Thousands flee ahead of military op

Seeking safety: Villagers arriving at a temporary monastery camp with their belongings in Sittwe, Rakhine state, Myanmar. — AP

Thousands of people in an area of western Myanmar where there have been clashes between the government and ethnic rebels have been fleeing from their villages over the past week after an evacuation order from officials.

The Rakhine state government in an order last Tuesday instructed village administrators in Rathedaung township to tell residents to stay away from their homes due to military plans to conduct a “clearance operation” against the rebels.