Myanmar’s military has deployed hundreds of troops to forcibly clear villages around the Dawei Special Economic Zone in the country’s south, burning homes and sealing off land earmarked for a Russia-backed deep-sea port project.
The offensive in Tanintharyi Region, bordering Thailand, represents the clearest sign yet that Myanmar’s military-backed government is willing to use force to revive the stalled Dawei SEZ, a 196-square-kilometre project that includes a planned port, coal-fired power plant and oil refinery on the Andaman Sea.
Battles With Resistance Forces
Since July, the military has pumped soldiers into the southern region, sparking battles with local resistance groups who have been forced to retreat, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. Resistance fighters and a local activist confirmed that villages in the project zone have been burned and surrounding tracts of land sealed off.
The Dawei project, originally conceived as a strategic alternative shipping route to the Strait of Malacca, stalled in 2013 after failing to attract sufficient investment. Russia revived interest after signing a memorandum on investment cooperation with Myanmar in February 2025, covering port construction, a power plant and an oil refinery.
Diplomatic Charm Offensive
The military push coincides with a diplomatic campaign by junta chief-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing, who pitched Dawei as a potential gateway to South and West Asia during a landmark visit to Thailand this month. He discussed the project again this week in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
At a business forum in the Russian capital, Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister Zaw Naing Oo told attendees that the project could enable cargo to move four to six days faster than via the Strait of Malacca. Russian companies plan to work with the SEZ to expand trade and create jobs, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in a meeting with Min Aung Hlaing.
The risk in Myanmar is still very high. Russian investments will have to be linked to connectivity with Thailand for the project to make sense.
Analysts say the project could give Russia greater market access in Southeast Asia and a port footprint in the Indian Ocean region, a strategically valuable position amid ongoing global shipping disruptions.
Sources: Reuters; The Japan Times; Radio Free Asia
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