Fighting between regime forces and the Arakan Army (AA) has driven over 20,000 Kyaukphyu Township residents from their homes in Arakan State since Wednesday, a source close to the AA told DVB.

“The AA attacked a 100-strong military column from the Kyaukphyu-based Police Battalion 32 at Hnanpeltaung village on Wednesday,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. He claimed that the regime suffered “huge” losses.

The AA launched an attack on the regime’s Danyawaddy naval base on Feb. 20. Kyaukphyu is located 315 miles (506 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe.

Oil and gas pipelines in Kyaukphyu transport natural gas from the Shwe gas field, as well as energy imports from the Middle East and other oil-producing countries, to China. 

The regime in Naypyidaw transported 25 Chinese private security personnel from the Yangon Airport to Kyaukphyu on Feb. 27, according to a source close to the military.

“They are supposedly for the security of the gas pipeline,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity. Kyaukphyu hosts a deep seaport and a special economic zone, both China-backed projects.

The pipelines are a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), now referred to as the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), despite being constructed prior to the formal announcement of both the BRI and CMEC projects in 2013 and 2017.

“Beijing wants to maintain its image in sites where its projects are located, especially those under the BRI. So, I think private security personnel were sent to Chinese projects and employees,” a China-Myanmar political analyst told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

The AA has repeatedly vowed to protect foreign investments in Arakan State. It controls 14 out of 17 Arakan townships, except Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and the island of Manaung.