The Myanmar army bombed by sea and air an island in Rakhine state that is home to a giant Chinese deep-sea port project, while clashing with an ethnic minority armed group, the group and local media reported.
Fighters from the Arakan Army (AA, Arakan is the former name of Rakhine) launched attacks on central government security forces last month, opening a new front in the west of the country, adding to conflicts the army is already facing off against rebels in North and East.
The offensive ended a tenuous ceasefire that had largely held since the military seized power in a coup in 2021.
On Tuesday, a warship bombed the town of Ramree on the island of the same name in the west of the country, an alliance of three ethnic groups, including the AA, said on its Telegram channel.
The day before, the junta also launched air strikes and fired from warships during fighting in the region, the alliance said.
Local media reported that civilians were killed and injured in the shooting in the town of Ramree.
The AA said it seized “military equipment” after Monday’s fighting, without giving details.
Ramree Island is home to a $1.3 billion Chinese-backed deep-water port and industrial zone project that will serve as a gateway to the Indian Ocean once completed.
The Kyaukphyu port, about 50 kilometers from the city of Ramree, is the centerpiece of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) project, a key element of Beijing's desired “new Silk Roads”.
AFP has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Yangon for comment.
Authorities have closed the waters around Kyaukphyu to shipping until February next year, local media reported this week.
The United Nations said last week that more than 110,000 people had been displaced following recent clashes in neighboring Rakhine and Chin states, where the AA said it had captured three military bases.
The AA has been waging a war for years over the autonomy of the state's ethnic Rakhine population, who live near the border with Bangladesh.
In 2019, 200,000 residents were displaced due to clashes in the state of around one million people.