_edited.png)
The Military Council’s Frightening Propaganda Tactics:Legitimizing Mass Killings by Fabricating False Narratives
Updated: 23 hours ago
Aung Naing Lin, Opinion, October 1, 2026
On September 28, in the mass killing at the India Market in Kyauktaw, 50 innocent civilians were killed and around 60 others were injured. Domestic and international observers unanimously criticized and condemned the incident as a disgusting and heartbreaking act that is unacceptable in the civilized world. However, to date, no official statement has been issued by the perpetrators, the terrorist military. Instead, their supporters and followers have been spreading propaganda in various forms, portraying the brutal act as though it had been carried out lawfully and was somehow legitimate.
Among them, U Thein Tun Oo, Executive Director of the ThayNinGa Institute for Strategic Studies, an echo organization of the fascist military, told BBC Burmese on September 30 that, as an organization responsible for national defense, they do not act recklessly; that they acted because they had evidence; and that it was difficult to distinguish between civilians and soldiers.
The nature of the evidence referred to in his response needs to be questioned further. What is certain is that it appears no different from the fabricated evidence previously created during the attack on Mrauk-U Public Hospital in December 2025, when fake Facebook accounts were created to make it appear as though AA members were confessing or expressing grief over the deaths of AA members. This appears to be little more than the shameless fabrication and dissemination of lies through pro-government media.
There are military propagandists even worse than U Thein Tun Oo. One of them is Ko Kyaw Myo Min of NP News, who openly and proudly stated that the military had aircraft and that the attack was carried out by aircraft, as though there had been no mistake whatsoever, despite the killing of more than 50 civilians in broad daylight.
Furthermore, fake accounts allegedly paid for and hired by the military government and its Ministry of Information have been posting the same fabricated narrative beneath news reports concerning the Kyauktaw killings, attempting to portray the act as justified. The fabricated story concerning the massacre claims that, on February 8, 2024, more than 912 military personnel and their family members retreating from Kyauktaw aboard two military vessels and one landing craft were brutally killed by the AA and nearby Rakhine people.
Military propagandists are using this incident to fuel ethnic hatred among Rakhine people, increase tensions between Rakhine and Bamar communities, and incite attacks against civilians, including indiscriminate attacks on public gathering places such as hospitals, schools, and markets. This is an extremely malicious and cynical effort.
The Kachhapnadi River Killing Alleged by Military Lobbyists
According to military lobbyists, the incident occurred on February 8, 2024. They claim that AA, Chin armed groups, the Magway PDF, and all three Brotherhood Alliance groups participated in the fighting, and that military personnel, police, dependents, and wounded patients began retreating from February 7 aboard three landing craft.
According to this account, AA forces fired from the riverbanks. At around 3 p.m. on February 8, all the military vessels came under attack around Apauk Wa and Kyauk Phyu villages in Kyauktaw Township. As the military vessels began sinking, they reportedly raised white flags and came ashore, but AA members allegedly fired at them while Rakhine villagers allegedly killed them with knives.
Although military lobbyists have been spreading propaganda about the incident in various forms, Eleven Media Group, which writes from a perspective aligned with the military council, reported that the number of people involved may have been between 700 and 900, while generally stating that they were attacked by AA and Rakhine villagers. Another military-lobbyist media outlet, NP News, reported on February 12 that at least 600 people had been killed. These accounts represent allegations made by the military council concerning the Kyauktaw Kachhapnadi River incident.
The Arakan Army’s Official Account
Regarding the February 8 incident described above, the Arakan Army's official statement can be found under the title “Naval Battle Statement,” issued on February 11, 2024. The statement contains the following passages directly related to the Kyauktaw incident.
“During the naval battles that took place in the first week of February 2024, our special assault forces were able to strategically attack the enemy’s military vessels.On February 7 and 8, we were able to decisively attack two military vessels and one landing craft belonging to the military council near Apauk Wa village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan, and succeeded in sinking all three vessels. In addition, we were also able to attack four other military vessels that came to rescue these three vessels, preventing them from approaching.”
“During the naval battle on February 7 and 8, all three military vessels of the military council were severely damaged after being hit at critical points as a result of our strategic attack. When the vessels were on the verge of completely sinking, we used loudspeakers three times to tell them to surrender and raise the white flag. However, they did not listen and continued to resist and attack us. They also attempted to defend themselves fiercely with drone bombs from the air.”
“When we gave the people aboard the three vessels one final opportunity to survive by granting them another 30 minutes, the enemy continued to attack us with concentrated drone-bomb attacks. As a result, more than ten of our personnel were wounded and some were killed. Had they listened to our calls to surrender, those aboard the vessels would have been allowed to survive. In fact, during the incident, we were able to rescue many people who survived and escaped by swimming. One Arakanese soldier lost his life while carrying out these rescues.”
According to the Arakan Army's account above, the entire incident was handled in accordance with international laws of war and international humanitarian law. In addition, photographs and videos that circulated online concerning the February 8 incident do not appear to show AA members or Rakhine villagers attacking military personnel and their family members who were surrendering, as claimed by military lobbyists. Instead, they show people carrying out rescue operations and audio recordings in which people can be heard attempting to prevent further attacks.
For example, a video circulating on TikTok shows military council personnel and AA members talking to each other on top of a military vessel that was emitting thick smoke.
AA member:
“Stay back. Stop firing. Stop firing. Don’t shoot anymore.”
“Come over here, come over here.”
At that point, a military council member can be heard speaking from a distance, although his words cannot be heard clearly.
AA member:
“Are there children???”
Gunfire can still be heard at this point.
AA member:
“Stay back. Don’t shoot anymore. Don’t shoot anymore.”
Another AA member:
“They’re shooting from over there, from over there.”
AA member:
“Wait, wait.”
Based on the conversations described above, there is no indication that AA members or Rakhine villagers carried out brutal killings of military personnel and their family members based on hatred.
Another video that circulated online also shows AA members actively helping military council personnel and their family members who had fallen into the water after the military vessel was damaged.
Subsequently, on March 4, the Arakan Army released photographs showing military council personnel rescued during the Kyauktaw incident receiving medical treatment and being provided with meals on humanitarian grounds. The group included approximately hundreds of people, including women and children.
Cold-Blooded Atrocities Justified Through the Kyauktaw Incident
Regarding the Kyauktaw incident described above, the military council subsequently committed targeted killings without reasonable justification or evidence, portraying its defeat on the battlefield through an ethnic lens and using narratives and stories designed to intensify emotions. Among the most notable incidents were:
1) An airstrike on Min Phyu civilian hospital in Minbya Township on February 27, 2024.
2) Naval forces firing into the Korean Port market in Sittwe, killing 12 civilians, on February 29, 2024.
3) Entering Byain Phyu village in Sittwe Township and killing 76 civilians on May 27, 2024.
4) An airstrike killing 22 students from a private school in Thayet Ta Pin village, Kyauktaw township on September 12, 2025
5) An airstrike reportedly targeting Mrauk-U Public Hospital, resulting in the deaths of 33 civilians/patients, on December 10, 2025.
6) An aerial bombing attack targeting the Indian Market near Kyauktaw, resulting in the deaths of 60 civilians, on September 28, 2026.
The incidents described above are some of the most notable cases in which the fascist terrorist military allegedly carried out subsequent attacks against civilians, independently of battlefield operations, following the fabricated Kachhapnadi River incident in Kyauktaw. At the same time, attacks targeting civilians on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis have increased in numerous towns and villages.
Conclusion
At present, the Arakan Army controls more than 90 percent of the Arakan battlefield, with only three towns remaining under the control of the terrorist military council. Although the military government is attempting to gain acceptance domestically and internationally by disguising itself through elections and democracy, its continued creation of fabricated narratives and its conduct of mass killings through airstrikes are once again exposing its true nature and character beyond any ability to conceal them.
No matter how many fabricated and horrifying stories the military council creates, its brutal actions continue to provide undeniable evidence to the international community and the general public that it is the true perpetrator of atrocities.
The apparent purpose of fabricating incidents such as the Kachhapnadi River incident in Kyauktaw is to maintain unity within the military and secure the support of its hard-core followers by spreading hatred toward the opposing side.
