Myanmar Army Moves to Clear Land for Russia-Backed Dawei Port Project

Myanmar's military has deployed hundreds of troops to forcibly clear areas designated for a Russia-backed special economic zone in the country's south, according to resistance fighters and local activists. The operation around the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which includes plans for a deep-sea port and power plant on the Andaman Sea, has involved burning villages and sealing off surrounding land.

Since July, the military has moved hundreds of soldiers into the southern Tanintharyi Region, bordering Thailand, sparking clashes with local resistance groups. "The military is advancing its columns and conducting area-clearance operations. Some villages and homes have been burned down," said Saw Dah Ko of the Tanintharyi Region People's Defence Force.

A second resistance fighter said troops had torched houses in at least three villages and killed three aid workers supporting displaced communities. The aid workers were detained and killed after encountering a military column in Yebyu Township on July 9, according to local civil society group MAGGA Initiative. The accounts could not be independently verified, and the Myanmar government and Russia's embassy in Myanmar did not respond to requests for comment.

The offensive follows a late-June visit by armed forces' deputy chief Kyaw Swar Lin, who urged soldiers to protect "strategic projects" such as Dawei. Conflict monitor ACLED reported in August that a column of approximately 700 soldiers has been "raiding villages and killing civilians." The operation has been reinforced by air and naval attacks, overwhelming loosely organized local resistance groups.

The push reflects a broader strategy by the military to reclaim territory lost to opposition groups since the 2021 coup, which has killed some 100,000 people and displaced over 3.5 million. The junta engineered a widely criticized election in December and January, clearing the way for Min Aung Hlaing to become president.

Originally launched in 2008 as a joint venture with Thailand, the Dawei project stalled in 2013 due to local opposition and funding shortages. Myanmar's new government is now looking to revive it with Russian support. At a business forum in Moscow, Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister Zaw Naing Oo said the project could enable cargo to move four to six days quicker than traversing the Strait of Malacca. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Russian companies intend to work with the SEZ, aiming to expand trade and create jobs.

The project could give Russia greater market access in Southeast Asia and a port footprint in the Indian Ocean region, according to a source with knowledge of Moscow's thinking. "The risk in Myanmar is still very high," the source said, "Russian investments will have to be linked to connectivity with Thailand for the project to make sense."