Historic Mrauk-U Palace Mound Attacked by Junta Forces

via Narinjara News, 12 January 2024: Myanmar’s Mrauk-U, a proposed World Heritage site, faced a devastating attack by the 540th light infantry battalion, which fired artillery shells at the ancient palace mound, Nandawyar Gon. This attack, condemned as a war crime by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, not only threatened a significant archaeological site but also destroyed residential areas and caused civilian injuries.

Myanmar military junta’s 540th light infantry battalion, stationed in Mrauk-U of Rakhine State, launched artillery shells on the ancient Rakhine city of Mrauk-U at 11:30 am on Wednesday, said a statement issued by Three Brotherhood Alliance.

The statement claimed that the soldiers, even though they were aware of the Mrauk-U cultural area’s proposed World Heritage listing, deliberately fired six rounds of artillery shells on Nandawyar Gon (palace mound), which is regarded as a cultural hub to the Rakhine people.

“Such actions constitute a deliberate act of destroying invaluable cultural heritage, amounting to a war crime,” stated Three Brotherhood Alliance.

Source: Junta forces launch artillery shells on Mrauk-‘s ancient palace mound | Narinjara News