Arson attack destroys over 100 homes and ancient heritage sites in Magway Region’s ‘Little Bagan’

A Myanmar military column of over 200 troops has torched more than 100 homes and an unconfirmed number of historic religious structures in Pakhannge village—locally known as “Little Bagan”—in Magway Region’s Chauk Township. The arson raid took place on Saturday as part of a regime counteroffensive against the People’s Defense Force (PDF), which is contesting control over central Magway. Devastation of historic Bagan-Era heritage Pakhannge, located 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Chauk town, is home to approximately 200 households and 81 historic religious buildings and temples dating back to the Bagan era (spanning the 9th to 13th centuries)—the historic foundation of the first unified Burmese empire. Local relief workers and resistance representatives confirmed severe human rights abuses accompanied the assault: An aid worker told DVB on the condition of anonymity that regime troops set fire to homes in Pakhannge village during its counteroffensive against the PDF in Chauk on July 25. Escalating battles across Chauk Township Fighting between regime and resistance forces across Chauk—located 71 miles (114 km) north of the region’s capital Magway—has escalated sharply as regime troops attempt to clear supply corridors advancing toward Chin State, where military forces have faced heavy resistance since April. Expanding humanitarian emergency The destruction of Pakhannge underscores a rapidly expanding humanitarian emergency across Magway Region, where the regime counteroffensive relies heavily on scorched-earth tactics. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), conflict-driven displacement across Myanmar’s northwest and southeast has reached historic highs since the 2021 coup, leaving millions without basic shelter, medical care, or food security as ground assaults and aerial bombardments continue.