly launched airstrikes against the area.
