[Tee tiong huat]

Thandwe struggles as fighting nears, Myanmar army blocks roads and waterways. The town’s remaining residents, already facing the threats of shelling and forced conscription, say that travel bans, shortages, and blackouts have dealt an irreparable blow to their livelihoods.

Streets at coastal town of Ngapali on Bay of Bengal nearly empty on Friday as town’s inhabitants woke upto sounds of artillery fire.
The battle seemed to be very intense yesterday. There were nonstop sounds of artillery throughout day & night. Nearly all shops in Gyeik Taw Ward closed, and we couldn’t find any vendors or shops to sell us breakfast this morning,” a resident of the ward said on Friday.

With banks, shops, and restaurants having closed and civilians seeking refuge elsewhere, the town is now still and nearly silent, locals said.