https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/fighting-in-rakhine-state-04092019164000.html
again??
Fighting in Rakhine State Claims Myanmar Officer, as Many as 20 Soldiers
The Arakan Army said Tuesday that its forces killed a Myanmar Army officer and about 20 government soldiers late last week in ongoing clashes between the two militaries in western Myanmar's embattled Rakhine state, a casualty count for which the secretive government military offered a rare confirmation.
The announcement by the AA initially said that a dozen government soldiers, including a captain, died on the morning of April 5 during a clash between the AA and the government’s 150-strong Light Infantry Battalion No. 373 near War Nat Yone village in Buthidaung township.
But AA spokesman Khine Thukha later told RFA's Myanmar Service that as many as 20 Myanmar troops were killed.
“It was Light Infantry Division No. 373 based in Ann township,” he said. “It clashed with AA troops, which resulted in heavy losses that day. Information that came later put the death toll at as many as 20, so I would say there were nearly 20 deaths, including a military officer.”
The AA’s announcement also said that its soldiers seized assorted weapons, including a pistol and other military equipment, from the government troops.
In a rare disclosure of Myanmar Army casualties, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun of the military’s information team told RFA that one officer and “some soldiers” were killed in the April 5 battle.
“A military officer was killed,” he said. “It was posted on his personal [Facebook] account. He was not of a major rank. There were also some deaths and injuries in the other ranks as well, but this is not an official account of the death toll from the military.”
Social media and obituary pages in state-owned newspapers said the deceased officer was Captain Chit Ko Ko from Light Infantry Division No. 373, who graduated in the 49th class from Myanmar’s Military Academy.
Neither the Myanmar military nor state-owned media have made any official announcements about the April 5 clash during which the officer and other soldiers died. The AA’s reported numbers would make that day the most deadly one for the army since the conflict heated up early this year.
Zaw Min Tun also said that so far this week the Myanmar Army had fought heavy battles with AA troops in Mrauk-U township and had captured two hilltops where enemy troops were based.
“There were clashes in Mrauk-U region yesterday and two days ago,” he said. “In Mrauk-U, we captured two of AA’s temporary bases.”
But AA spokesman Khine Thukha denied the report.
“There were no such clashes,” he told RFA. “We don’t have any bases as they mentioned. I don’t know which bases they had captured. We don’t have any bases in that area.”
More than 100 civilians, AA soldiers, Myanmar Army troops, and policemen have died during fighting since early January, when the hostilities escalated after Arakan fighters carried out deadly attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine.
Rakhine state’s Disaster Management Department has estimated than more than 31,000 villagers have been displaced by the clashes.
Still in detention
Meanwhile, the AA told RFA that eight construction workers it apprehended on March 30 on suspicion of being spies for the Myanmar Army are still in detention and have not been killed according to rumors circulating in Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh.
The AA accused the workers from the Su Htoo San Company, which is building the Paletwa-Mizoram highway to connect Myanmar and India, of being former military intelligence agents who were gathering information about the Arakan force for the Myanmar Army, though the government military denied it.
AA spokesman Khine Thukha said that the rumors that all eight men have been murdered are not true.
“This is totally wrong,” he said. “We never commit arbitrary killings. These are just rumors.”
“The men are being detained in dignity and in good conditions,” he added. “We are only conducting necessary questioning for security. We haven’t committed any lawless killings.”
But Khine Thukha refused to reveal evidence to back up his claim that the detainees are military intelligence agents, citing security concerns.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said that the Myanmar military investigated the men and determined that they are not former military intelligence personnel.
“We have investigated these people as much as we needed to,” he said. “They are ordinary civilians and private company employees. They are not even government staff. ”
The Myanmar military has seen the same rumors that the men are dead spreading in Bangladesh, he added.
“We are still trying to confirm it because the news sources are not reliable,” he said. “They are written in Bengali script, so they appear to be released from the Bangladeshi side, but I can’t say this for sure.”
