Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation

Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation (Burmese: ပြည်သာယာ စစ်ဆင်ရေး), known officially in English as Operation Pyi Thaya, was a military operation conducted by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in northern Rakhine State, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh.[2][5][6][7] The operation took place between 1991 and 1992,[1] under the military junta of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), officially as a response to the military expansion of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).[3]

Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation
Part of the Rohingya conflict
Date 1991–1992[1] Location Northern Rakhine State; Bangladesh–Myanmar border Result Burmese tactical failure Failure to disarm and expel RSO insurgents Brief strain in Bangladesh–Myanmar relations in December 1991
Belligerents
Myanmar (SLORC)	Rohingya Solidarity Organisation  Bangladesh (border skirmish)
Commanders and leaders
Saw Maung	Muhammad Yunus
Casualties and losses
200,000[2]–250,000[3][1] displaced (150,000 later repatriated)[4]

Similar to Operation Nagamin (Operation Dragon King) in 1978, the government's official explanation for the operation was to expel so-called "foreigners" from the area, as well as capturing RSO insurgents. The resulting violence however, resulted in 200,000[2] to 250,000[3] civilians being displaced (most of whom fled to neighbouring Bangladesh) and failed to prevent further attacks by the RSO, which continued until the end of the 1990s.[5][7]

In December 1991, Tatmadaw soldiers crossed the border and accidentally fired on a Bangladeshi military outpost, causing a brief strain in Bangladesh–Myanmar relations.[3]