Staff Correspondent, Dhaka:
Myanmar’s military offensive around the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the country’s south is highlighting the growing security risks surrounding a strategically important infrastructure project backed by Russia.
The military has deployed hundreds of troops in the Tanintharyi Region, where the Dawei SEZ includes plans for a deep-sea port and power plant on the Andaman Sea. Resistance fighters and local activists say troops have burned villages, displaced residents, and restricted access to surrounding areas as they attempt to push back armed resistance groups.
The offensive is significant because Dawei has long been presented as a potential trade route linking Myanmar with South and West Asia while providing an alternative to routes dependent on the Strait of Malacca. The project could therefore carry wider economic and geopolitical importance if developed successfully.
Myanmar’s military leadership has recently renewed its focus on the project. Junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing promoted Dawei as a potential regional gateway during a visit to Thailand and subsequently discussed the project with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
According to resistance sources and conflict monitors, the latest military campaign intensified after senior military officials instructed forces to protect strategic projects. Reports indicate that around 700 troops have advanced into areas surrounding Dawei, supported by air and naval operations.
For Myanmar’s military, securing the area could be essential to creating the conditions needed to revive the long-delayed SEZ. However, continued fighting could also undermine investor confidence, disrupt local communities, and increase the project’s political and security costs.
The developments also underscore the challenge facing Russia-backed infrastructure ambitions in conflict-affected Myanmar. Unless the security situation improves, Dawei’s potential as a major regional trade and connectivity hub may remain constrained by instability on the ground.
